DAILY TEXT, Today's Friday, February 28, 2025, He who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me (Matt. 10:37).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2025

Friday February 28, 2025

He who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me (Matt. 10:37).

Christians take our vow of dedication to Jehovah very seriously. This is reflected in the decisions we make and how we deal with family matters. We attend to family responsibilities as best we can, but we never put what our family members want above what Jehovah wants. (Matt. 10:35, 36; 1 Tim. 5:8) Sometimes we may have to sacrifice peace with our relatives to some extent in order to please Jehovah. He created the family and wants families to be happy (Eph. 3:14, 15). If we want to be truly happy, we have to do things as Jehovah says. He sees and values ​​the sacrifices we make to serve Him as we care for our families and treat them with love and respect (Rom. 12:10). w24.02 18 paras. 11, 13.

When presented with a difficult family situation, what did Alexandru do, and what did he not do?

Let's look at the case of Alexandru and his wife, Dorina. When they had been studying the Bible for a year, Dorina decided to stop studying and wanted Alexandru to stop too. But he explained calmly and tactfully that he wanted to continue. She didn't like that at all and wanted to force him to leave the Bible course. Although he tried to understand her, it wasn't easy. Sometimes, when Dorina criticized him and treated him badly, he felt like throwing in the towel. Even so, he continued to put Jehovah first and treat his wife with great love and respect. Over time, his example prompted his wife to return to studying the Bible and accept the truth. (Watch the video Alexandru and Dorina Văcar: “Love is Patient and Kind,” from the “Truth Changes People’s Lives” section on jw.org.)

How can we show that we love Jehovah and our family?

Jehovah created the family and wants families to be happy.​—Eph. 3:14, 15. If we want to be truly happy, we have to do things as Jehovah says. He sees and values ​​the sacrifices we make to serve Him as we care for our families and treat them with love and respect (Rom. 12:10).

Who should we encourage above all?

All of us who wish to serve Jehovah today must be willing to make sacrifices out of love. Sometimes it's not easy. How can we encourage each other to make sacrifices for Jehovah? Well, with our words (Job 16:5). Is there anyone in your congregation who is trying to simplify their life to have more time for spiritual activities? Do you know a young person who is courageously demonstrating in class that he or she is different from his or her classmates, despite how difficult it is? Can you think of a brother or Bible student whose family is against him for being loyal to Jehovah? Let us take advantage of every opportunity to encourage them and tell them how much we appreciate the courage they show and the sacrifices they make for Jehovah. (Philem. 4, 5, 7)

What have some brothers done to help those in full-time service?

At times we may be able to offer practical help to brothers who are in full-time service (Prov. 19:17; Heb. 13:16). That's what an older sister who lives in Sri Lanka decided to do. Since her pension was raised, she decided to help two young sisters who were having financial difficulties to continue pioneering. So every month I set aside an amount of money to help them pay their phone bills. What a nice gesture from this faithful sister!

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