SHOW CONFIDENCE IN YOUR STUDENT

     Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he told his disciples that they would be reunited with him. They did not grasp that Jesus was speaking about their going to heaven. Still, he focuses on their loyalty, not on their doubts. (John 14:1-5, 8) He knew they needed time to understand certain things, such as heavenly hope. (John 16:12) We too can show confidence in our student's desire to please Jehovah.

We remain hopeful that our student wants to do the right thing. Take, for example, Chifundo, a sister in Malawi. She started a Bible lesson in the Enjoy Life Forever! book with a Catholic woman named Alinafe. As they finished discussing lesson 14, Chifundo asked her student what she thought about using images in worship. Alinafe became very emotional and replied, "That is a personal choice!" Chifundo wondered if that would be the end of the Bible study. But she patiently continued to study with Alinafe, hopeful that in time she would get the point. A few months later, Chifundo asked her the question in lesson 34: "How has your study of the Bible and the true God, Jehovah, benefited you so far? Chifundo relates how Alinafe responded, "She mentioned many wonderful points, one of which was that Witnesses do not engage in practices that Bible condemns." Soon, thereafter, Alinafe stopped using images and qualified for Baptism. 

Even though Jehovah is the one "who makes it grow," we have role in helping a Bible student to make progress. (1 Corinthians 3:7) We do more than teach him what God wants us to do. We help him to develop a deep love for Jehovah. We also encourage him to show his love by adjusting his priorities. And we teach him how to rely on Jehovah in the face of challenges. By expressing confidence in him, we strengthen his conviction that he too can live up to Jehovah's standards and take a firm stand for the truth. 

Next time: LIFE STORY/A Lifetime of Lessons From Our Grand Instructor

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