The Watchtower Study, "Article 47", Week of January 15 to 21, 2024, How to keep the love we have for each other strong, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, «Article 47», January 15-21, 2024, How to keep the love we have for each other strong, Answers.

“Let us continue to love one another, for love is from God” (1 JOHN 4:7).

1, 2. a) Why did the apostle Paul say that love is “the greatest” quality?

 The apostle Paul said that love is the greatest quality because, unlike faith and hope, love will be necessary even in the future when our hopes have been fulfilled. Love is essential to loving Jehovah and people, and it will continue to grow throughout eternity.

1, 2. b) What questions will we analyze?

We will analyze three questions: Why should we love each other?, In what ways can we show that we love each other?, and How can we keep the love we have for each other strong?

WHY SHOULD WE LOVE EACH OTHER?

3. What reasons do we have to love each other?

We have several reasons to love each other. First, by loving each other, we demonstrate that we are true disciples of Jesus. Second, love keeps us together and acts as a perfect bond. And third, by loving our brothers, we demonstrate our love for Jehovah.

4, 5. Give an example that demonstrates the relationship between love for God and love for our brothers.

For example, if a person consistently shows love and care toward his fellow believers, this indicates that his love for Jehovah is strong. It is like the weak or strong pulse that can reveal the state of health of the heart. If our love for others weakens, our love for God may also have weakened. Therefore, by showing love to our brothers, we also show our love to Jehovah.

6. Why should we worry if our love for our brothers has weakened? (1 John 4:7-9, 11).

We should be concerned if our love for our brothers has weakened, because this could indicate that our friendship with Jehovah is in danger. As the apostle John says, if we do not love our brother, whom we see, we cannot love God, whom we do not see. Therefore it is important that we love one another to please Jehovah.

IN WHAT WAYS CAN WE SHOW THAT WE LOVE EACH OTHER?

7, 8. In what ways can we show that we love each other?

We can show that we love each other in many ways. Some examples include telling each other the truth, keeping peace, honoring each other, welcoming each other, forgiving each other, carrying each other's burdens, comforting each other, edifying each other, and praying for each other. These actions show our love in words and actions towards our brothers.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. A sister praying. 2. Listening while another sister vents. 3. Talking via video conference with an older sister who is sick. 3. Writing a note that she is going to send to someone with a gift. 4. Eating with a sister who has an immobilized arm due to an injury. How can we help a brother or sister who is suffering? (See paragraphs 7 to 9).

9. Why do we say that comforting others is an important way to show them love? (See also images).

We say this because we at the consulate are showing empathy and support in times of difficulty. Therefore, by being next to our brothers in their difficult trials, by encouraging them and providing comfort, we are showing them our love. The same thing happens when we offer them our shoulder to cry on. These expressions of love are important because it helps them continue on the path to life.

10. Why do we say that feeling compassion and giving comfort go hand in hand?

We say that feeling compassion and giving comfort go hand in hand, because when we feel compassion for someone who is suffering, it drives us to want to comfort ourselves and do something to help them. This is similar to how Jehovah, the father, is of tender mercies; he feels compassion for us and comforts us in our trials. Therefore, cultivating qualities related to comfort will help us be empathetic and provide comfort to others, following Jehovah's example.

11. According to Colossians 3:12 and 1 Peter 3:8, what qualities will help us love and comfort others?

The qualities that will help us love and comfort others are empathy, brotherly affection and kindness. By cultivating these qualities, we can comfort those who are going through difficult times and show them our love, as mentioned in Colossians 3:12 and 1 Peter 3:8.

HOW DO WE KEEP THE LOVE WE HAVE STRONG?

12. a) Why should we be careful?

We must be careful not to be infected by the lack of love that exists in the world and to remain firm in our love for our brothers.

12. b) What question will we answer next?

Next we will answer the question: Is there a way to know if the love we feel for our brothers is strong?

13. What can test our love?

Our love can be tested when our siblings make mistakes or hurt us. The way we react to these circumstances will show how strong our love is.

14. According to 1 Peter 4:8, what kind of love do we need? Give an example.

We need to have an intense love that extends and encompasses others in a wide and deep way. One way to illustrate this intense love is by sharing it with a cloth that stretches and stretches until it manages to cover not one, but a multitude of stains. In this context, intense love would lead us to forgive ourselves a multitude of weaknesses, imperfections, errors and sins of our brothers, and to show them understanding and mercy instead of judging them.

15. What do we achieve when our love for others is strong? (Colossians 3:13).

When our love for others is strong, we will be able to overlook mistakes and the irritating consequences of them. If we can grow our love, we will be able to show that this love is strong and that we want to please Jehovah.

Colossians 3:13, in this context, teaches us that when our love for others is strong, we will manage to bear with each other and forgive each other generously, even if there are reasons to complain. Furthermore, we imitate Jehovah's generous forgiveness. 

16, 17. What else can help us overlook the small mistakes of others? Give an example. (See also images).

In addition to focusing on the good things in others, another thing that can help us overlook small mistakes is to remember the good times we have shared with them. For example, when taking three photos of a group of siblings, we will decide to delete the photo in which one of the siblings did not turn out well. And we'll stick with the other two photos where everyone is smiling.

In the same way, we will overlook our siblings' mistakes if we remember the times when they have selflessly helped us or provided us with emotional support. This way, it will be easier to forgive them if they make a minor mistake, since we will cherish and cherish the positive memories and discard the bad ones.

ILLUSTRATION

Left: A brother has several photos of a group of brothers and sisters on his phone, and he is deleting one of the photos. Right: a bookshelf with a framed photo of the same group. Just as we save the most beautiful photos and delete the rest, we remember the good times we lived with our siblings and erase the bad memories from our memory. (See paragraphs 16 and 17).

WHY IS LOVE SO IMPORTANT TODAY?

18. What are the main ideas of this article?

The main ideas of this article are: We must keep the love we have for each other strong, because by showing our love for our brothers we also show our love for Jehovah. 

We can express the love we feel for our spiritual family by comforting our brothers.

To keep the love we have for each other strong, it is important to feel compassion towards others.

One way to do this is by doing your best to forgive the mistakes of others.

19. Why is it so important to show ourselves love today?

It is important to show each other love today, because the end of all things has drawn near. Jesus predicted that as the end draws near, all nations will hate us because of his name. Hence, to continue serving Jehovah despite hatred, we must remain united and because Satan wants to divide us. But if we love each other, we can resist their attempts, since love is a perfect bond.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What reasons do we have to love each other?

In John 13:35, Jesus said that if we have love for one another we identify ourselves as true disciples of His. And if we do it we will be demonstrating that we are true Christians.

Furthermore, love keeps us united. For this reason Paul said that love is a perfect bond of union.

And John 4:21 tells us that if we love God we must also love our brothers.

In what ways can we show that we love each other?

We can show that we love each other, through our words and actions.

We can demonstrate it by telling the truth, maintaining peace, honoring our brothers, respecting each other, receiving them with pleasure, forgiving each other, avoiding making them suffer, avoiding hurting them, comforting them, encouraging them or edifying them with words and praying for them. 

Why can we say that forgiving others is a sign of love?

The love we have for our brothers must be so great that we are able to forgive them for their mistakes, even if it seems very difficult to do so. When we manage to forgive others, we will be showing that our love is strong and that we want to please Jehovah.

On the other hand, our love will motivate us in the first instance to avoid voluntarily doing something that could purposely hurt our brothers.