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

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“COMEBEMYFOLLOWER”
(Matthew 24:13) However, we are not born with this vital
quality. Endurance must be cultivated. How? “Tribulation
produces endurance,” says Romans 5:3. Yes, if
we truly want to develop endurance, we cannot fearfully
withdraw from all tests of faith. Rather, we must face
them. Endurance results when day by day we confront
and overcome trials large and small. Each test we pass
strengthens us to meet the next one. Of course, we do
not build endurance on our own. We are “dependent on
the strength that God supplies.” (1 Peter 4:11) To help us
remain steadfast, Jehovah has given us the best possible
aid—the example of his Son. Let us take a closer look at
Jesus’ flawless record of endurance.
What Jesus Endured
7 As the end of his earthly life drew near, Jesus endured
cruelty upon cruelty. In addition to the extreme mental
stress that he was under on his final night, consider the
disappointment he must have felt and the humiliation
he suffered. He was betrayed by an intimate associate,
abandoned by his closest friends, and subjected to an illegal
trial during which members of the highest religious
court of the land ridiculed him, spit on him, and hit him
with their fists. Yet, he endured it all with quiet dignity
and strength.—Matthew 26:46-49, 56, 59-68.
8 In his final hours, Jesus endured tremendous physical
suffering. He was scourged, severely beaten in a way
that is said to cause “deep stripelike lacerations and appreciable
blood loss.” He was impaled, executed in a
manner that led to “a slow death with maximum pain
and suffering.” Think about the agony he must have felt
as large nails were pounded through his hands and feet,
7, 8. What did Jesus endure as the end of his earthly life drew near?