Come Be My Follower - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site

148
“COMEBEMYFOLLOWER”
Are You Approachable?
19 People like to think of themselves as being approachable.
Some in positions of authority, for instance, are
fond of saying that they have an open-door policy, that
their subordinates are always free to approach them. The
Bible, however, contains this powerful caution: “A multitude
of men will proclaim each one his own lovingkindness,
but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs
20:6) It is easy to say that we are approachable, but are
we truly faithful in imitating this aspect of Jesus’ love?
The answer may lie, not in how we see ourselves, but
in how others see us. Paul said: “Let your reasonableness
become known to all men.” (Philippians
4:5) Each of us does well to
ask: ‘How am I perceived by others?
What is my reputation?’
20 Christian elders in particular
strive to be approachable.
They earnestly desire
to live up to the
description recorded at
Isaiah 32:1, 2: “Each one
must prove to be like a hiding
place from the wind and
a place of concealment from
the rainstorm, like streams
of water in a waterless country,
like the shadow of a
heavycraginanexhausted
land.” An elder can provide
Elders strive to be
approachable
19. How can we tell if we are truly approachable?
20. (a) Why is it important for Christian elders to be approachable?
(b) Why should we be reasonable in what we expect of elders in the
congregation?