The more we learn about the qualities that make up Jehovah’s personality, the better we will be able to imitate him. David came to know his heavenly Father well, so he was able to imitate Him when dealing with others. Because David had such a good relationship with Jehovah, he became one of Israel’s most beloved kings and the standard by which Jehovah measured other kings of Israel. (1 Ki. 15:11; 2 Ki. 14:1-3) What is the lesson for us? We need to be “imitators of God.” When we model our personality after his, we prove that we are his children. (Eph. 4:24) We will never stop learning about Jehovah. (Eccl. 3:11) The important thing is, not how much we know about him, but what we do with what we know. If we apply what we learn and try to imitate our loving Father, he will continue to draw close to us. (Jas. 4:8) Through his Word, he assures us that he will never abandon those seeking him. w19.12 20 ¶20; 21 ¶21, 23

Jacob loved all his sons, but he had special affection for 17-year-old Joseph. How did Joseph’s brothers react? They became envious of him, and that envy made them bitter. So they sold Joseph into slavery and lied to their father, saying that a wild animal had killed his favorite son. Envy caused them to disrupt the peace of the family and to break their father’s heart. (Gen. 37:3, 4, 27-34) Envy is listed among the death-dealing “works of the flesh” that can disqualify a person from inheriting God’s Kingdom. (Gal. 5:19-21) Envy is often the root cause of such poisonous fruits as hostility, strife, and fits of anger. The example of Joseph’s brothers shows how envy can damage relationships and disturb the peace that once existed in a family. Although we would never do what Joseph’s brothers did, we all have an imperfect and treacherous heart. Little wonder, then, that we may at times struggle with feelings of envy. w20.02 14 ¶1-3

On one occasion, Jehovah took away some of his holy spirit from Moses and gave it to a group of Israelite elders who were standing near the tent of meeting. Shortly thereafter, Moses heard that two elders who had not gone out to the tent of meeting had also received holy spirit and had begun to behave as prophets. How did he react when Joshua asked him to restrain the two elders? Moses did not become envious of the attention these two men were getting from Jehovah. Instead, he humbly rejoiced with them in their privilege. (Num. 11:24-29) What lesson can we learn from Moses? If you are an elder, have you ever been asked to train someone else to care for a privilege in the congregation that you have and truly love? If you are humble like Moses, you will not feel threatened if you are asked to train another brother so that, in time, he will be able to handle this privilege. Instead, you will be happy to help your brother. w20.02 15 ¶9; 17 ¶10-11