Ngaba Uyayilandela “Indlela Egqwesileyo” Yothando?
“UTHIXO uluthando.” La mazwi ompostile uYohane asinceda siqonde olona phawu lubalaseleyo lukaThixo. (1 Yoh. 4:8) Indlela uThixo aluthanda ngayo uluntu ibangela ukuba sisondele kuye size sibe nolwalamano kunye naye. Yiyiphi enye indlela olusichaphazela ngayo uthando lukaThixo? Kukho intetho ethi: “Abantu bayaphenjelelwa zizinto abazithandayo.” Yinyaniso emsulwa leyo. Kodwa ke, yinyaniso nokuba bayaphenjelelwa nangabantu ababathandayo. Ekubeni sidalwe ngokomfanekiso kaThixo, sinako ukuxelisa uthando lukaThixo. (Gen. 1:27) Ngenxa yoko, umpostile uYohane wabhala wathi siyamthanda uThixo “kuba wasithanda kuqala.”—1 Yoh. 4:19.
Amagama Amane Achaza Uthando
Umpostile uPawulos wathi uthando ‘yindlela egqwesileyo.’ (1 Kor. 12:31) Kwakutheni ukuze aluchaze ngolu hlobo uthando? Wayethetha ngaluphi uhlobo lothando uPawulos? Ukuze sifumane iimpendulo, makhe sihlolisise igama elithi “uthando.”
IsiGrike samandulo sinamagama amane asetyenziswa ngeendlela ezahlukahlukeneyo ukuchaza uthando: ustor·geʹ, ueʹros, uphi·liʹa, noa·gaʹpe. Ua·gaʹpe, usetyenziswa xa kuchazwa uThixo ‘oluthando.’a Ethetha ngolu thando kwincwadi yakhe ethi New Testament Words, uNjingalwazi uWilliam Barclay uthi: “Uagapē luthando olulawulwa yingqondo: aluyomvakalelo nje esiba nayo; ngumgaqo esiphila ngawo. Ngokuyintloko uagapē luthando olunokuthanani noko uzimisele ukukwenza.” Ngokuvisisana noku, ua·gaʹpe luthando olulawulwa ngumgaqo, kodwa umntu udla ngokuqhutywa naziimvakalelo ezinzulu. Ekubeni kukho imigaqo elungileyo nephosakeleyo, licacile elokuba amaKristu afanele akhokelwe yimigaqo elungileyo, ebhalwe nguYehova uThixo eBhayibhileni. Xa sithelekisa indlela iBhayibhile emchaza ngayo ua·gaʹpe nendlela echaza ngayo ezinye iindidi zothando, siya kutsho siluqonde olona hlobo lothando simele sibe nalo.
Uthando Entsatsheni
Kumnandi ngokwenene ukuba yinxalenye yentsapho enothando nemanyeneyo! Ustor·geʹ, ligama lesiGrike elalidla ngokusetyenziswa xa kuchazwa umsa wemvelo ophakathi kwamalungu entsapho. AmaKristu azabalazela ukuthanda amalungu eentsapho zawo. UPawulos waprofeta wathi kwimihla yokugqibela, abantu abayi kuba ‘nawo umsa wemvelo.’—2 Tim. 3:1, 3.
Okubuhlungu kukuba namhlanje amalungu entsapho akathandani. Kutheni bebaninzi kangaka oomama abakhupha izisu? Kutheni zininzi kangaka iintsapho ezingabakhathalelanga abazali bazo abalupheleyo? Kutheni liye lisanda inani labantu abaqhawula umtshato? Impendulo inye, Kukungabikho komsa wemvelo.
Enye into, iBhayibhile ifundisa ukuba “intliziyo inenkohliso kunayo nantoni na.” (Yer. 17:9) Uthando lwamalungu entsapho lusuka kumazantsi entliziyo. Noko ke, okubangel’ umdla kukuba uPawulos usebenzisa igama elithi a·gaʹpe xa echaza uthando oluphakathi kwendoda nomfazi wayo. UPawulos wafanisa olo hlobo lothando nendlela uKristu alithanda ngayo ibandla. (Efe. 5:28, 29) Olu thando lusekelwe kwimigaqo emiselwe nguYehova, uMsunguli wentsapho.
Ukuthanda amalungu eentsapho zethu ngokunyanisekileyo kuya kubangela ukuba sibakhathalele abazali bethu abalupheleyo okanye sinyamekele abantwana bethu. Kwakhona lubangela ukuba abazali babaqeqeshe ngothando abantwana babo xa kuyimfuneko, yaye bangabathandi ngokugqithiseleyo kangangokuba babavumele benze nantoni na abayifunayo.—Efe. 6:1-4.
Uthando Lwendoda Nomfazi Nemigaqo YeBhayibhile
Kwilungiselelo lomtshato uthando lwendoda nomfazi sisipho esivela kuThixo. (IMize. 5:15-17) Noko ke, ababhali abaphefumlelweyo beBhayibhile abazange basebenzise igama elithi eʹros, elibhekisela kuthando lwendoda nomfazi. Ngoba? Kwiminyaka eyadlulayo, IMboniselo yathi: “Namhlanje lonke ihlabathi libonakala lisenza impazamo efana neyamaGrike amandulo. Azenzela uthixo onguEros, enyusa nesibingelelo kuye. . . . Kodwa imbali iye yabonisa ukuba olo nqulo lubangelwa kukuthanda isini lwakhokelela kwihlazo, uburheletyo nokuqhekeka kwemitshato. Mhlawumbi yiloo nto eyabangela ukuba ababhali beBhayibhile bangalisebenzisi eli gama.” Ukuze siphephe ukutsalwa yimbonakalo yomntu yangaphandle kuphela, kufuneka sikhokelwe yimigaqo yeBhayibhile. Ngoko zibuze, ‘Ngaba lo mntu nditsaleleke kuye ndimthanda ngokunyanisekileyo?’
Xa ‘besentlahleni yobutsha,’ apho iinkanuko zesini zisenamandla kakhulu, abaselula ababambelela kwimigaqo yeBhayibhile bayakwazi ukuzigcina benyulu. (1 Kor. 7:36; Kol. 3:5) Umtshato siwugqala njengesipho esingcwele esivela kuYehova. Xa wayethetha ngabantu abatshatileyo, uYesu wathi: “Oko uThixo akubophelele ngedyokhwe ndawonye makungahlukaniswa mntu.” (Mat. 19:6) Kunokuba sihlale kunye logama nje sisathandana, umtshato siwugqala njengembopheleleko enzulu. Xa kuvela iingxaki zomtshato, asikhangeli iindlela ezilula zokuphuma, kunoko sibonisa iimpawu zobuthixo ukuze sonwabe emtshatweni. Imigudu esiyenzayo iya kusizisela ulonwabo lokwenene.—Efe. 5:33; Heb. 13:4.
Uthando Lwabahlobo
Ubomi bebungayi kuba mnandi ngaphandle kwabahlobo! Umzekeliso weBhayibhile uthi: “Kukho umhlobo onamathela ngokusondele ngakumbi kunomntakwenu.” (IMize. 18:24) UYehova ufuna sibe nabahlobo bokwenene. Siyazi kakuhle indlela ababengabahlobo ngayo uDavide noYonathan. (1 Sam. 18:1) IBhayibhile ithi uYesu “wayenomsa” ngompostile uYohane. (Yoh. 20:2) Igama lesiGrike elithetha “umsa” okanye “umhlobo” nguphi·liʹa. Akukho nto iphosakeleyo ngokuba nomhlobo osenyongweni ebandleni. Noko ke, kweyesi-2 kaPetros 1:7, sikhuthazwa ukuba songezelele uthando (ua·gaʹpe) “kumsa wobuzalwana” (uphi·la·del·phiʹa, igama elibunjwa ngamagama amabini uphiʹlos, igama lesiGrike elithetha “umhlobo,” nodel·phosʹ, igama lesiGrike elithetha “umzalwana”). Ukuze sibe nabahlobo abahlala behleli, sifanele sisebenzise esi siluleko. Sifanele sizibuze, ‘Ngaba indlela endivakalelwa ngayo ngabahlobo bam ilawulwa yimigaqo yeBhayibhile?’
ILizwi likaThixo liyasinceda ukuba singabi namkhethe kwindlela esibaphatha ngayo abahlobo bethu. Asimele sibaphathe ngokukhethekileyo, size sibe ngqongqo ngakumbi kwabanye abantu. Ukongezelela koko, asizenzeli abahlobo ngamaqhinga. Okubaluleke ngakumbi kukuba, xa sisebenzisa imigaqo yeBhayibhile siyakwazi ukusebenzisa ingqiqo ekukhetheni abahlobo size siluphephe ‘unxulumano olubi olonakalisa imikhwa elungileyo.’—1 Kor. 15:33.
Uthando Olukhethekileyo!
Uthando olumanyanisa amaKristu lukhetheke ngokwenene! Umpostile uPawulos wathi: “Uthando lwenu malungabi naluhanahaniso. . . . Ngokuphathelele uthando lobuzalwana yibani nomsa omnye komnye.” (Roma 12:9, 10) Enyanisweni, amaKristu ‘anothando (ua·gaʹpe) olungenaluhanahaniso.’ Olu thando aluyomvakalelo nje esisuka sibe nayo. Kunoko lusekelwe kwimigaqo yeBhayibhile. Noko ke, uPawulos ukwathetha ‘ngothando lobuzalwana’ (uphi·la·del·phiʹa) ‘nomsa’ (uphi·loʹstor·gos, igama elibunjwa ngamagama amabini uphiʹlos nostor·geʹ). Omnye umphengululi uthi “uthando lobuzalwana kukuba nomsa, ububele, uvelwano nokufuna ukunceda abanye.” Xa ludityaniswa noa·gaʹpe, lukhuthaza ulwalamano olusondeleyo kubanquli bakaYehova. (1 Tes. 4:9, 10) Elinye igama eliguqulelwe ngokuthi “umsa,” livela kanye kuphela eBhayibhileni yaye libhekisela ekusondelelaneni, njengakwintsapho.b
AmaKristu okwenyaniso amanyaniswa luthando lwentsapho, lwabahlobo bokwenyaniso olusekelwe kwimigaqo yeBhayibhile. Ibandla lamaKristu aliyondawo yembutho okanye inkampani nje, kodwa liyintsapho emanyeneyo enqula uYehova uThixo. Sibizana njengabazalwana noodade, yaye siphathana ngaloo ndlela. Ayinxalenye yentsapho yethu yokomoya, siyawathanda njengabahlobo bethu, yaye sihlala siwaphatha ngokuvisisana nemigaqo yeBhayibhile. Ngamana sonke singaqhubeka sibonakalisa olu thando lumanyanisa ibandla lamaKristu okwenyaniso.—Yoh. 13:35.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Kwakhona ua·gaʹpe ubhekisela nasekuthandeni izinto ezingafanelekanga.—Yoh. 3:19; 12:43; 2 Tim. 4:10;1 Yoh. 2:15-17.
b KwiNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha, kukho amanye amagama esiGrike aguqulelwe ngokuthi “umsa.” Ngenxa yoko, kuloo nguqulelo igama elithi “umsa” aliveli kuphela kwabaseRoma 12:10 kodwa likwavela kwabaseFilipi 1:8 nakweyoku-1 kwabaseTesalonika 2:8.
[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 12]
Ulubonakalisa njani uthando olusimanyanisayo?