DAILY TEXT, Sunday, January 18, 2026. Entrust the things you have heard from me to faithful men, so that they may be qualified to teach others (2 Tim. 2:2).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2026

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Entrust the things you have heard from me to faithful men, so that they may be qualified to teach others (2 Tim. 2:2).

How can elders imitate Jesus? By training and helping the brothers, including the young ones, to take on more responsibilities. Elders do not expect the brothers to be perfect. Rather, they lovingly counsel the young ones so that they may gain experience and learn to be humble, trustworthy, and considerate of others. (1 Tim. 3:1; 1 Pet. 5:5)

Jesus gave his disciples not only the responsibility to preach but also the responsibility to teach. Perhaps they felt they would not be able to carry out that task. But Jesus was fully confident that they could, and he wanted them to know it. That is why he told them: “Just as the Father sent me, I am also sending you.” (John 20:21) w24.10 16 par. 15; 17 par. 17

How did the advice they gave Patrick help him?

Consider the case of a brother named Patrick. When he was young, he was unkind to others, even the sisters, and spoke harshly to them. A mature elder noticed this and gave him frank and kind counsel. Patrick relates: “I am grateful that he did. I felt terrible when I saw other brothers being given responsibilities that I wanted. What the elder told me helped me to focus on humbly serving the brothers and sisters rather than on getting responsibilities in the congregation.” As a result, Patrick was appointed an elder when he was 23 years old. (Prov. 27:9)

How can the elderly imitate Jesus?

How can elders imitate Jesus? Experienced elders know that they should delegate and train others to take on responsibilities (Phil. 2:19-22). For example, they can ask young people to help with cleaning and maintaining the Kingdom Hall. They show their trust in the person to whom they delegate a task by training that person and expecting them to do a good job. A newly appointed elder named Matthew appreciates that the experienced elders train him to handle various tasks in the congregation and trust him to do them well. He explains: “It helps me that they see my mistakes as part of the learning process and then teach me how to do better next time.”

What decision should we make?

Jesus used his last 40 days on earth to encourage, teach, and equip others. Let us be determined to faithfully follow in his footsteps (1 Pet. 2:21). He will help us to do so, for he ultimately promised: “I will be with you all the days until the conclusion of the system” (Matt. 28:20).

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