Tuesday, October 11 Show the same industriousness . . . so that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.​—Heb. 6:11, 12.

[Áine]

Tuesday, October 11

Show the same industriousness . . . so that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.—Heb. 6:11, 12.

 

One area in which we may find it difficult to be patient is when witnessing to unbelieving relatives. The principle found at Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 can help us. It states: “There is . . . a time to be silent and a time to speak.” We can let our good conduct be a silent witness, yet we are always alert to opportunities to speak about the truth. (1 Pet. 3:1, 2) We are patient with all people—including family members—as we preach and teach with zeal. We can learn patience from the examples of faithful ones in the Bible as well as in modern times. Habakkuk longed for an end to wickedness, but he confidently declared: “At my guardpost I will keep standing.” (Hab. 2:1) The apostle Paul expressed his heartfelt desire to “finish” his ministry. Yet, he patiently continued “to bear thorough witness to the good news.”—Acts 20:24. w20.09 11-12 ¶12-14

[Wayne]

Never should life’s problems weaken our resolve to be zealous ministers of the true God! When an unexpected trial arises, we throw our burden on Jehovah. (Psalm 55:22) Then, we wait patiently to see how he makes it possible for us to endure the test. Meanwhile, we continue serving him faithfully, confident that he cares for us. (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 5:7) By remaining steadfast, come what may, we—like Paul—can triumph over adversity. <w99 5/1 p30