Jehovah Treasures You - Conclusion of WHAT WE LEARN FROM PAUL'S EXPERIENCE

 

Read Romans 8:38, 39. Paul was absolutely convinced of th power of God's love.  He wrote that nothing "will be able to separate us from God's love." Paul knew how Jehovah had patiently dealt  with the nation of Israel.  He also knew hw Jehgovah had shown mercy to him. We mighgt sum up Paul's reasoning this way, "Since Jehovah has sent his own Son to die for me, do I have any reason to doubt his love? - ROMANS 8:32.

 Read 1 Timothy 1:12-15.  There must have been times  when Paul was tormented by his past. He referred to himself as the "foremost" sinner, and no wonder!  Before coming to a knowledge of the truth, Paul relentlessly pursued  Christians in one city after another, putting some in prison and voting for the execution of others.  (Acts 26:10, 11)  Can you imagine how Paul would have felt meeting a young Christian whose parents had been executed with his approval?  Paul regretted his mistakes, but he knew he could not change the past.  He accepted that Christ had died for him., and he confidently  wrote:  "By God's underserved kindness I am what I am." (1 Corinthians 3:10) What is the lesson for us?  Accept that Christ died for you and paved the way for you to enter  into a warm, personal relationship with Jehovah. (Acts 3:19) What counts with God is what we do now and in the future, not the mistakes  we made in the past, whether we were one of Jehovah's Witnesses at the time or not. - ISAIAH 1:18.

When you think about Jesus' dying to cover your sins, you may say,  'I do nto feel worthy of that honor.'  Why  might you feel that way?  Our imperfect heart might decieve  us, making us feel worthless or unlovable. (Read 1 John 3:19, 20.) At such times, we need to remember that "God is greater than our hearts."  Our heavenly Father's love and forgiveness are far stronger  than any negative feelings that may lurk in our heart.  We need to convince  ourselves to accept Jehovah's  view of us. To do that, we must study his Word often, pray to him frequently and associate regularly with his loyal people.  Why is doing these things so important? 

Next time: Jehovah Treasures You -HOW BIBLE STUDY, PRAYER, AND LOYAL FRIENDS CAN HELP

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