DAILY TEXT, Today's Sunday June 12, 2022, By faith, when Abraham was put to the test, he practically offered Isaac (Heb. 11:17).

DAILY TEXT, Today's Sunday June 12, 2022

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2022

Sunday June 12, 2022

By faith, when Abraham was put to the test, he practically offered up Isaac (Heb. 11:17).

Abraham's family went through difficult times. His dear wife, Sara, was barren. They lived with that bitter sorrow for many years. In time, she gave Abraham to her servant Hagar as her wife. Thus Sarah and Abraham could have children through Hagar. But, when she became pregnant with Ismael, she began to despise Sara. Things got so bad that Sarah had Hagar run away from her house (Gen. 16:1-6). Finally, Sarah became pregnant and she bore her husband a son, whom he named Isaac. Abraham loved his two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. But because Ishmael did not treat Isaac well, Abraham had to send Ishmael and Hagar away (Gen. 21:9-14). Years later, Jehovah asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1, 2; Heb. 11:17-19). On both occasions, Abraham had to trust that Jehovah would fulfill what he had promised him about his children. w20.08 4 paras. 9, 10 

What do you learn from Brother Walden's story?

We are willing to make sacrifices. If we want to put the city of God first in our lives, that is, the Kingdom, we must be like Abraham and be willing to sacrifice ourselves to please God (Matt. 6:33; Mark 10:28-30). Consider the example of Brother Bill Walden.* In 1942, when he was about to become a structural engineer in the United States, he began studying with Jehovah's Witnesses. One of his professors had gotten him a job for when he graduated from college, but Bill turned him down. He explained that he had decided not to pursue his promising career because he wanted to serve God more. Shortly after, the army called him up. He respectfully refused, and as a result he was fined $10,000 and sentenced to five years in jail. After three years, he was released. Over time, He was invited to attend Gilead School and sent as a missionary to Africa. Bill married Eva and they served together in Africa, where they had to make many sacrifices. Years later, they had to return to the United States to take care of Bill's mother. Reflecting on his life, he says: “Tears come to my eyes when I think of the honor of having been used by Jehovah for more than 70 years. I often thank him for allowing me to make his service the center of my life”. Can you, too, turn full-time service into the career of a lifetime? Reflecting on his life, he says: “Tears come to my eyes when I think of the honor of having been used by Jehovah for more than 70 years. I often thank him for allowing me to make his service the center of my life”. Can you, too, turn full-time service into the career of a lifetime? Reflecting on his life, he says: “Tears come to my eyes when I think of the honor of having been used by Jehovah for more than 70 years. I often thank him for allowing me to make his service the center of my life”. Can you, too, turn full-time service into the career of a lifetime?

What does the experience of the Apostolidis brothers teach you?

Let's not expect a life without problems. Abraham's example teaches us that even those who dedicate their lives to Jehovah will have difficulties (Jas. 1:2; 1 Pet. 5:9). Such was the case with a brother named Aristotelis Apostolidis.* He was baptized in Greece in 1946, and in 1952 he became engaged to Eleni, a sister who had the same goals as him. But then Eleni got sick and the doctors discovered a brain tumor. They took it away, but after a few years of being married it reappeared. They operated on her again, but she was left partially paralyzed and had severe speech difficulties. Despite her illness and the government persecuting the Witnesses at the time, Eleni continued to preach enthusiastically.

Aristotelis cared for his wife for thirty years. In all that time, he was an elder, assisted with assembly committees, and helped build an Assembly Hall. Then, in 1987, Eleni had a serious accident while preaching. He was in a coma for three years, and then he died. Summarizing his experiences, Aristotelis says, “Over the years, overwhelming circumstances, difficult problems, and unforeseen events have required a tremendous amount of tenacity and perseverance. Yet Jehovah has always provided me with the strength to overcome these difficulties.”​—Ps. 94:18, 19. Without a doubt, Jehovah deeply loves those who do their best to serve him despite the problems.

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