Wednesday, January 10 Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely.​—1 Pet. 2:21.

[Áine]

Wednesday, January 10

Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely.—1 Pet. 2:21.

 

During his ministry, Jesus was falsely accused of being a man who was a drunkard, a glutton, an agent of the Devil, a Sabbath breaker, and even a blasphemer of God. (Matt. 11:19; 26:65; Luke 11:15;John 9:16) Yet, Jesus did not retaliate with angry words. Like Jesus, we should never retaliate even if spoken to harshly. (1 Pet. 2:22, 23) Of course, showing such restraint is not easy. (Jas. 3:2) What can help? Try to look beyond the response of a householder who speaks negatively. A brother named Sam says, “I try to focus on the householder’s need to hear the truth and his potential to change.” Sometimes a householder is angry simply because we came at a bad time. When we are confronted by someone who is upset, we can say a brief prayer, asking Jehovah to help us remain calm and hold back from saying anything unkind or disrespectful. w22.04 6 ¶8-9