Hu Nao Iu Shud Loyal Long Hem?
“Kantri bilong iumi: . . . Letem hem stret evritaem; bat hem kantri bilong iumi, nomata hem stret or rong.”—Stephen Decatur, U.S. naval officer, 1779-1820.
PIPOL ting long wei for loyal evribit and no daotem kantri olsem main responsibility bilong man for kantri bilong hem. Nara pipol bae tanem toktok bilong Stephen Decatur olsem: ‘Religion bilong mi, letem hem stret evritaem; bat hem religion bilong mi, nomata hem stret or rong.’
Kantri or religion iumi loyal long hem planti taem hem wan wea iumi born insaed, bat disison for hu nao iumi loyal long hem shud no bikos iumi born insaed nomoa. For kwestinim olketa samting wea man hem lane for loyal long hem from taem hem smol needim man for no fraet and hem mekem challenge kamap.
Test Bilong Loyal Fasin
Wanfala woman wea growap long Zambia hem sei: “Mi interest long religion from taem mi barava young. Famili bilong mi savve celebratem olketa holiday bilong religion, go evritaem long temple, and prea evriday insaed wanfala prea rum long haos. Religion and worship bilong mi hem barava join witim kastom, community, and famili bilong mi.”
Nomata olsem, taem hem klosap 20 year, hem start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and no longtaem bihaen hem disaed for change religion. Waswe, diswan hem wei for no loyal?
Zlatko hem growap long Bosnia, and for planti year hem faet long war wea kamap long kantri bilong hem. Hem tu start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Distaem hem no want for faetem eniwan. Waswe, hem no loyal?
Wei wea iu ansarem olketa kwestin hia hem depend long wei wea iu ting long diswan. Datfala woman from Zambia wea iumi storyim finis hem sei: “Long community bilong mi, wei for change religion hem samting wea bringim shame; olketa ting long hem olsem wei for no loyal, olsem iu rejectim famili and community.” Olsem tu, olketa soldia wea Zlatko kaban witim bifor ting long eniwan wea no willing for faet witim olketa olsem man wea no loyal. Bat datfala woman and Zlatko biliv wei for loyal long God wea moa hae nao muvim tufala. Moa important, hao nao God ting long olketa wea want for loyal long hem?
Trufala Loyal Fasin—Wei for Showimaot Love
King David sei olsem long Jehovah God: “Iu bae duim samting long loyal wei long man wea loyal.” (2 Samuel 22:26) Hebrew word wea olketa transleitim “loyal fasin” long hia hem minim kaenfala fasin wea showaot long samting long loving wei, go kasem taem hem fulfillim purpose bilong hem for datfala samting. Long loving wei, Jehovah joinim hemseleva long olketa wea loyal long hem, olsem wanfala mami wea susum pikinini. Jehovah sei olsem long olketa loyal servant bilong hem long Israel bifor: “Waswe, wanfala waef savve forgetim baby bilong hem mekem hem no feel sorre for son bilong bele bilong hem? Nomata olketa woman hia savve forget, bat miseleva bae no forgetim iu.” (Isaiah 49:15) Olketa wea willing for putim wei for loyal long God olsem main samting long laef bilong olketa bae kasem loving kea bilong hem.
Wei for loyal long Jehovah hem kamaot from love. Hem muvim man for lovem wanem Jehovah hem lovem and heitim olketa wicked samting wea Jehovah heitim. (Psalm 97:10) From main fasin bilong Jehovah hem love, wei for loyal long God hem helpem man for showimaot love long nara pipol. (1 John 4:8) So sapos man change religion bikos hem loyal long God, diswan no minim hem no lovem famili bilong hem.
Wei for Loyal Long God—Bringim Gud Samting
Datfala woman iumi storyim finis explainim samting hem duim: “Taem mi studyim Bible, mi kamap for savve long Jehovah olsem datfala tru God, and mi kam moa klos long hem. Jehovah hem difren from evri god wea mi worshipim bifor; long perfect wei hem balance long love, justice, wisdom, and paoa. From Jehovah laekem worship for go long hem nomoa, mi lusim olketa nara god.
“Dadi and mami bilong mi talem mi staka taem hao tufala barava no hapi long mi and hao mi failim tufala. Diswan barava hard long mi bikos mi laekem tumas for dadi and mami hapi long mi. Bat taem mi kasem moa savve abaotem truth insaed Bible, mi luksavve long wanem mi mas duim. Mi hard for rejectim Jehovah.
“For chus for loyal long Jehovah winim olketa kastom saed long religion no minim mi no loyal long famili bilong mi. Mi trae for showim olketa thru long toktok and samting mi duim hao mi minim feeling bilong olketa. Bat sapos mi no loyal long Jehovah, then maet mi stopem famili bilong mi for savve long hem, and datwan bae barava no showimaot loyal fasin.”
Olsem tu, man wea no teksaed long politik and no joinim war from hem loyal long God hem no man wea no loyal. Zlatko explainim samting hem duim olsem: “Nomata mi wanfala Christian long nem nomoa, mi maritim samwan wea no Christian. Taem war kamap, tufala saed evriwan laekem mi for loyal long hem. Mi mas chusim nao wanem saed bae mi faet for hem. Mi faet long disfala war for thri and haf year. Gogo mitufala waef bilong mi ranawe go long Croatia, wea mifala meetim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.
“From study bilong mitufala long Bible, mitufala minim wei wea Jehovah hem main wan wea iumi shud loyal long hem and hem laekem iumi for lovem neiba nomata wanem religion or kala skin hem garem. Distaem, mitufala waef bilong mi wan mind for worshipim Jehovah, and mi lanem hao mi hard for loyal long God and long semtaem faetem neiba bilong mi.”
Loyal Fasin wea Followim Stretfala Savve
From Jehovah hem Creator bilong iumi, wei for loyal long hem nao fit for kamap first samting winim evri nara wei for loyal. (Revelation 4:11) Nomata olsem, for mekem wei for loyal long God no ova tumas and spoelem man, hem mas followim stretfala savve. Bible encouragem iumi: “Kamap niu long paoa wea muvim mind bilong iufala, and . . . werem niufala fasin wea God wakem fitim will bilong Hem long trufala . . . loyal fasin.” (Ephesians 4:23, 24) Man wea raetem toktok hia, wea staka savve long hem, hem nating fraet for kwestinim loyal fasin wea hem growap kam witim. Wei wea hem lukluk gud long diswan kosim hem for mekem important change.
Tru nao, Saul mas disaedem wanem hem bae loyal long hem, olsem staka long taem bilong iumi. Saul hem growap followim olketa strict kastom bilong famili bilong hem, and hem kamap barava loyal long religion bilong famili bilong hem. Wei wea hem loyal long religion bilong hem muvim hem for persecutim pipol wea garem difren biliv. Staka savve long Saul olsem man wea go insaed haos bilong olketa Christian and tekem olketa go for kasem panis and for killim olketa dae tu.—Acts 22:3-5; Philippians 3:4-6.
Nomata olsem, taem Saul kasem stretfala savve from Bible, hem duim wanem pipol bilong hem ting long hem olsem krangge. Hem changem religion bilong hem. Saul, wea bihaen olketa kolem aposol Paul, chus for loyal long God winim kastom. Wei for loyal long God wea followim stretfala savve hem muvim Saul for patient, for showaot love, and for encouragem pipol, wea diswan difren from wei bilong hem bifor wea raf and ova tumas.
Why Nao Iumi Shud Loyal?
Taem iumi loyal followim olketa mark bilong God, iumi kasem gud samting. Olsem example, wanfala 1999 report from Australian Institute of Family Studies hem sei, for marit stap longtaem and hapi, hem needim “trust and faithful fasin . . . [and] feeling for spiritual samting.” Disfala sem study faendem hao “marit wea strong and hapi” hem mekem man and woman moa hapi, moa healthy, and for laef long go moa. And tu, marit wea strong hem givim pikinini moa chance for garem hapi laef.
Long world distaem wea olabaot, loyal fasin hem olsem rope wea pullim man go long boat wea kam for sevem hem. Sapos “man wea swim” no garem loyal fasin, bae hem olsem samting long sea wea wave and wind pushim raon. Bat sapos hem loyal long rong samting, bae hem olsem rope bilong hem join go long ship wea gogo for sink. Olsem Saul, maet diswan pullim hem for duim samting wea barava nogud. Bat, wei for loyal long Jehovah, wea kamaot from stretfala savve, hem rope wea givim iumi living wea stedy and wea lead go long salvation.—Ephesians 4:13-15.
Jehovah talem disfala promis long olketa wea loyal long hem: “Jehovah hem lovem justice, and hem bae no lusim olketa loyal wan bilong hem. Hem bae gardim olketa for olowe.” (Psalm 37:28) Klosap nao evriwan wea loyal long Jehovah bae go insaed long paradaes earth, wea olketa bae enjoyim freedom from sorre and pain and bae hapi long wei for fren gud tugeta wea free from wei for divaed saed long religion and politik.—Revelation 7:9, 14; 21:3, 4.
Nomata distaem, planti million pipol evriwea long world faendem hao trufala hapi hem kam from wei for loyal long Jehovah nomoa. Hem gud for letem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness helpem iu for markem tingting bilong iu abaotem loyal fasin witim truth insaed Bible. Bible talem iumi: “Go ahed for testim sapos iufala insaed long faith, go ahed for pruvim iufala wanem kaen man.”—2 Corinthians 13:5.
Hem hard samting for kwestinim faith bilong iumi and why iumi loyal long hem, bat man bae no sorre from diswan bae lead go long wei for moa klos long Jehovah God. Woman wea iumi storyim finis hem talem feeling bilong staka pipol taem hem sei: “Mi lanem hao wei for loyal long Jehovah and long olketa standard bilong hem helpem man for balance long wei for deal witim famili bilong iumi and for kamap member bilong community wea moabeta. Nomata hao hard nao olketa test, sapos iumi loyal long Jehovah, hem bae evritaem loyal long iumi.”
[Olketa Piksa long page 6]
Stretfala savve muvim Saul for changem wanem hem loyal long hem
[Piksa long page 7]
Hem gud for iu testim loyal fasin bilong iu followim truth insaed Bible
[Olketa Piksa Credit Line long page 4]
Churchill, barava left saed: U.S. National Archives photo; Joseph Göbbels, barava raet saed: Library of Congress