Saturday, September 10

 

Saturday, September 10

Formerly I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man. Nevertheless, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance.​—1 Tim. 1:13.

Before the apostle Paul became a disciple of Christ, he was an insolent young man who persecuted Jesus’ followers. (Acts 7:58) Jesus himself stopped Paul, then known as Saul, from terrorizing the Christian congregation. Jesus spoke to Paul from heaven and struck him blind. To recover his sight, Paul was forced to seek help from the very people he had been persecuting. He humbly accepted assistance from a disciple named Ananias who restored Paul’s sight. (Acts 9:3-9, 17, 18) Paul later became a prominent member of the Christian congregation, but he never forgot the lesson Jesus taught him on the road to Damascus. Paul remained humble, and he willingly accepted the help of his brothers and sisters. He acknowledged that they were “a strengthening aid” to him.​—Col. 4:10, 11, ftn. w20.07 18-19 ¶16-17

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2022

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wednesday, November 23

  Wednesday, November 23 Let your name be sanctified.​— Matt. 6:9 . That is what Jesus stated as a priority in prayer. But what do Jesus’ words mean? To sanctify something means to make it holy, clean, or pure. Some might wonder, though, ‘Is not Jehovah’s name already holy, clean, and pure?’ To answer, we need to think about what a name involves. A name is more than a collection of letters written on a page or spoken aloud. Notice what the Bible says: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth.” (Prov. 22:1; Eccl. 7:1) Why does a name have such value? Because it involves a reputation, what others think of the one bearing that name. So the way a name appears on a page​—or even the way it is pronounced—​is not what matters most; what truly matters is whom and what that name stands for in the minds and hearts of others. When people tell lies about Jehovah, they are attacking his reputation. When they attack his reputation, they are trying to damage his name. ...
Read more

Sunday, September 18

  Sunday, September 18 I will praise Jehovah with all my heart in the assembled group of upright ones and in the congregation.​— Ps. 111:1 . All of us want our students to progress to baptism. One important way we can help them is by encouraging them to attend congregation meetings. Often students who attend meetings right away make the fastest progress. Some teachers explain to their students that they will receive half of their Bible education from the study and the other half from the meetings. Read Hebrews 10:24, 25 with your student, and explain to him the benefits that he will receive if he comes to the meetings. Enthusiastically share something you learned at a recent meeting. That is more motivating than just inviting the student to attend. What your student experiences at his first meeting will far exceed anything he ever experienced at any other type of religious gathering. (1 Cor. 14:24, 25) He will meet others whose good example he can imitate a...
Read more

Friday, September 9

  Friday, September 9 Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.​— Gal. 5:26 . Social media can be used for a good purpose​—for example, to keep in touch with family and friends. Have you observed, though, that some of the material that people post on social media is designed to promote the people themselves? “Look at me” seems to be the message they want to convey. Some even post rude and obscene comments on their own photos or about the photos that others post. This too is contrary to the humility and fellow feeling that Christians are encouraged to cultivate. (1 Pet. 3:8) If you use social media, ask yourself: ‘Might the comments, photos, or videos that I post give others the impression that I am bragging? Could I make others feel jealous?’ Christians do not feel the need for promoting themselves. They follow the Bible’s admonition found in today’s text. Humility will help us avoid getting caught up in the world’s spir...
Read more