Like God, We Love the World

Is our love limited to our family and our brotherhood?   No, not if we are "imitators of God." Jesus said: "God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life." (Ephesians 5:1; John 3:16)  Like Jehovah God,we act lovingly toward all-including those not of our faith.  (Luke 6:35, 36; Galatians 6:10) In this regard especially, we preach the good news of the Kingdom and tell others of God's great act of love in their behalf.  This can result in salvation to any who listen. -Mark 13:10; 1 Timothy 4:16. 

Consider four special pioneer ministers in Nepal. These were assigned to a city in the southwest of the country, and for the last five years,they have shown their love by patiently witnessing in the city and outlying villages.  To cover their territory, they often travel for many hours on bicycles in temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Their love and "endurance in work that is good"produced fine results when a book study group was formed in one of the villages.  (Romans  2:7) In March 2000, 32 people came to hear the public  talk by the visiting circuit overseer.  Nepal had a peak of 430 publishers last year-an increase of 9 percent. Jehovah is clearly blessing the zeal and love of the brothers in that land.

In Colombia temporary special pioneers went to preach among the Wayuu Indians.  To do this, they had to learn a new language, but their loving interest was rewarded when despite a heavy downpour of rain, 27 attended a public talk. Loving zeal such as that shown by these pioneers contributed to a 50-percent increase in Colombia and a peak of 107,613 publishers. In Denmark, an elderly sister wanted to share the good news with others, but she was disabled. Undaunted, she made contact with interested people by writing letters. At present, she corresponds with 42 people and conducts 11 Bible studies.  She is one of the peak of 14,885 publishers who reported in Denmark last year. 

Next time: Love Your Enemies

From the Watchtower magazine, 2001