DAILY TEXT, Today's Saturday August 14, 2021, Should we not be much more subject to the Father? (Heb. 12: 9).

DAILY TEXT, Today's Saturday August 14, 2021

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2021

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Are we not to submit much more to the Father? (Heb. 12: 9).

One reason we sometimes find it difficult to submit to Jehovah is that we have inherited sin and are imperfect. Therefore, we have the tendency to disobey. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God and ate the fruit that He had forbidden them, they set their own standards (Gen. 3:22). Like them, most people today prefer to ignore God and decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. Even those of us who know and love Jehovah may struggle to submit to him completely. That is what happened to the apostle Paul (Rom. 7: 21-23). Like him, we want to do what God thinks is right. But we must constantly fight the inclination to do wrong. It can also be difficult for us to submit to Jehovah because of the influence of the culture in which we grew up. Many human ideas collide with what God says, and we may have a constant struggle to detach ourselves from ways of thinking that are common today. w19.09 15 pars. 4-6

What difficult situation did Nehemiah encounter?

Jehovah has entrusted elders with the important task of shepherding his servants. --1 Pet. 5: 2. Elders can learn much from how Governor Nehemiah treated Jehovah's people. Because of his position over Judah, he had a lot of authority (Neh. 1:11; 2: 7, 8; 5:14). Let's see what a difficult situation he encountered. He had learned that the Jews had contaminated the temple and did not give the Levites the financial support established by the Law. Furthermore, they did not observe the Sabbath and some had married foreigners. So Nehemiah would have to do something about it (Neh. 13: 4-30).

How did Nehemiah react to the difficulties?

Nehemiah did not abuse his authority by forcing the Jews to obey his own rules. Rather, he earnestly prayed to Jehovah for guidance and taught the people God's Law (Neh. 1: 4-10; 13: 1-3). Furthermore, he was humble and even worked together with his brothers in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 4:15).

According to 1 Thessalonians 2: 7, 8, how should elders treat the congregation?

Elders may not have problems like those Nehemiah had to deal with. However, they can imitate it in a number of ways. For example, they work hard to help siblings. And they do not believe they are superior to others because of their authority, but they treat the congregation tenderly (read 1 Thessalonians 2: 7, 8). His deep love and humility are reflected in the way he speaks to others. An experienced elder named Andrew says, “I have found that siblings generally react well when elders are kind and genuinely loving. These qualities motivate them to collaborate with the elderly ”. And Tony, who has also been an elder for many years, explains: “I try to follow the advice of Philippians 2: 3 and always strive to consider others to be superior to me.

Why should elders be humble?

Elders should be humble, just like Jehovah. Though He is the Sovereign of the universe, He stoops to raise “the lowly one from the dust itself” (Ps. 18:35; 113: 6, 7). In fact, he detests the arrogant (Prov. 16: 5).

Why should the elders keep their tongues under control?

Elders who submit to Jehovah must keep their tongues under control. If they don't, they may respond badly if someone disrespects them (Gal. 5:14, 15; James 1:26). Andrew, mentioned earlier, says: “At times, I have been tempted to respond poorly to a brother who seemed to me to treat me with little respect. But meditating on the biblical examples of faithful men has helped me see the importance of being humble and meek. " Elders show that they submit to Jehovah by being loving and using pleasant words when speaking with their brothers, including other elders. —Col. 4: 6.

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