‘Qhubekani Nilungiswa’

“INGABE uyaqiniseka ukuthi ngeke sidlule?” Umgibeli wabhekisa umbuzo wakhe kumphathi omkhulu womkhumbi. Njengoba umkhumbi omncane wawuyenda futhi ushona ukhuphuka emagagasini aseKapa adumile aseNingizimu Atlantic, kuyena kwabonakala sengathi kwakuyokwenzeka ngesimangaliso ukuba bafinyelele lapho beya khona okwakuyichashaza elincane ebalazweni.

Ngakho umphathi omkhulu wammemela ebhulohweni futhi wamchazela ukusebenza kwamathuluzi okuqondisa umkhumbi—imishini enamasondo ekhampasi, iradar, imishini emukela imibiko yesatellite, futhi ngisho nomshini ovamile wokulinganisa ukuphakama kwendawo. Nakuba izincazelo zobuchwepheshe zazicishe zingaqondakali kuye, wawuqonda umthetho oyisisekelo wokuqondisa imikhumbi: ukulungisa indlela. Esizwa imishini yakhe yokuqondisa umkhumbi, ukaputeni angamelana namathonya omsinga wolwandle nomoya ngokwenza ukulungisa okuqhubekayo. Ngaphandle kokulungisa okunjalo, bangadlula lapho bebeya khona ngamakhilomitha amaningi kakhulu.

AmaKristu anjengemikhumbi olwandlekazini lwesintu. Umgomo wethu ‘ukufunyanwa [uJehova] sinokuthula, singenabala, singenacala kuye.’ (2 Petru 3:14) Kodwa ngokufanayo nomkhumbi, kunamandla athile—angaphakathi nangaphandle—athambekele ukusiphambukisa endleleni. Khona-ke, yeka ukuthi afaneleka kanjani amazwi kamphostoli uPawulu kwabaseKorinte: “Sikhulekela lokhu, ukulungiswa kwenu. . . . Qhubekani . . . nilungiswa.”—2 Korinte 13:9, 11, NW.

Lokho Ukulungisa Okukuhilelayo

Igama lesiGreki elihunyushwe lapha ngokuthi “ukulungisa” libhekisela ekuletheni okuthile “emgqeni ofanele.” (Bheka umbhalo waphansi kuyiReference Bible.) Kwamanye amavesi eBhayibheli, lisetshenziselwa ekuchazeni ukubuyisela okuthile esimweni esifanele. Ngokwesibonelo, kuMathewu 4:21, igama elifanayo lisetshenziselwe ukuchaza ‘ukulungisa’ amanetha. (Kingdom Interlinear) Khona-ke, kusho ukuthini ngamaKristu ukulungiswa?

Nokho, cabangela amaKristu aseKorinte lawo uPawulu awabhalela. Encwadini yangaphambili eyayiya kuwo, uPawulu wayekhombe ezimweni eziningana ezingafanele ezazikhona ebandleni: ukuhlukana ngamahlelo, ukuthethelelwa kokuziphatha okubi ngokobulili, ukumangalelana phakathi kwabazalwane, ukungasihloniphi iSidlo SeNkosi Sakusihlwa, ngisho nemihlangano engahlelekile. (1 Korinte 1:10-13; 5:1; 6:1; 11:20, 21; 14:26-33) Kanjalo abaseKorinte kwadingeka “balungise” isimo lapho, okungukuthi, basilethe “emgqeni ofanele” nemithetho yokwesaba uNkulunkulu.

Incwadi yesibili eyayiya kubo ibonisa ukuthi benza lokho kanye. (2 Korinte 7:11) Nokho, uPawulu wayazi ukuthi ukucindezela okuvela ezweni, kuSathane, nasekuthambekeleni kwabo okungokwenyama kwakuyoqhubeka kubaphambukisa endleleni ngezikhathi ezithile. Ngakho-ke, wabayala ngokufanelekile ukuba ‘baqhubeke belungiswa.’

Isidingo Sokulungiswa Namuhla

OFakazi BakaJehova namuhla ngokufanayo kumelwe baqhubeke belungiswa. USathane uDeveli ‘uyalwa’ nathi, usebenza ngenkuthalo ukuba ephule ubuqotho bethu. (IsAmbulo 12:17; Efesu 6:12) Sizungezwe futhi isimiso sezinto somhlaba wonke esisebenza “ngokombusi wamandla omkhathi.” Esisebenza nabo nesifunda nabo kungase kube abantu ‘abahamba ezinkanukweni zenyama yabo, abenza intando yenyama.’ (Efesu 2:2, 3) Silwa futhi njalonjalo nokuthambekela kwethu kwesono esakuzuza njengefa. (Roma 7:18-25) Ngaphandle kokulungiswa njalonjalo, singaphambukiswa kalula endleleni.

Okuhlangenwe nakho kukamphostoli uPetru kukufanekisa kahle lokhu. Ngemva kokumbonakalisa ngokuqondile uJesu ‘njengoKristu, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu ophilayo,’ uPetru wanconywa ngalamazwi: “Ubusisiwe wena-Simoni kaJona, ngokuba inyama negazi akukwambulelanga lokhu kodwa uBaba osezulwini.” (Mathewu 16:16, 17) Ngokukhanyayo, ukucabanga kukaPetru kwakusemzileni oyiwona. Nokho, phakathi nesikhathi esihlanganiswa emavesini ayisithupha alandelayo, kwadingeka ukuba uJesu amsole ngokunamandla! Lapho ezwa ukuthi uKristu ‘wayezohlushwa ngokuningi . . . abulawe,’ uPetru wanxusa uJesu: “Musa, Nkosi, lokho akusoze kwenziwa kuwe.” UJesu ngokushesha waphendula: “Buyela emva kwami, Sathane; uyisikhubekiso kimi, ngokuba awuqondi okukaNkulunkulu kepha okwabantu.”—Mathewu 16:21-23.

UPetru wayecabanga ngokombono ongokwenyama. Imicabango yakhe nesimo sengqondo kwakudinga ukulungiswa. Ingabe akukhona yini okufanayo nangathi ngezinye izikhathi? Asithambekele yini ekuboneni izinto ngendlela yethu esikhundleni sendlela kaNkulunkulu? Ngakho, ngezinye izikhathi sidinga ukulungiswa. Njengomkhumbi olwandle, ukulungisa okunjalo ngezinye izikhathi kungaba kuncane, kucishe kubonakale kungadingekile. Kodwa kungasho umehluko phakathi kokufika kwethu lapho siya khona nokuphukelwa umkhumbi ongokomoya. Ngempela, ukulungisa okuncane manje kungavikela ukwenza ukulungisa okukhulu—mhlawumbe okubuhlungu—kamuva.

Izindinganiso Zaphezulu

Uma imishini yokuqondisa umkhumbi ingaphawuliwe ngokuqondile, ukulungisa indlela okufanelekile ngeke kwenzeke. Ngokufanayo, uma sizogcina ukuphila kwethu kusendleleni, sidinga ukuqondisa okunembile kweZwi likaNkulunkulu, iBhayibheli. “Yonke imibhalo iphefumulelwe nguNkulunkulu ilungele ukufundisa, nokusola, nokuqondisa.” (2 Thimothewu 3:16) LeloZwi eliphefumlelwe libeka izindinganiso zikaNkulunkulu zokuziphatha nokucabanga. Ukulifunda njalo kubalulekile ekulandeleni ‘izindlela zokulunga.’—IHubo 23:3.

Ukuqondiswa okwengeziwe kuza ngesigaba ‘senceku ethembekileyo neqondayo’ yamaKristu agcotshiwe. Lawa aye asizwa umoya kaJehova ukuze aqonde intando yakhe ngokuthuthukayo. (Mathewu 24:45-47; IzAga 4:18) Ngaleyondlela, lapho ukuqondisa kuvela enhlanganweni kaJehova, singazithoba ngokuhlakanipha kukho, sazi ngokugcwele ukuthi uJehova uzomane asiholele endleleni ezoba ngeyenzuzo yethu yaphakade.—Isaya 48:17.

Nokho, ngezinye izikhathi sidinga usizo lomuntu siqu ukuze sihlale sisendleleni. UPawulu wanxusa kwabaseGalathiya 6:1, (NW): “Bazalwane, ngisho noma umuntu ethatha isinyathelo okungeyiso ngaphambi kokuba asiqaphele, nina eninezimfanelo ezingokomoya zamani ukumlungisa umuntu onjalo ngomoya wobumnene.” Abadala nezinceku ezikhonzayo baphakathi kwalabo abanezimfanelo ezinjalo ezingokomoya. Ngokuvamile bayosikhombisa ngokuqondile indawo ethile esidinga ukwenza ukulungisa kuyo.

Umzamo Udingekile

Akulula ngaso sonke isikhathi ukwenza izinguquko ezidingekile ekuphileni kwethu. Nalapha cabangela isibonelo sikaPetru. Ezalwe engumJuda, uPetru wakhula ehlanganyela umbono ongemuhle owawuvamile ngabantu bezinye izinhlanga. Njengoba atshela uKorneliyu ongoweZizwe: “Niyazi ukuthi akuvunyelwe ukuba umuntu ongumJuda ahlangane, ahambelane nowesinye isizwe.” Nokho, ngemva kokubona ukuthi kwakuyintando kaNkulunkulu ukuba ahlanganyele iqiniso lobuKristu nalendoda nomkhaya wayo, uPetru waphetha: “Nembala ngiyabona ukuthi uNkulunkulu akabheki ubuso bamuntu, kodwa ezizweni zonke omesabayo nowenza ukulunga uyamukeleka kuye.”—IzEnzo 10:28, 34, 35.

UPetru wayenze inguquko emangalisayo ekucabangeni kwakhe nasesimweni sengqondo ngezinye izizwe! Kodwa ngokucacile kwakunesidingo ngaye sokuba aqhubeke elungiswa ngokuphathelene nalendaba, ngoba eminyakeni embalwa kamuva, uPetru wavumela ukucindezela kontanga futhi waqala ukubukela phansi amakholwa abeZizwe. Umphostoli uPawulu kwadingeka ukuba amsole, esebenzisa amazwi aqine kakhulu ukuze amsize alungise ukucabanga kwakhe ngokwengeziwe!—Galathiya 2:11-14.

Ngokufanayo namuhla, kungenzeka ukuthi umKristu ukhulele esizindeni sokucwasana kwezinhlanga. Ngemva kokungena eqinisweni, angase avume ngengqondo ukuthi uNkulunkulu akakhethi kodwa abe esabambelele emizweni yobandlululo lwezinhlanga. Nakuba engenabo ubutha ngakulabo bolunye uhlanga, ngokuzenzekelayo angase athathe ngokuthi banezici ezingathandeki ngenxa yemvelaphi yabo yobuhlanga. Angase avivinye ukubekezela kwabo ngamahlaya obuhlanga noma amazwi ahlala edonsela ukunakekela ohlangeni, noma ukungafani ngobuhlanga. Angase enqabe ngisho neseluleko esingokomoya esivela kumKristu akanye naye lowo, ngenxa yokuba elinganiselwe ngokwemfundo noma ngokwenhlalo, ohlulekayo ukukhuluma ngendlela ethile. Ngokusobala, kuyodinga umzamo wangempela ngonjalo ukuba alungise ukucabanga kwakhe kuvumelane nokukaJehova!a

Kodwa kungakhathaliseki ukuthi indaba iwubandlululo lwezinhlanga, ukuthanda izinto ezibonakalayo, ukuhileleka ngokwenhlalo esikoleni nasemsebenzini, noma isidingo sokuba khona emihlanganweni yobuKristu, kumelwe sisabele esiqondisweni esinikezwa ngeZwi likaNkulunkulu nenhlangano yakhe. Akufanele nakancane sizwe sengathi isiyalo esifanelekile esingokomBhalo asisebenzi kithina bese singasinaki. Khumbula ukuthi amaIsrayeli angathembekile athi: “Indlela yeNkosi ayilingani.” Ingabe akuthina okumelwe sizilinganise nezindlela zikaJehova?—Hezekeli 18:25.

Siyajabula ngokuthi uJehova ubonisa isithakazelo esifudumele endleleni esihamba ngayo phambi kwakhe, enikeza ukulungisa kwasikhathi sonke kubantu bakhe. Kunjengoba uIsaya aprofetha: “Nezindlebe zakho ziyakuzwa izwi emva kwakho, lithi: Nansi indlela; hambani ngayo, noma niphambuka ngakwesokunene, noma niphambuka ngakwesokhohlo.” Kwangathi nathi, ngokwethu, singasabela esiqondisweni esinjalo sothando esivela kuJehova futhi ‘silalele.’ (Isaya 30:21; Jakobe 3:17) Yebo, masiqhubeke silungiswa ukuze indlela yethu isiholele emgomweni wesikhathi esiphakade emseni kaNkulunkulu!

[Umbhalo waphansi]