DAILY TEXT, From today Thursday, December 14, 2023, And what did I do compared to what you have done? (Judges 8:2).

DAILY TEXT, Thursday, December 14, 2023, And what did I do compared to what you have done? (Judges 8:2).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2023

Thursday December 14

And what did I do compared to what you have done? (Judges 8:2).

With Jehovah's help, Gideon and his 300 men had achieved a great victory that they could have been very proud of. The men of Ephraim went to talk to Gideon, but not to congratulate him, but to argue with him because he had not invited them to fight alongside him (Judges 8:1). Gideon gave them a specific example of how Jehovah had blessed them. As a result, “they became calm” (Judges 8:3). Gideon was willing to put aside his pride in order to maintain peace among God's people. From the Ephraimites, we learn that we should not place more importance on protecting our honor than on honoring Jehovah. From Gideon, householders and elders can learn that if someone is upset with them for something they did, they should try to see things from their perspective. You can also congratulate him for something he has done well. That requires humility. But keeping the peace is much more important than proving we are right. w21.07 16, 17 paras. 10-12.

According to Galatians 5:26, what defects can lead us to manifest a spirit of competition?

What defects can lead us to manifest a spirit of competition? One is egocentrism. The self-centered person is proud and selfish. Another defect is envy. The envious person not only desires what another person has, but also desires that that person not have it. Therefore, being envious of someone means hating them. Without a doubt, we want to avoid these defects as if they were the plague.

What example helps us understand the damage caused by egocentrism and envy?

Egocentrism and envy are similar to the impurities that foul airplane fuel. The plane may manage to take off; But if impurities clog the fuel lines, the engines may lose power just before landing and the plane may crash. Similarly, someone may have been serving Jehovah for some time; But if there is self-centeredness and envy inside, you will end up crashing (Prov. 16:18). He will fail to serve Jehovah, harm himself, and harm others. How can we avoid becoming self-centered and envious?

How can we fight against egocentrism?

We can combat self-centeredness by following the advice the apostle Paul gave to the Philippians: “Do nothing out of a conflictual or self-centered spirit, but humbly think that others are better than you” (Phil. 2:3) . If we think that others are superior, we will not compete with those who have more talents or abilities than us, but we will be happy for them. This is especially true if they are using their abilities for the praise of Jehovah. For their part, if the brothers who have talents also follow Paul's advice, they will focus on the good qualities they see in us. The result will be that we will all foster peace and unity in the congregation.

What will help us control the tendency to envy?

What will help us control the tendency to envy? Be modest, that is, recognize that we have limitations. If we are modest, we will not try to prove that we have more talent and ability than other people. Rather, we will look for ways to learn from those who do certain things better than us. For example, if a brother in the congregation presents excellent public talks, we can ask him how he prepares them. If a sister cooks very well, we can ask her for some tips to improve. And, if a young person doesn't have much ease in making friends, perhaps she can ask someone who does for suggestions. All this will help us avoid envy and improve our own skills.

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