Imuphi UNkulunkulu Okufanele Umkhulekele?
OKOKUQALA, ngubani uNkulunkulu oyedwa okufanele akhulekelwe yena yedwa? IBhayibheli liphendula ngendlela eqonde kakhulu. Incwadi yesAmbulo ithi: “Ufanele wena-Nkosi yethu noNkulunkulu wethu ukwamukela inkazimulo nodumo namandla, ngokuba nguwena owadala izinto zonke, nangenxa yentando yakho zaba-khona zadalwa.” (IsAmbulo 4:11) Yebo, uJehova uMdali, uwukuphela kukaNkulunkulu ofanelwe ukukhulekelwa. Ngani? Sizobuyela ngokushesha kulowombuzo. Kodwa okokuqala, ake sikhulume ngabanye onkulunkulu abakhulekelwa isintu.
Okungemva Kwabo Bonke Onkulunkulu Bamanga
Nakuba abantu bekhonza onkulunkulu abaningi, iqiniso liwukuthi konke ukukhulekela okunikezwa bonke onkulunkulu kuzo zonke izizwe—ngaphandle kokukhulekela okunikezwa uJehova, uMdali—kufeza injongo kankulunkulu oyedwa kuphela. Ngayiphi indlela? Funda amavesi kamphostoli uPawulu kumaKristu eKorinte. Kulowomuzi kwakukhulekelwa onkulunkulu abaningi, kusukela kuAphrodite owayeziphethe kabi kuya kuAesculapius, unkulunkulu wabo wokwelapha. Nokho, uPawulu wabonisa ukuthi empeleni kwakukhona amandla amabi awodwa ayengemva kwabo bonke labonkulunkulu. Wabhala: “Lokho okuhlatshwa ngabezizwe bakuhlabela amademoni, kabakuhlabeli uNkulunkulu.” (1 Korinte 10:20) Yebo, abaseKorinte abangamaqaba babekhulekela amademoni.
Amademoni aqala ekuhlubukeni. Elokuqala nelikhulu kunawo wonke kwakuyisidalwa esiyingelosi esayenga uEva ukuba aphule umthetho kaNkulunkulu emuva ensimini yase-Edene. (Genesise 3:1-6; Johane 8:44) Ngokwenza kanjalo, lesidalwa sahlubuka ebukhosini boMdali. Ngemva kwalokho, sabizwa ngokuthi uSathane, okusho “uMphikisi.” Kamuva, nezinye izidalwa zomoya zazihlanganisa naye ekuhlubukeni. Nazo futhi zaba amademoni, futhi uSathane ubizwa ngokuthi “umbusi wamademoni.” (Mathewu 12:24, 26) Encwadini yesAmbulo, lamademoni abizwa ngokuthi ‘izingelosi’ zikaSathane. (IsAmbulo 12:7) Ngakho ukukhulekela amademoni kuyefana nokukhulekela uSathane.
USathane unethonya elikhulu. Umphostoli uJohane wathi “izwe lonke” lisemandleni akhe, futhi uPawulu wambiza ngokuthi “unkulunkulu walelizwe.” (1 Johane 5:19; 2 Korinte 4:4) Ngakho-ke, ukukhulekela noma imuphi unkulunkulu ngaphandle kukaJehova empeleni kuwukukhulekela uSathane. Nganoma iyiphi indlela, kufeza izinjongo zikaSathane ngoba umgomo wakhe uwukuyenga abantwana baka-Adamu noEva ukuba bahlubuke kuJehova. Njengoba uSathane ‘edukisa izwe lonke,’ ngokusobala uye waphumelela ezimweni eziningi kakhulu. (IsAmbulo 12:9) Kodwa hhayi kuzo zonke. Kusenezigidi eziphishekela ukukhulekela uJehova. Ngani?
Izithelo Zokukhulekela Okungeyikho
Phakathi kokunye, ziyazi ukuthi ukukhulekelwa konkulunkulu ngaphandle kukaJehova kufuna okuningi kakhulu kunalokho ezifuna ukukunikeza. Imivubukulo yezinto zasendulo yaseCarthage eNyakatho Afrika yavumbulula amangcwaba abantwana. Kuyona kwakunamathambo abantwana ababenziwa imihlatshelo kunkulunkulu waseFenike uBali. Ukunikela ngabantwana kwakuyinani elesabekayo labobantu baseCarthage abalikhokha ngokukhulekela uBali. UbuKatolika bangenkathi ephakathi nabo bakhokhisa inani lapho bubangela ukuhlupheka okungenakulinganiswa eziMpini Zenkolo ezichitha igazi nasekuQulweni Kwamacala Ezihlubuki okunonya. Ukukhulekelwa konkulunkulu bamaInca aseMelika yangaphambi kokufika kukaColumbus kwakuhilela ukubulawa okungokwesiko kwezinkulungwane.
Ezikhathini zamuva kakhulu, izinhlobo ezihlukene zokukhulekela ziye zahileleka ekubulaweni kwabaningi eNdiya, futhi ziye zaba nengxenye ezinkingeni ezinkulu ezingokombangazwe eMpumalanga Ephakathi naseNyakatho Ireland. Ukungabi nalwazi, inkolelo-ze, nokwesaba nakho kufanele kubalwe njengengxenye yenani umuntu alikhokhayo ngokukhulekelwa konkulunkulu bakhe abaningi.
Kungani Kufanele Ukhonze UJehova UNkulunkulu?
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ukukhulekela uJehova kuletha izinzuzo kuphela. Phakathi kokunye, “[ngu]yena ophilayo kuze kube-phakade naphakade, owadala izulu nokukulo, nomhlaba nokukuwo, nolwandle nokukulo.” (IsAmbulo 10:6) Ngaleyondlela, kufanele simkhulekele ngoba unguMdali wethu.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, kufanele sikhulekele uJehova uNkulunkulu ngoba izimfanelo zakhe zisimema ukuba simkhulekele. Umphostoli uJohane wathi “uNkulunkulu uluthando.” (1 Johane 4:8) Indoda ethembekile uJobe yathi ‘[uNkulunkulu] uhlakaniphile enhliziyweni, uqinile emandleni.’ (Jobe 9:4) UMose wahlabelela ngaye: “Uyidwala, umsebenzi wakhe uphelele, ngokuba zonke izindlela zakhe zingukulunga; unguNkulunkulu wokwethembeka ongenakonakala; ulungile, uqotho yena.” (Duteronomi 32:4) Ubani onganqikaza ukukhonza uNkulunkulu onjalo?
Ngaphezu kwalokho, iBhayibheli lithi: “Ukumesaba uNkulunkulu kusiza ezintweni zonke, kunesithembiso salokhukuphila nalokho okuzayo.” (1 Thimothewu 4:8) Yeka ukuthi kuyiqiniso kangakanani lokhu! UJehova ufuna okuhle ngesintu. Walungiselela umhlaba njengekhaya elihle lendalo yakhe, futhi wenza ilungiselelo elanele ukuze ukuphila kujabulise. Naphezu kokuhlubuka komuntu, uNkulunkulu uye waqhubeka esekela ukuphila kulomhlaba, ondla zonke izidingo ezingokwenyama zesintu njengoba “[e]phumisa ilanga lakhe phezu kwababi nabahle, anise imvula phezu kwabalungileyo nabangalungile.”—Mathewu 5:45.
Kodwa ‘isithembiso salokhukuphila’ asigcini lapho. Ukukhonza uNkulunkulu kuyenelisa futhi kuyagculisa. Kuyilokho esasiklanyelwe ukukwenza. Futhi uNkulunkulu usiza labo abamkhonza ngokwethembeka ukuba baphumelele ekuphileni. NgeBhayibheli, unikeza isiqondiso kubantu abangashadile, emibhangqwaneni eshadile, kubantwana—kubantu bazo zonke izizinda zokuphila. Unikeza ukuhlakanipha okunokwethenjelwa, okuwusizo ukuze kusisize kuzo zonke izimo ukuze sikwazi ukuxazulula izinkinga zokuphila njengabantu abangaphelele ezweni elingaphansi kwethonya likaSathane. Uma sikhulekela uNkulunkulu ngendlela emthokozisayo, singajabulela “ukuthula kukaNkulunkulu okudlula ukuqonda konke.”—Filipi 4:7.
Okuphawulekayo futhi, ‘isithembiso sokuphila okuzayo.’ UJesu watshela umFarisi uNikodemu: “UNkulunkulu walithanda izwe kangaka, waze wanikela ngeNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa ukuba yilowo nalowo okholwa yiyo angabhubhi, kodwa abe-nokuphila okuphakade.” (Johane 3:16) Ukuphila okuphakade! Imuphi unkulunkulu ngaphandle kukaJehova ongathembisa into enjalo futhi asigcwalise isithembiso sakhe? Isimo sokugcina salabo abamukela lesosipho esihle sichazwe kusAmbulo: “[UNkulunkulu] azesule izinyembezi zonke emehlweni abo; ukufa akusayikuba-khona; nokudabuka, nokukhala, nobuhlungu akusayikuba-khona; ngokuba okokuqala kudlulile.” (IsAmbulo 21:4, 5) Yiqiniso, amathemba okuphila okuzayo kufanele asenze sifune ukukhonza uJehova!
Khona-ke, imuphi uNkulunkulu okufanele simkhulekele? UJehova kuphela, uMdali. Kubo bonke onkulunkulu, asebenza kuyena kuphela lamazwi: “Mikhulu, iyamangalisa imisebenzi yakho, [Jehova] Nkulunkulu, Mninimandla onke; zilungile, ziqinisile izindlela zakho wena-Nkosi yezizwe; ngubani ongayikwesaba, [Jehova], adumise igama lakho, na? Ngokuba wena wedwa ungcwele, nezizwe zonke ziyakuza zikhuleke phambi kwakho, ngokuba izenzo zakho zokulunga zibonakalisiwe.” (IsAmbulo 15:3, 4) Yeka ukuthi bahlakaniphe kangakanani labo abasabela esimemweni somhubi: “Wozani; masikhuleke, sikhothame, siguqe phambi kukaJehova, uMenzi wethu”!—IHubo 95:6.
[Isithombe ekhasini 6]
Abanye bawonkulunkulu uSathane aye wayengela isintu ukuba sibakhulekele
[Isithombe ekhasini 7]
Amathemba okuphila okuzayo kufanele asenze sifune ukukhonza uJehova