The apostle Peter struggled with his weaknesses. Consider a few examples. When Jesus explained how he would suffer and die in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, Peter rebuked him. (Mark 8:31-33) Repeatedly, Peter and the other apostles argued about who was the greatest. (Mark 9:33, 34) On the last night before Jesus’ death, Peter impulsively cut off a man’s ear. (John 18:10) That same night, Peter gave in to fear and three times denied knowing his friend Jesus. (Mark 14:66-72) That led Peter to weep bitterly. Jesus did not give up on his disheartened apostle. After Jesus was resurrected, he gave Peter the opportunity to reaffirm his love for him. Jesus invited Peter to serve humbly as a shepherd of his sheep. (John 21:15-17) Peter responded positively. He was in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and among the first to be anointed by holy spirit. w23.09 40:6-7

“Shepherd the flock of God,” the apostle Peter urged his fellow elders. (1 Pet. 5:1-4) If you are an elder, we know that you love your brothers and sisters and want to shepherd them. However, you may at times feel that you are so busy or so tired that you cannot fulfill that assignment. What can you do? Pour out your concerns to Jehovah. Peter wrote: “If anyone ministers, let him do so as depending on the strength that God supplies.” (1 Pet. 4:11) Your brothers and sisters may be facing problems that cannot be fully solved in this system of things. But remember that “the chief shepherd,” Jesus Christ, can help them beyond what you can do. He can do so both today and in the new world. God asks elders simply to love their brothers, to shepherd their brothers, and to become “examples to the flock.” w23.09 41:13-14

We must avoid resorting to using human reasoning. If we look at matters from a human standpoint, we may leave out Jehovah and his standards. (1 Cor. 3:19) “The wisdom of this world” often appeals to fleshly desires. A few Christians in Pergamum and Thyatira adopted the idolatrous and immoral views common in those cities. Jesus sent strong counsel to both congregations for their toleration of sexual immorality. (Rev. 2:14, 20) Today, we face pressure to adopt wrong viewpoints. Family members and acquaintances may appeal to our emotions and encourage us to compromise. For example, they may claim that giving in to our desires does not matter and that the Bible’s moral standards are outdated. At times, we might reason that the direction Jehovah gives us is not sufficient. We might even be tempted to “go beyond the things that are written.”​—1 Cor. 4:6. w23.07 31:10-11