By taking an unselfish personal interest in others, Jesus’ true followers give evidence that they are imitators of Jehovah God and they accomplish God’s will, sometimes even unknown to them.

‘I WANT TO CALL AGAIN’

Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the good news of God’s kingdom. (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8) Because Jehovah’s Witnesses take that commission very seriously, they call at every door, eager to share the Bible’s message with those who will listen.

The most successful evangelizers are those who take a sincere personal interest in others in their territory. Such a personal interest will naturally cause proclaimers of the “good news” to listen to people in order to know as much as possible about them. A good doctor does not hand a prescription to a patient before he carefully examines the person. Likewise, if the Christian’s heart is filled with a desire to help people, he, too, will want to get to know them. Only then will a witness of Jehovah be able to assist individuals effectively.

The best preparation Jehovah’s Witnesses can make for the preaching work, therefore, is not so much memorizing some verbal presentations but preparing their heart. If our heart feels a genuine interest in the people we meet, we will never be lost for words. We will say and do things to help them spiritually.

Our taking a personal interest in others in our ministry keeps us thinking about the persons we meet, even after we leave their door. It makes us want to call again.

One of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Connecticut (United States) told her mother about her experience one day in meeting a young lady in the house-to-house preaching activity. “With those big blue eyes, she looked at me and said, ‘I don’t believe in God,’ ” she told her mother. “But I feel there is something there, Mother, and I want to call on her again.”

The Witness did return. A Bible study was started. Six months later, the young lady began sharing in the house-to-house preaching and soon thereafter was baptized as a Christian. Today, this former atheist is the wife of a traveling overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Because of our imitating Jehovah and Jesus in taking a personal interest in others, people are drawn to us and to the truth of God’s Word that we teach.

As true Christians, we can experience a new spark of joy and purpose in life by taking a personal interest in others​—persons with whom we share the Bible message, as well as our spiritual brothers and sisters in the congregation, including the young, the elderly, the sick, the widows, the orphans and our own family members. We can thus fill their life with happiness.

At the same time, we are confident that God will also reward us in many ways. As Jesus assured us: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.” (Acts 20:35) So, then, let all genuine lovers of God imitate the heavenly Father in showing a personal interest in others. Jesus exemplified how when he said to the leper, “I want to.”