Indlela Yokubhekana Nenselele Yokuziphatha Yokuba Mpofu
“ABANTU bampofu ngoba bayavilapha,” kusho omunye udokotela waseAfrika. “Idolobha ligcwele omahlalela. Uma bewufuna ngempela umsebenzi, bangawuthola. Asikho isidingo sokuba umuntu abe sebumpofwini namuhla.”
Akungabazeki ukuthi abanye abantu bayavilapha nokuthi ubuvila bungaholela ebumpofwini. IBhayibheli lithi: “Ubuthongo obuncane, ukozela okuncane, ukusonga izandla kancane kuze kulalwe, besekuthi ubumpofu bakho bufike njengomhambuma, nokuswela kwakho njengomuntu wesihlangu.” (IzAga 24:33, 34) Nokho, abantu abaningi abampofu abawona neze amavila. Ngokwesibonelo, cabangela umuntu owabhala: “Kuze kube-yisona lesisikhathi silambile, somile, sihamba-ze, siyamuhluzwa, siyimihambima.” (1 Korinte 4:11) Ingabe wayengumahlalela ongasenakuphinde alunge? Lutho neze. Lawomazwi alotshwa umphostoli uPawulu. Wakhetha ukuphila ukuphila okulinganiselwe ngokwezomnotho ukuze aphishekele kangcono inkonzo yobuKristu. Okunye futhi kokuswela kwakhe kwakungenxa yezimo ayengenakuzilawula, njengokushushiselwa inkolo.
Namuhla, iningi labampofu bezwe liyizisulu zezimo elingenakuzilawula—mhlawumbe ukuntula imfundo, ukwehluleka kwezomnotho zendawo, noma izinguquko zezombangazwe. Abaningi bakhandleka kusukela ekuseni kakhulu kuze kube sebusuku kakhulu nokho kudlule kube nzima ukuziphilisa. Ngakho amathuba okuzuza ngokwezimali ngezindlela zokungathembeki angabonakala ekhanga, edingekile ngisho nokudingeka. Phela, abanye bangase bacabange ukuthi iBhayibheli liyakuthethelela ukuwa ngokokuziphatha okwenzeka ngezikhathi ezithile. Nokho, liyasho ukuthi: “Abamdeleli . . . oyisela ukuthi uyeba ukuba azisuthise lapho elambile?” Futhi indoda ehlakaniphile yathandaza: ‘Kwangathi ngingebe-mpofu ngebe nokweba.’—IzAga 6:30; 30:8, 9.
Ukwethembeka—Umbono WeBhayibheli
Ingabe ngempela lemibhalo yeBhayibheli ikuvumela ngomshoshaphansi ukungathembeki? Nokho, ake siyihlole emongweni wayo. Ngemva kokuvuma ukuthi abantu abalideleli isela elebayo ukuze ligcwalise isisu salo esingenalutho, izAga 6:31 ziyaqhubeka: “Uma efunyanwa, uyakubuyisa kasikhombisa, anikeze yonke impahla yendlu yakhe.” Ngamanye amazwi, lapho isela libanjwa, libhekana nesijeziso esigcwele somthetho. Liyakhokha ngecala lalo! Ngakho-ke, kunokuba akhuthaze ubusela, lamazwi axwayisa abantu abampofu ukuthi ubusela bungaphumela ekulahlekelweni okwengeziwe ngokwezimali, ekuhlazisweni kwawo ngokwawo nemikhaya yawo, nasekulahlekelweni ukuzihlonipha.
Kodwa kuthiwani ngomthandazo wendoda ehlakaniphile? Yacela ukuba ingabi mpofu ‘yebe, ilone igama likaNkulunkulu wayo.’ (IzAga 30:9) Yebo, ukungathembeki komuntu othi ukhonza uJehova kungaletha isihlamba egameni likaNkulunkulu nasebandleni labantu baKhe. Umphostoli uPawulu wabhala: “Wena oshumayela ukuthi akungebiwa uyeba na?” Ukuba amanye amaKristu okuzisholo eba, lokhu kwakungabangela ukuba ‘igama likaNkulunkulu lihlanjalazwe phakathi kwabezizwe.’—Roma 2:21, 24.
Khona-ke, ngesizathu esihle iBhayibheli lithi: “Ungcono ompofu ohamba ekupheleleni kwakhe kunocebileyo ophambene ngezindlela zakhe.” (IzAga 28:6) Nakuba yena ngokwakhe ayeswela amalungiselelo okuphila ngezinye izikhathi, umphostoli uPawulu akazange athethelele noma aphendukele ekungathembekini. Kunalokho, wabhala: “Owebayo angabe eseba, kepha kunalokho akhuthale asebenze okuhle ngezandla zakhe, ukuze abe-nokokwabela osweleyo.”—Efesu 4:28.
Ikhambi: Ukwethembela KuNkulunkulu
Kuthiwani ngalabo abasebenza kanzima kodwa abangaholi okwanele ukuze banakekele imikhaya yabo siqu? Ingabe kubo ukungathembeki noma ngisho nobusela buvumelekile, ikakhulukazi uma ukugula kugadla ilungu lomkhaya noma kuvela isimo esithile esiphuthumayo? Abanye abantu bacabanga kanjalo. Esinye isakhamuzi sasezweni laseAfrika sathi: “Ezweni lakithi, uma uthembekile, ngeke uphile. Uma ufuna ukuqhubeka uphila, kumelwe ube namajika ambalwa endleleni yakho yokuphila.”
Nokho, kulo lonke elaseAfrika umuntu kaningi ubona amazwi athi “Thembela kuNkulunkulu” ebhalwe ngopende emalolini, ebonakala ezingcwecweni zokuhlobisa izindonga, futhi ebhalwe ezintweni zokunyatheliswa emifanekisweni nasemabhampeni ezimoto. IBhayibheli ngokwalo lithi: “Themba kuJehova ngayo yonke inhliziyo yakho.” (IzAga 3:5) Ukungathembeki akusoze kwavumelana nalokho kunxusa kweBhayibheli. Kodwa ingabe ukwethembela kuNkulunkulu ngempela kuyikhambi eliwusizo enseleleni ngokwezimiso zokuziphatha yokuba ompofu?
Njengesikhonzi sikaNkulunkulu, umphostoli uPawulu wabhekana nobunzima ‘obunjengokulamba nokoma, ukuzila ukudla, amakhaza, nokuhamba-ze.’ (2 Korinte 11:27) Ngokuqinisekile, kumelwe ukuba uPawulu wazibuza ukuthi uyophila kanjani! Kodwa ngemva kweminyaka engu-25 yokuhlangenwe nakho kokuba umKristu, wayengabhala: “Ngiyakwazi ukuba-phansi, ngiyakwazi nokubusa; kukho konke nasezintweni zonke ngifundisiwe: ukusutha, nokulamba, nokubusa, nokuswela. Nginamandla ukwenza konke ngaye ongiqinisayo.” (Filipi 4:12, 13) Yebo, uPawulu wathembela kuNkulunkulu.
UPawulu waqaphela ukuthi izimiso ezingokomBhalo aziwona amazwi ayize, awukucabangela nje. Ziyiziyalezo ezivela kuNkulunkulu ophilayo onesithakazelo esijulile sokusiza nokusekela labo abafuna ukuzisebenzisa. Umprofethi wasendulo wathi: “Ngokuba amehlo kaJehova aqalaza emhlabeni wonke ukuba abe-namandla kwabanhliziyo yabo iphelele kuye.”—2 IziKronike 16:9.
Babusiswa Ngenxa Yokwethembela KuNkulunkulu
Kungani kunzima kangaka ngabantu abaningi ukuba bathembele kuNkulunkulu? Akungabazeki ukuthi kungenxa yokuthi inkolo yabo iye yehluleka ukubanikeza isizathu esanele sokwenza kanjalo. Amasonto aye enza uNkulunkulu wabonakala engenagama, ewumqondo nje osengqondweni, engeyena umuntu, engenakuqondwa umuntu. Kodwa ngesifundo seBhayibheli, oFakazi BakaJehova baye bafinyelela ekumazini uNkulunkulu, hhayi njengamandla athile asengqondweni, kodwa njengoMuntu onegama. (IHubo 83:18; Heberu 9:24) Baye bafunda ukuthi unezimfanelo ezimenza afanelekelwe ukuba simethembe. Ngokwesibonelo, ngokwencwadi kaEksodusi 34:6, uJehova “uNkulunkulu ogcwele isihe, onomusa, ophuza ukuthukuthela, novamé ubumnene neqiniso.” OFakazi bathembela kuNkulunkulu futhi bayaqaphela ukuthi ‘uvamé iqiniso.’ Ngakho, bathembela ngokuphelele esithembisweni sakhe sokuletha izwe elisha elingenabo ubumpofu obucindezelayo manje obuhlupha abaningi kangaka bohlanga lwesintu.—2 Petru 3:13.
Ngakho-ke izigidi zoFakazi BakaJehova ziye zakubonisa ukuthi kuwusizo ukwethembela kuNkulunkulu. Ngokwesibonelo, uRosaline, uFakazi eSierra Leone, usebenza kanzima kusukela ngehora lesihlanu ekuseni kuze kube sebusuku kakhulu ukuze akwazi ukuthola ukudla nokokwembatha kwakhe nabantwana bakhe abayisithupha. Uthi: “Abantu abaningi bathi akunakwenzeka ukuphila ukuphila kokwethembeka, kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi lokhu akulona iqiniso. Ngezinye izikhathi ngiba nezinkinga futhi ngingazi ukuthi ngizozixazulula kanjani. Kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi uma ngiphila ukuphila kokwethembeka, konke kuzongihambela kahle. Ngakho ngizama kanzima ukungamdumazi uJehova.”
Omunye umlobi wathi: “Umuntu ompofu ongenalutho esiswini sakhe udinga ithemba . . . ngaphezu kwesinkwa.” Yebo, ukuphelelwa ithemba, ukudangala, nokudumala okungapheli kuyizinhlupho ezingaba buhlungu kakhulu kunendlala. Kodwa umuntu ofinyelela ekwazini nasekwethembeni uNkulunkulu akudingeki ukuba adangale. “Ngisebenza kanzima manje,” kunezela uRosaline, “kodwa nginenjabulo ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi isikhathi siyeza lapho kungasayikudingeka ngikhandleke ngalendlela. Manje ngisebenzela ukuthola ukudla kwami nomkhaya wami, kodwa ezweni elisha likaJehova, kuyoba nenala yokudla. Ngakho manje nginethemba nenjabulo engingakaze ngibe nakho ngaphambi kokuba ngimazi uJehova.”—Qhathanisa noIsaya 25:6; IsAmbulo 21:3, 4.
Yiqiniso, labo abathembela kuNkulunkulu basengabhekana nokucindezela kwezomnotho, njengoba umphostoli uPawulu abhekana nakho. Kodwa akudingeki neze ukuba baphendukele ekwephuleni imithetho kaNkulunkulu ukuze bame kahle ngokwezimali. Umhubi uDavide wathi: “Kade ngimusha, manje sengimdala; angizange ngibone olungileyo eshiyiwe nenzalo yakhe iphanza ukudla.” (IHubo 37:25) Yebo, uNkulunkulu uyabanakekela futhi ababusise labo ababeka izithakazelo zakhe kuqala ekuphileni kwabo.—Mathewu 6:25-33.
Ngakho uma umpofu, ‘ungadinwa ukwenza okuhle.’ (2 Thesalonika 3:13) Ungalokothi uphendukele ekuyekethiseni ekuziphatheni. Yakha ubuhlobo noNkulunkulu futhi uncike kuye ukuze akusize ubhekane nezinkinga nobunzima bokuphila. Labo abakhonza uJehova nabathembela kuye ngokuphelele bayanxuswa: “Zithobeni phansi kwesandla sikaNkulunkulu esinamandla, ukuze aniphakamise ngesikhathi esifaneleyo, niphonse izinkathazo zenu zonke phezu kwakhe, ngokuba uyanikhathalela.”—1 Petru 5:6, 7.
[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 6]
“Umuntu ompofu ongenalutho esiswini sakhe udinga ithemba . . . ngaphezu kwesinkwa”
[Isithombe ekhasini 7]
OFakazi BakaJehova basiza abantu ukuba babeke ithemba labo kuNkulunkulu