DAILY TEXT, Today's  Thursday August 24, 2023,  my God, you who are suffering will receive relief (2 Thes. 1:7).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2023

Thursday August 24

You who are suffering will receive relief, just like us, during the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels (2 Thess. 1:7).

At Armageddon it will not be up to us to decide who will receive Jehovah's mercy and who will not (Matt. 25:34, 41, 46). Will we trust Jehovah, or will we turn our backs on him because we do not agree with what he has decided? It is clear: we need to strengthen our trust in Jehovah now so that we can fully trust him in the future. Imagine how we will feel in the new world. There will no longer be the false religion, the greedy commercial system, and the governments that oppress and make people suffer so much. Health problems, old age and the death of our loved ones will be a thing of the past. Satan and his demons will be locked up for 1,000 years. All the damage caused by his rebellion will be gone (Rev. 20:2, 3). How happy we will feel that we have trusted Jehovah's way of doing things! w22.02 6, 7 pars. 16, 17.

What questions should the elders look at to know if a person is repentant?

Jehovah has given the elders the serious responsibility of keeping the congregation clean. Therefore, if a Christian commits a serious sin, Jehovah expects the elders to decide whether he can continue to be part of the congregation. Among other things, they have to find out if the person is truly sorry. They must analyze questions such as the following: even if that person claims that he is sorry, does he really hate what he did? Is she determined not to commit that sin again? If her bad friends led her to sin, is she willing to cut them off? The elders pray to Jehovah, analyze the facts according to what the Bible says, and take into account the attitude that the person shows towards what he did. Then they decide if he can stay in the congregation or not. Depending on the case,

What could worry us if a relative or a friend of ours is expelled?

If someone who is not our friend or family member is expelled, we may immediately accept the decision of the elders. But what if they expel someone who is very close to us? Then our trust in the elders could be tested. We may be concerned that they did not take all the factors into account or that they did not judge the matter in Jehovah's way. What will help us to view the decision of the elders with the right attitude?

What should we remember if the elders decide to expel a family member or friend of ours?

We must remember that expulsion is a measure that Jehovah has established for the good of the congregation and of the sinner. If someone who has not repented was allowed to continue in the congregation, this person would be a bad influence (Gal. 5:9). In addition, he may not realize the seriousness of his sin and that he has to change his thinking and acting in order to regain his friendship with Jehovah (Eccl. 8:11). We can be sure that the elders take their responsibility to decide whether or not someone should be disfellowshipped very seriously. Like the judges of ancient Israel, they know that they "judge not for any man, but for the Lord" (2 Chron. 19:6, 7).

Why do we need to trust Jehovah's guidance today more than ever?

The end of this system is getting closer. Therefore, today more than ever we have to trust in Jehovah's way of doing things. This is so because during the great tribulation we may receive instructions that seem strange, impractical, or illogical to us. Of course, Jehovah will not speak directly to us. He will probably use his representatives here on Earth to give us instructions. That will not be the time to doubt and wonder if those instructions come from Jehovah or if the responsible brothers are doing things his way. Will we trust Jehovah and his organization at this important moment in history? How we now react to the organization's guidance will help us know the answer. If we trust the instructions we receive now and obey them right away,

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