Unesimo Sengqondo Esinjani Sokulinda?
KWIHLABATHI lanamhlanje, abantu abaninzi abathandi kulinda mntu okanye into ethile. Baphelelwa ngumonde. Noko ke, iZibhalo zikhuthaza abantu bakaThixo ukuba bahlakulele ‘isimo sengqondo sokulinda.’ Ngokungafaniyo nabantu ababemngqongile, umprofeti uMika wathi: “Ndiza kubonisa isimo sengqondo sokulindela kuThixo wosindiso lwam.”—Mika 7:7; IZililo 3:26.
Noko ke, kuthetha ukuthini ukulindela kuYehova? UmKristu ufanele amlinde njani uThixo? Ngaba zikho iindlela ezifanelekileyo nezingafanelekanga zokwenza oku? Amava omprofeti uYona wenkulungwane yesithoba ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo asifundisa okuthile ngalo mbandela.
Ukulinda Ngenjongo Ephosakeleyo
UYehova uThixo wathuma uYona ukuba aye kushumayela kubantu baseNineve, ikomkhulu loBukhosi baseAsiriya. INineve yayisaziwa ‘njengesixeko sophalazo-gazi’ ngenxa yenkohlakalo egqithiseleyo nogonyamelo, nto leyo engqinwa ngababhali-mbali neenzululwazi ngezakudala. (Nahum 3:1) UYona waqala wakuphepha ukwenza esi sabelo, kodwa uYehova waqiniseka ukuba lo mprofeti uyaya eNineve.—Yona 1:3–3:2.
“UYona waqala ukungena esixekweni umgama onokuhanjwa usuku olunye, yaye waqhubeka ebhengeza esithi: ‘Ziintsuku ezingamashumi amane kuphela, ibhukuqwe iNineve.’” (Yona 3:4) Imigudu kaYona yaba nemiphumo emihle: “Abantu baseNineve bakholwa kuThixo, yaye babhengeza ukuba kuzilwe ukutya kwambathwe namarhonya, ukususela koyena mkhulu kuse koyena mncinane kubo.” (Yona 3:5) Ngoko ke, uYehova uThixo ngenxa yokuba “akanqweneli ukuba kutshabalale nabani na kodwa unqwenela ukuba bonke bafikelele enguqukweni,” wasisindisa eso sixeko.—2 Petros 3:9.
Wenza ntoni uYona? Ingxelo ithi: “Noko ke, oku kwakungamkholisi kakhulu uYona, yaye wavutha ngumsindo.” (Yona 4:1) Ngoba? Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uYona wayevakalelwa kukuba ukushumayela kwakhe ethetha ngokutshatyalaliswa kweso sixeko ngosuku oluthile kwamenza waba ngumprofeti onganyanisekanga. Kuyabonakala ukuba wayexhalabele kakhulu igama lakhe ngaphezu kokuba nenceba nokusindiswa kwabanye.
Kakade ke, oku akuzange kumenze uYona ade ayeke ukuba ngumprofeti. Sekunjalo, walinda “de abone oko kwakuza kwenzeka esixekweni.” Liyinyaniso elokuba, waqumba ejonge oko kuza kwenzeka. Xa wabona ukuba izinto azizange zenzeke ngendlela awayelindele ukuba ziza kwenzeka ngayo, wazakhela umnquba waza wahlala emthunzini, equmbile yaye elindile ukuze abone oko kuza kwenzeka. Noko ke, uYehova wayengasithandi isimo sengqondo sikaYona, ngothando walungisa isimo sengqondo esitenxileyo awayenaso lo mprofeti.—Yona 4:5, 9-11.
Isizathu Sokuba UYehova Enomonde
Nangona iNineve yaguquka yaza yasindiswa, kamva yaphinda yabuyela kwiindlela zayo ezimbi. Esebenzisa umprofeti uNahum noZefaniya, uYehova wakuxela kusengaphambili ukuba iza kutshatyalaliswa. Ethetha ‘ngesixeko sophalazo-gazi,’ uYehova wathi wayeza kutshabalalisa iAsiriya aze enze iNineve ibe yinkangala ephanzileyo. (Nahum 3:1; Zefaniya 2:13) Ngowama-632 B.C.E., iNineve yatshatyalaliswa, yaye ayizange iphinde ibekho.
Ngendlela efanayo, ihlabathi namhlanje liphalaza igazi ngokugqithiseleyo nangaphezu kweNineve yamandulo. Ngenxa yesi sizathu nezinye, uYehova uye wathi le nkqubo ingendawo yezinto iza kuphelela ‘kwimbandezelo enkulu’ engazange ibekho ngaphambili.—Mateyu 24:21, 22.
Sekunjalo, uYehova akakayizisi intshabalalo ayithembisileyo ukuze abantu banamhlanje abanyanisekileyo, njengabo baguqukayo eNineve, baguquke baze basinde. Umpostile uPetros ubhekisela kumonde kaThixo ngala mazwi: “UYehova akacothi ngokuphathelele isithembiso sakhe, njengoko abanye becinga njalo, kodwa unomonde kuni ngenxa yokuba akanqweneli ukuba kutshabalale nabani na kodwa unqwenela ukuba bonke bafikelele enguqukweni.”—2 Petros 3:9, 10, 13.
Indlela Efanelekileyo Yokulinda
UPetros uhlabela mgama esithi: “Ekubeni ke zonke ezi zinto ziza kuchithakala, luhlobo luni lwabantu enifanele nibe lulo ngokuphathelele ihambo engcwele nezenzo zozinikelo lobuthixo, nihlale nibulindile yaye nibukhumbula ubukho bemini kaYehova!” (2 Petros 3:11, 12) Phawula ukuba ngoxa sisalindele imini kaYehova, sifanele sibe ‘nehambo engcwele nezenzo zozinikelo lobuthixo’—sifanele sisebenze singasong’ izandla.
Ewe, xa sinesimo sengqondo sokulinda esifanelekileyo simele sibe nethemba ngokupheleleyo lokuba imini kaYehova ayisayi kulibazisa iya kufika kanye ngexesha alibekileyo. Ukholo olunjalo lubangela izenzo ezingcwele nezobuthixo, yaye ezona zibalulekileyo kuzo kukushumayela iindaba ezilungileyo zoBukumkani bukaThixo. UYesu wamisela umzekelo omhle wokushumayela, yaye wayalela abalandeli bakhe esithi: “Izinqe zenu mazihlale zibhinqiwe nezibane zenu zivutha, nibe njengabantu abalindele inkosi yabo xa ibuya emtshatweni, abathi yakufika, inkqonkqoze bayivulele kwaoko. Anoyolo loo makhoboka ethi inkosi yawo yakufika iwafumane elindile!”—Luka 12:35-37.
Amakhoboka enkulungwane yokuqala ‘ayebhinqa izinqe’ ngokufaka umphetho wemihunduzo yawo phantsi komchako oxwaywayo ukuze kube lula ukwenza umsebenzi onzima. Ngenxa yoko, umKristu ufanele akhuthale aze abe nenzondelelo kwimisebenzi elungileyo. Ufanele alwe notyekelo ‘lokutshivela’ emisebenzini yokomoya, mhlawumbi echitha amandla akhe kwiziyolo okanye ekusukeleni izinto eziphathekayo. Kunoko, ufanele abe “nokuninzi kokwenza emsebenzini weNkosi” ngoxa elindele imini kaYehova enkulu neyoyikekayo.—Roma 12:11; 1 Korinte 15:58.
Ukuhlala Sixakekile Ngoxa Silindile
AmaNgqina kaYehova aye azigcina exakekile ngoxa elindele imini kaYehova. Ngokomzekelo, ngonyaka wenkonzo yowama-2003 achithe umlinganiselo weeyure ezizi-3 383 000 suku ngalunye eshumayela ilizwi likaYehova. Khawube nomfanekiso ngqondweni woku, umntu ngamnye bekuya kufuneka ashumayele engayeki iminyaka engama-386 ukuze afeze oko kwenziweyo ngosuku olunye!
Sekunjalo, sifanele sizibuze, ‘Sinjani isimo sam sengqondo sokulinda?’ UYesu wenza umzekeliso obonisa inkuthalo elindelekileyo kumKristu othanjisiweyo nothembekileyo. Wathetha ngamakhoboka amathathu: ‘Elinye [inkosi] yalinika iitalente ezintlanu, elinye ezimbini, ukanti elinye yalinika enye, ngalinye ngokwamandla alo, yaza yaya kwenye indawo. Ngoko nangoko elo lafumana iitalente ezintlanu lahamba laza lashishina ngazo, lazuza ezintlanu ezingakumbi. Ngendlela efanayo elo lafumana ezimbini lazuza ezimbini ezingakumbi. Kodwa elo lafumana enye kuphela lemka, yaye lemba emhlabeni laza lafihla imali yesilivere yenkosi yalo. Emva kwexesha elide inkosi yaloo makhoboka yeza yalungisa amatyala kunye nawo.”—Mateyu 25:14-19.
Omathathu la makhoboka alindela inkosi ukuba ibuye. Amabini awayezigcine exakekileyo ngoxa elindele inkosi yawo axelelwa oku xa ifika: “Wenze kakuhle, khoboka elilungileyo nelithembekileyo!” Noko ke, eliya liye lalinda kodwa alasebenza laphathwa ngendlela eyahlukileyo. Inkosi yathi: “Liphoseni phandle ikhoboka elingancedi nganto ebumnyameni ngaphandle.”—Mateyu 25:20-30.
Nangona lo mzekeliso ubhekisela kumaKristu athanjisiweyo, sonke sinokufunda kuwo enoba liliphi ithemba esinalo. INkosi, uYesu Kristu, ulindele ukuba ngamnye wethu azibhokoxe kwinkonzo yakhe ngoxa silindele ukufika kwemini enkulu kaYehova. Uyawuxabisa umsebenzi ngamnye wethu esiwenzayo ‘ngokwamandla ethu’ nangokweemeko zethu. Kuya kuba luvuyo olukhulu xa sisiva iNkosi isithi kuthi “wenze kakhuhle” xa sele ifikile into ebesiyilindele!
Umonde WeNkosi Yethu Uthetha Usindiso
Kuthekani ukuba le nkqubo yezinto iye yaqhubeka ikho kunexesha thina ebesililindele? Kukho isizathu sokuba oko kwenzeke. Umpostile uPetros wabhala: “Wugqaleni umonde weNkosi yethu njengosindiso.” (2 Petros 3:15) Ukuyazi ngokuchanileyo injongo kaThixo nokwazi ngokuthobekileyo ukuba asibalulekanga ngaphezu kwayo kuya kusinceda sibe nomonde kanye njengokuba uYehova ekubona kufanelekile ukuba nomonde ngale nkqubo indala.
Ukuze akhuthaze amaKristu ukuba abe nomonde, umbhali weBhayibhile uYakobi wenza umzekeliso. Wabhala: “Khangelani! Umlimi usilinda ngomonde isiqhamo esixabisekileyo somhlaba, ade afumane imvula yokuqala nemvula yamva. Nani yibani nomonde; ziqiniseni iintliziyo zenu, ngenxa yokuba ubukho beNkosi busondele.”—Yakobi 5:7, 8.
UYehova uThixo akafuni siphelelwe ngamandla okanye sinikezele ngoxa sisalindile. Usinike umsebenzi ukuba siwenze yaye uyavuya ukuba ngoxa silindile sizibhokoxa ngamandla kuloo msebenzi. Ufuna sibe phakathi kwabo umpostile uPawulos athetha ngabo kwileta yakhe eya kumaHebhere esithi: “Sinqwenela ukuba ngamnye wenu akhuthale ngokufanayo khon’ ukuze nibe nokuqiniseka ngokupheleleyo ngethemba lenu kude kuse ekupheleni, ukuze ningadangali, kodwa nibe ngabaxelisa abo bathi ngokholo nomonde bazidle ilifa izithembiso.”—Hebhere 6:11, 12.
Masingadinwa. Kunoko, ngamana ulwalamano lwethu noYehova uThixo, ukholo lwethu kwidini lentlawulelo kaYesu, nethemba esinalo eliqaqambileyo kwinkqubo entsha yezinto lingasenza sihlale sikhuthele. Njengamakhoboka ‘alungileyo nathembekileyo’ kumzekeliso kaYesu, ngamana singakufanelekela ukunconywa nokufumana umvuzo ngokuzigcina sixakekile sidumisa uThixo wethu, njengomdumisi owathi: “Ke mna, ndiya kulinda rhoqo, ndize ndongeze kwindumiso yakho yonke.”—INdumiso 71:14.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 21]
Edanile, uYona walinda ukuze abone oko kuza kwenzeka ngeNineve
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 22, 23]
Masibonakalise ukuhlonel’ uThixo ngoxa sisalindele imini kaYehova