DAILY TEXT, Today Wednesday February 9, Happy the man who continues to endure during the test (Sant. 1:12).

DAILY TEXT, Today Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2022

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Happy the man who continues to endure during the test (Jas. 1:12).

When the disciple Stephen was killed, many Christians fled from Jerusalem and "were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria." Some of them went as far as Cyprus and Antioch (Acts 7:58-8:1; 11:19). We cannot even imagine the difficulties these disciples faced. Even so, they continued to enthusiastically preach the good news wherever they went, and congregations were formed throughout the Roman Empire (1 Pet. 1:1). But the problems of the early Christians had only just begun. For example, around the year 50, the Roman Emperor Claudius ordered all Jews to leave Rome. This forced the Jews who had become Christians to leave their homes and move to other places (Acts 18:1-3). Around the year 61,the apostle Paul wrote that his brothers had been publicly exposed to insults, taken to prison and robbed of their property (Heb. 10:32-34). And, like other people, Christians fell victim to poverty and disease (Rom. 15:26; Phil. 2:25-27). w21.02 26, 27 paras. 2-4

Why do we need wisdom?

The problem: not knowing what to do. When we experience problems, we want to make decisions that are pleasing to Jehovah, that benefit our brothers, and that help us have integrity (Jer. 10:23). We need wisdom to decide which way to go and what to say to our enemies. When we don't know what to do, we may feel that we are helpless victims of our circumstances, and this could rob us of happiness at any moment.

According to James 1:5, what should we do if we need wisdom?

The solution: ask Jehovah for wisdom. To endure trials without losing joy, we must first pray to Jehovah and ask him to give us the wisdom we need to make good decisions (read James 1:5). But how should we react if it seems to us that Jehovah does not answer our prayers at the moment? James says to keep praying "constantly to God." Jehovah is not going to get upset or angry with us because we ask him again and again for wisdom to endure trials. On the contrary, our heavenly Father will give it to us generously (Ps. 25:12, 13). He is aware of our trials, sympathizes with us, and wants to help us. Doesn't that make us happy? Now, how does Jehovah give us wisdom?

What else do we have to do to gain wisdom?

Jehovah gives us wisdom through his Word (Prov. 2:6). To get it, we have to study the Bible and the publications based on it. However, it is not enough to accumulate knowledge. We have to follow Jehovah's advice in our lives. James said, “Put the word into practice and do not just hear it” (Jas. 1:22). When we apply God's advice, we become more peaceful, reasonable and merciful people (Jas. 3:17). These qualities help us face any test without losing joy.

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