Thursday, February 1
Love one another just as I have loved you.—John 15:12.
What does today’s text mean? As Jesus went on to explain, this is self-sacrificing love—love that moves a Christian even to die for a fellow believer if necessary. God’s Word places a lot of emphasis on love. Many people include among their favorite Bible verses the following: “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:39) “Love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet. 4:8) “Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:8) These verses and others should make it plain to anyone how important it is to cultivate and display this beautiful quality. Genuine love comes from Jehovah—from having his spirit and blessing on a group of worshippers. (1 John 4:7) Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus said that unselfish love would identify his true followers? Just as Jesus foretold, many have recognized his true followers by the genuine love they show among themselves. w23.03 27-28 ¶5-8
Friday, February 2
Your sins are forgiven.—Luke 7:48.
Do you need to be more forgiving of others? You might begin by reading about and meditating on Bible examples of those who freely forgave others and those who did not. Consider Jesus’ example. He willingly forgave others. (Luke 7:47) He also looked past their faults and saw their potential. By contrast, the Pharisees in Jesus’ day “considered others as nothing.” (Luke 18:9) After meditating on these examples, ask yourself: ‘What do I see in others? Which of their qualities do I choose to focus on?’ If you are struggling to forgive someone, try writing down as many of that individual’s good qualities as you can. Then ask yourself: ‘How does Jesus view this person? Would he forgive him?’ Such a study project could help to readjust our thinking. At first, we may have to work hard to forgive someone who has offended us. But if we keep working at it, in time we will become more willing to forgive. w22.04 23 ¶6
Saturday, February 3
He sent his angel and presented [the revelation] in signs.—Rev. 1:1.
In the book of Revelation, God’s enemies are described symbolically. We see a number of wild beasts. For example, there is “a wild beast ascending out of the sea.” It has “ten horns and seven heads.” (Rev. 13:1) That beast is followed by “another wild beast ascending out of the earth.” That beast speaks like a dragon and makes “fire come down out of heaven.” (Rev. 13:11-13) Then we see a different beast, “a scarlet-colored wild beast,” which is being ridden by a prostitute. These three wild beasts represent long-standing enemies of Jehovah God and his Kingdom. Therefore, it is important that we identify them. (Rev. 17:1, 3) We need to understand what this symbolic language means. The key to understanding it is to allow the Bible to explain itself. Many of the symbols found in Revelation are already explained in other books of the Bible. w22.05 8-9 ¶3-4