DAILY TEXT, Today Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Have you seen a skilled man at his work? He will stand before kings, not before common people (Prov. 22:29).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2024.

Wednesday June 5, 2024

Have you seen a man skilled at his work? He will stand before kings, not before common people (Prov. 22:29).

A goal we can set is to acquire a new skill. If we become more skilled, we will be prepared to receive more responsibilities. Think, for example, of all the brothers who help build branches, Assembly Halls, and Kingdom Halls. Many of them learned what they know because they worked with others who had more experience. Today, both men and women are learning what needs to be done to maintain Assembly Halls and Kingdom Halls. In these and other ways, Jehovah, the “King of eternity,” and Jesus, the “King of kings,” use these capable people to achieve great things. (1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15 ). We want to work hard and use our abilities to bring glory to Jehovah, not ourselves (John 8:54). w22.04 24 para. 7; 25 para. eleven.

LET'S LOOK FOR WAYS TO DO THINGS FOR OTHERS

How have others helped you?

How happy we feel when others help us! For example, if we are hospitalized, how encouraged we are to receive a visit from the brothers from the Hospital Liaison Committee or the Patient Visit Group. Or, when going through a difficult time in our lives, how grateful we are that an elder makes time to listen and comfort us. And, if we need help with a Bible course, how good it is to have the support of an experienced pioneer who will accompany us and give us suggestions to improve. Jesus said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35). All these brothers experience that happiness by helping us. And we will also feel very happy if we do the same. If we have a goal to serve Jehovah more in these or other ways, how can we achieve it?

When we set a goal, what should we keep in mind?

Let's not set goals that are too general. For example, we may think, “I would like to do more in the congregation.” But it may be difficult to know where to start and almost impossible to realize if we have achieved it or not. So it is better to choose a clear and specific goal. We could write it down and even write what we are going to do to get it.

Why do we have to be flexible when we set goals?

We must be flexible when setting goals. Because? Because we cannot control everything that happens around us. For example, the apostle Paul had helped form the Thessalonica congregation, and probably had the goal of staying there for a time to support those new Christians. But his enemies forced him to flee from the city (Acts 17:1-5, 10). If he had stayed, he would have endangered the congregation. But Paul did not give up. Rather, he adapted to the circumstances and later sent Timothy there to strengthen the brothers' faith (1 Thes. 3:1-3). How happy the Thessalonians must have felt to see that Timothy was willing to go wherever it was necessary.

Explain with an example what can happen to our goals if circumstances change.

We can learn from Paul's example and what happened to him in Thessalonica. We may have set a goal in our service to Jehovah, but suddenly circumstances change and it is no longer possible for us to achieve it.​—Eccl. 9:11. What will we do? Let's think about another goal that is within our reach. That's what Ted and Hiedi did. A health problem forced them to leave Bethel. But because they loved Jehovah very much, they quickly looked for other ways to serve him. First they were regular pioneers, then they were appointed special pioneers, and Ted was trained to be a substitute circuit overseer. But then the age limit for circuit overseers changed, and Ted and Hiedi realized they could no longer have that assignment. Although they were a little discouraged at first, they knew that they could serve Jehovah in other ways. Ted says, “We have learned not to focus on just one way to do more for Jehovah.”

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