DAILY TEXT, Today Sunday February 4, 2024,  Love the Lord your God with all your heart (Matt. 22:37).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2024

Sunday February 4, 2024

Love the Lord your God with all your heart (Matt. 22:37).

Some brothers feel discouraged because because of age or poor health they cannot do as much as they would like in their service to Jehovah. If we sometimes feel discouraged because we cannot do everything we want, let us ask ourselves: “What does Jehovah expect of me?” He expects us to give him our best, that is, to do everything we can for him according to our circumstances. Consider this example. A sister who is 80 years old is discouraged because she can no longer do in the ministry what she did when she was 40. She thinks that, although she is giving Jehovah the best of her, he is not happy with her. . But is that true? Let's see. If this sister gave Jehovah her best when she was 40 years old and continues to do so now that she is 80, she has never really stopped giving him her best. If we give Jehovah our best, he will say to us, “Well done” (compare Matthew 25:20-23). Something that will help us maintain joy is to focus on what we can do, instead of focusing on what is not within our reach. w22.04 10 para. 2; 11 paras. 4-6.

IF YOU HAVE ANY GIFT, USE IT

What good advice did the apostle Peter give to Christians?

In the first letter the apostle Peter wrote by inspiration, he advised his brothers to use whatever gifts or talents they had to encourage their fellow Christians. He wrote, “According to the gift each of you has received, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's free kindness” (1 Pet. 4:10). We should not hold back from using our abilities to the fullest for fear that others will be envious or discouraged. If we did, we would not be giving Jehovah the best of us.

According to 1 Corinthians 4:6, 7, why shouldn't we brag about our abilities?

It is true that we should use our abilities to the fullest, but let us be careful not to boast about them. (Read 1 Corinthians 4:6, 7.) For example, perhaps you are very good at starting Bible courses. Well, keep doing it! But it's one thing to take advantage of a skill and quite another to boast about it. Imagine that you recently had a positive experience in ministry and managed to start a Bible course. So you can't wait to tell it to your preaching group in great detail. But, when she is finally with the group, she overhears a sister telling that she managed to leave a magazine for someone. She left a magazine, you started a Bible course. What will he do? You know that your experience will encourage the group, but you may decide to tell it another time so as not to spoil the sister's joy. What a nice way to show kindness! Of course, don't stop offering Bible courses. You have a gift, so use it.

How should we use our talents?

Let us remember that any ability we have has been given to us by God. So let's use it to encourage the congregation, not to show off (Phil. 2:3). When we use our energies and talents to do God's will, we have reason to rejoice. Because? Because we are using everything we have to praise Jehovah, not to stand above others or make them feel that we are superior to them.

Why is it absurd to compare ourselves with others?

If we are not careful, we could fall into the trap of comparing our strengths to the weaknesses of others. Let's take an example. A brother may be very good at giving public speeches. That's his strong point. But maybe in his heart he believes he is superior to a brother who has a hard time presenting speeches. However, this brother may excel in other things, for he may be hospitable, he may be raising his children well, or he may be very enthusiastic in preaching. How grateful we are that there are so many brothers and sisters who use their talents to serve Jehovah and help others.

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