DAILY TEXT, Today Friday, November 8, 2024, He who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him earnestly (Heb. 11:6).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2024

Friday, November 8, 2024

He who approaches God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Heb. 11:6).

Jehovah has given all of us who love him a wonderful hope. He will soon put an end to sickness, sorrow, and death. (Rev. 21:3, 4) He will help the meek who put their hope in him to make the earth a paradise. (Ps. 37:9-11) And he will make it possible for all of us to have a loving personal relationship with him—far better than we have now. What a precious hope! Now, why are we confident that God’s promises will come true? Because he always keeps his word. So we have reason to put our hope in Jehovah. (Ps. 27:14) And how do we show that we put our hope in him? By waiting patiently and joyfully for him to completely fulfill his promises. (Isa. 55:10, 11) May we always be loyal to Jehovah, confident that he will reward “those who earnestly seek him.” w22.06 20 par. 1; 25 par. 18.

What can come to light when we go through some trial, and what example helps us understand this?

We should see trials as an opportunity to get to know ourselves better. Job realized through difficulties that he had some shortcomings that he needed to correct. For example, he saw that he needed to be more humble (Job 42:3). We too can discover many things about our personality when we go through a trial. That is what happened to Nicholas, who was imprisoned despite being very ill. He explains: “Going to prison is like having an X-ray: it allows you to see the qualities of a Christian.” When we identify our weak points, we can do something to improve.

Who should we listen to, and why?

We must listen to Jehovah, not to our enemies. Job paid close attention when Jehovah spoke to him. To bring him to his senses, Jehovah said something like this: “Have you seen my power in the things I have created? I know everything that has happened to you. Do you think I cannot care for you?” With humility and deep gratitude for Jehovah’s goodness, Job replied: “I heard about you with my ears, but now I see you with my eyes.”—Job 42:5 When Job said these words, he was probably still sitting in the ashes, his body covered in sores, mourning the death of his children. Yet, in the midst of this situation, Jehovah confirmed that he loved him and assured him that he had Jehovah’s approval.—Job 42:7, 8

According to Isaiah 49:15, 16, what should we keep in mind when we go through trials?

Today, people may insult us or treat us as if we were worthless. They may try to tarnish our personal reputation or that of the organization and “say all kinds of bad things” about us by lying. —Matt. 5:11. The story of Job teaches us that Jehovah is confident that we can be loyal when we go through trials. Jehovah loves us and will never forget those who put their hope in him. (Read Isaiah 49:15, 16.) Let us not listen to the slanderous words of God’s enemies. Consider what James, a brother in Turkey who has gone through difficult trials with his family, said. He says: “We realized that if we paid attention to the lies they said about God’s people, we would become discouraged. So we focused on the hope of the Kingdom and kept busy serving Jehovah, and in this way we remained joyful.” Let us follow Job’s example and listen to Jehovah. May the lies of our enemies not extinguish the light of our hope!

What do we learn from the faithful men and women mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11?

Job is not the only servant of Jehovah who was courageous and strong in the face of hardship. In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrew Christians, he spoke of many other servants of God, describing them as “a great cloud of witnesses.” (Heb. 12:1) Although they endured severe trials, they all have an extraordinary record of loyalty to Jehovah. (Heb. 11:36–40) Did all their hard work and endurance serve a purpose? Of course it did. They did not see all of God’s promises fulfilled, but they did not give up on him. And because they were confident that they had Jehovah’s approval, they had no doubt that they would see those promises fulfilled. (Heb. 11:4, 5) Thinking about their example gives us strength to always put our hope in Jehovah.

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