"Support the weak."—1 Thess. 5:14. – ???????

[Bible Speaks]

“CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER”

"Support the weak."—1 Thess. 5:14.

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To “consider one another” means to think about the needs of others. We will not know what the needs of our brothers are if we just greet them quickly at the Kingdom Hall or talk to them only about unimportant things. Of course, we do not want to be more curious about other people’s lives than we should be. (1 Thessalonians 4:11; 1 Timothy 5:13) 

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But we want to try to get to know our brothers. We want to know about their situation in life, their qualities, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their feelings about the truth. They need to know that we are their friends and that we love them. We have to spend time with them, not just when they have problems and get discouraged, but at other times too.—Romans 12:13.

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Our brothers need to know that we are their friends and that we love them.

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Paul told the congregation in Thessalonica: “Support the weak.” (Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14.) “The weak” include those who are depressed and those who are discouraged. Proverbs 24:10 says: “Have you shown yourself discouraged in the day of distress? Your power will be scanty.” If we want to support those who are deeply discouraged, we need to remember that their words may at times become “wild talk.” (Job 6:2, 3) 

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They may say things they do not really mean. Rachelle, whose mother became seriously depressed, learned this from experience. Rachelle says: “Many times Mom would say something very hateful. Most of these times, I tried to remind myself of the kind of person Mom really is—loving, kind, and generous. I learned that depressed people say many things they do not mean. The worst thing that one can do is to return evil words or actions.” Proverbs 19:11 says: “The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger, and it is beauty on his part to pass over transgression.”

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Paul wrote: “Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works.” We do this by helping our brothers to show love and to do what is good. To illustrate: If we want to keep a fire burning, we may need to stir the coals and fan the flames. 

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(2 Timothy 1:6) In the same way, there are things we can do to help our brothers feel motivated to keep serving Jehovah zealously. One of the best ways of doing this is by commending our brothers for the good things they do.

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We feel encouraged when someone tells us that we are doing something well.

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A discouraged person may not immediately feel better or accept our help at first. We may need to keep on supporting him for some time. Paul said: “Keep hold of the weak, be patient with everybody.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, An American Translation) Instead of quickly giving up on the weak, let us “keep hold” of them by continuing to help them. In the past, Jehovah was patient with those of his servants who were discouraged. For example, God is  very patient.

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SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED

?To “consider one another”: To think of the needs of our brothers. To do that, we need to get to know our brothers well

?To “incite to love and fine works”: To help our brothers to show love and to do what is good. One of the best ways to do that is by commending them

?To ‘encourage one another’: To strengthen and comfort our brothers so that they keep serving God faithfully

• https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/402013604?q=1+thess+5%3A14&p=par#h=24
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