Forgive One Another Freely - REACT IN A WAY THAT PLEASES JEHOVAH

There may be times when someone who is not a Christian has treated you badly. But you  may be able to help him to be interested in what the Bible teaches.   The apostle Paul wrote: "If your enemy is hungry,  feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will be heaping fiery coals upon his head.' Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good." (Romans 12:20. 21)   When you are polite even when people are angry with you, they may change their attitude and even act kindly. If you show understanding and compassion to the person who is treating you badly, you might make him want to learn more about the Bible. No matter how he responds, your mild and kind actions could make the person wonder why you are different. - 1 PETER 2:12;3:16. 

 There are some people with whom we should not associate.  For example, we should not associate with people who are disfellowshipped.  They were removed from the congregation  because they committed a serious sin and were not repentant.  If  you have been hurt because someone committed a serious sin, it may be difficult for you forgive him. Even if he repents, you may still feel hurt because of what happened. If you are in  this situation, you should keep asking Jehovah to help you to be willing to forgive the one  who committed the sin.  This is important because you can  never really know what the other person thinks or feels.  But Jehovah knows.  He knows each person's most secret feelings, and he is patient with people who sin. (Psalm 7:9; Proverbs 17:3) That is why the Bible tells us not to treat other people badly, even if they have hurt us. It says:  "Return evil for evil to no one.  Provide fine things in the sight of all men.  If possible, as far as it depends upon you, be peaceful with all men.  Do not avenge  yourselves, beloved, but yield  place to the wrath;  for it is written:  "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah."' (Romans 12:17-19)  We cannot know all that Jehovah knows, and the Bible tells us not to judge others.  (Matthew 7:1, 2) But you can be confident that Jehovah will judge correctly. 

If you find it difficult to forgive someone who has treated you badly, if may help you to remember that he too is coping  with something very difficult.  Just like us, he was born imperfect . (Romans 3:23) Jehovah feels sorry for all mankind because they are imperfect. So we should pray for the person.  Jesus made it clear that we should not stay angry with others even when they have treated us badly. He said: "Continue to love your enemies and pray for those persecuting  you." - MATTHEW 5:44.

Next time: Forgive One Another Freely - Conclusion of REACT IN A WAY THAT PLEASES JEHOVAH

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