This statement by the apostle John is truly worthy of our deep and appreciative reflection. With the words “see what sort of love the Father has given us,” John was urging Christians to think about the nature and magnitude of God’s love for them, to consider how God loves them. Comprehending Jehovah’s love in those terms will surely deepen our love for him and strengthen our relationship with him. To some, though, God’s love for people is a foreign concept. To them, God is to be feared and obeyed. Or perhaps because of certain entrenched erroneous teachings, they feel that God is unloving, even unlovable. On the other hand, there are those who believe that God’s love is unconditional and that he loves them regardless of what they do or fail to do. As you studied the Bible, you learned that love is Jehovah’s paramount attribute and that his love moved him to give his Son as a ransom in our behalf.—John 3:16; 1 John 4:8. w15 9/15 4:1, 2

In saying so, Paul was not minimizing the importance or value of discipline, for he continued: “Yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” If we love Jehovah, we must guard against becoming complacent or resentful of his counsel. In today’s me-first, self-centered generation, it is not easy to talk about counsel and discipline, let alone to accept such. Even those who seem to accept counsel or discipline often do so begrudgingly. Christians, though, are advised to “stop being molded by this system of things.” We are to perceive and follow the “perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:2) Through his organization, Jehovah gives us timely counsel about many areas of life—our conduct with the opposite sex, our associations, and our recreation. By willingly accepting and applying such direction, we show that we are grateful and that we truly love Jehovah from the heart.—John 14:31; Rom. 6:17. w15 9/15 5:13, 15

We cannot develop faith simply by our own willpower. Faith is an aspect of the fruitage of God’s holy spirit. (Gal. 5:22) Thus, we are wise to follow Jesus’ counsel about praying for more of that spirit because Jesus assures us that the Father will “give holy spirit to those asking him.” (Luke 11:13) Once our faith is established, we must continue to nourish it. Our faith might be compared to a wood fire. When the fire is started, it may come roaring to life in an intense blaze. However, if nothing more is done to the fire, it will eventually die down to hot coals that, in turn, will become cold ashes if left alone. But if you regularly feed the fire with more wood, it can be kept going indefinitely. So, too, our faith can be kept alive if we regularly feed on God’s Word. By progressively studying the Bible, we can develop a deep love for it and its Author, and that will become the basis for building more faith. w15 10/15 2:6, 7