Daily text, Saturday, February 25 . 2017

[Queen Esther]

            Imitate Jehovah’s Close Friends...

[Ahaz] burned up his sons in the fire.—2 Chron. 28:3.

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dt/r1/lp-e/2017/2/25

Ahaz’s son Hezekiah might easily have grown up to be a bitter, angry man who turned against God. Others who have endured far less have become “enraged against Jehovah” or embittered toward his organization. (Prov. 19:3) And some people are convinced that their unwholesome family background dooms them to lead a bad life, perhaps to repeat their parents’ mistakes. (Ezek. 18:2, 3) Are such notions correct? Hezekiah’s life record gives us a resounding answer: Absolutely not! There is never a valid reason to become embittered against Jehovah, for he is not the source of the evils that befall people in this wicked world. (Job 34:10) True, parents can exert a strong influence on their children for good or for bad. (Prov. 22:6; Col. 3:21) But this does not mean that a person’s family background determines his course in life. On the contrary, Jehovah has given all of us a precious gift—the ability to choose what we will do and who we will be.—Deut. 30:19. w16.02 2:8-10