Wakabaot Followim Faith, No Followim Samting Iumi Lukim!
“Iumi wakabaot followim faith, no followim samting iumi lukim.”—2 CORINTHIANS 5:7.
1. Wanem nao showimaot aposol Paul hem wakabaot followim faith, and no followim samting hem lukim?
FIRSTAEM, Paul, wea nem bilong hem Saul, hem persecutim olketa Christian. Then hem kamap wanfala Christian, and nomata 20 year bihaen, long 55 CE, faith bilong hem strong yet from hem no letem eni samting mekem faith bilong hem wikdaon. Hem no lukim olketa samting long heven witim really eye bilong hem, nomata olsem, faith bilong hem barava strong. Dastawe, taem hem raet go long olketa anointed Christian, wea garem hope for go long heven, aposol Paul hem sei: “Iumi wakabaot followim faith, no followim samting iumi lukim.”—2 Corinthians 5:7.
2, 3. (a) Hao nao iumi showimaot iumi wakabaot followim faith? (b) Wei for wakabaot followim samting wea man lukim hem minim wanem?
2 Sapos iumi laek for wakabaot followim faith iumi mas barava trustim hao God hem fit for leadim iumi. Iumi mas barava bilivim hao God hem savve wanem nao best samting for iumi. (Psalm 119:66) Taem iumi disaedem olketa samting long laef and followim wanem iumi disaedem, iumi tingim “olketa samting wea really stap bat wea iumi no savve lukim.” (Hebrews 11:1, The New English Bible) Wanfala long olketa samting hia nao datfala “niu skae and niu earth” wea God promisim. (2 Peter 3:13) Bat long narasaed, wei for wakabaot followim samting iumi lukim hem minim iumi followim nomoa olketa physical samting. Diswan hem danger bikos hem savve mekem iumi stop for duim will bilong God.—Psalm 81:12; Ecclesiastes 11:9.
3 Nomata iumi insaed “smolfala sekson bilong sheep,” wea hope for go long heven, or iumi bilong “nara sheep,” wea hope for stap long earth, each wan long iumi shud barava tingting strong long disfala encouragement for wakabaot followim faith and no followim samting iumi lukim. (Luke 12:32; John 10:16) Iumi bae lukluk lelebet long wei wea disfala advaes from Bible savve protectim iumi from wei for foldaon long sin wea mekem man hapi for lelebet taem nomoa, long trap for lovem material samting, and wei for forgetim hao end bilong wicked pipol hem klosap. Bae iumi lukluk tu long olketa danger wea kamap taem man wakabaot followim samting wea hem lukim.—Hebrews 11:25.
No Laekem “Hapi From Sin wea Hem for Lelebet Taem Nomoa”
4. Wanem nao Moses chus for duim, and why nao olsem?
4 Tingim laef wea Moses, son bilong Amram, fit for garem. Hem big kam witim olketa pikinini bilong king bilong Egypt. Hem savve garem paoa, riches, and hae position. Moses fit for ting olsem: ‘Mi kasem big education long wisdom bilong olketa long Egypt, wea pipol evriwea barava tinghae long datwan, and toktok bilong mi and samting mi duim savve affectim pipol. Sapos mi stap long haos bilong king, mi savve iusim position bilong mi for helpem olketa Hebrew brata bilong mi wea slave!’ (Acts 7:22) Bat, Moses no chusim datwan, hem chus for “safa witim pipol bilong God.” Why nao olsem? Wanem nao muvim Moses for no laekem evri samting wea hem fit for kasem long Egypt? Bible hem sei: “Thru long faith [Moses] lusim Egypt, bat hem no fraet long kros bilong king, from hem gohed for stand strong olsem hem lukim Datwan wea man no savve lukim.” (Hebrews 11:24-27) Wei wea Moses garem faith hao Jehovah bae givim reward for raeteous fasin bilong hem, helpem hem for stap klia long sin and wei for aftarem tumas samting wea body laekem and hapi wea kamaot from datwan, wea hem for short taem nomoa.
5. Hao nao example bilong Moses hem encouragem iumi?
5 Plande taem iumi tu mas disaedem samfala hardfala samting olsem diswan: ‘Waswe, mi shud lusim samfala wei bilong mi wea hem no barava followim olketa principle bilong Bible? Waswe, bae mi acceptim wanfala waka wea maet mekem mi kasem olketa material samting bat maet affectim wei wea mi muv ahed long spiritual saed?’ Example bilong Moses encouragem iumi for no chusim samting followim tingting bilong pipol long world wea nating tingim hao samting olketa disaedem bae affectim olketa long future, bat, iumi shud showimaot faith long wisdom bilong “Datwan wea man no savve lukim”—Jehovah God. Olsem Moses, hem gud for iumi barava tinghae long wei for fren witim Jehovah winim eni nara samting long disfala world.
6, 7. (a) Hao nao Esau showimaot hem laek for wakabaot followim samting hem lukim? (b) Wanem warning nao iumi kasem from example bilong Esau?
6 Tingim example bilong Moses and markem hem witim Esau, son bilong Isaac. Esau hem kaen man wea laek for satisfaem feeling bilong hem kwiktaem. (Genesis 25:30-34) From Esau “no tinghae long olketa holy samting,” hem salem right bilong hem olsem firstborn “for wanfala pleit kaikai nomoa.” (Hebrews 12:16) Hem nating tingim hao disison bilong hem for salem right bilong hem olsem firstborn bae affectim wei wea hem fren witim Jehovah, and tu, wei wea diswan bae affectim olketa pikinini bilong hem. Hem nating garem spiritual wei for lukluk long samting. Esau no laek for tingim olketa spesol promis bilong God, hem ting smol nomoa long olketa. Hem wakabaot followim samting wea hem lukim and no followim faith.
7 Example bilong Esau hem wanfala warning for iumi distaem. (1 Corinthians 10:11) Taem iumi mas disaedem olketa big or smol samting, iumi mas no letem world bilong Satan switim iumi for followim diskaen tingting for mas tekem distaem samting wea iumi laekem. Hem gud for iumi askem iumiseleva: ‘Waswe, olketa samting mi disaedem showimaot mi garem fasin olsem Esau? Waswe, wei for aftarem samting wea mi laekem distaem bae mekem spiritual samting kamap mek-tu samting? Waswe, olketa samting wea mi chusim hem affectim wei wea mi fren witim God and reward bilong mi long future? Wanem kaen example nao mi showimaot long olketa narawan?’ Sapos samting wea iumi chusim hem showimaot iumi tinghae long olketa holy samting, Jehovah bae blessim iumi.—Proverbs 10:22.
Stap Klia Long Trap for Lovem Material Samting
8. Wanem warning nao olketa Christian long Laodicea kasem, and why nao iumi interest long datwan?
8 Long taem bilong olketa aposol, Jesus Christ, wea kasem finis glory long heven, hem showim wanfala vision long aposol John. Insaed datfala vision hem talem wanfala message for kongregeson bilong Laodicea, long Asia Minor. Disfala message hem wanfala warning abaotem trap bilong wei for lovem olketa material samting. Olketa Christian long Laodicea garem plande material samting bat olketa poor long spiritual wei. Winim wei for wakabaot followim faith, olketa letem olketa material samting for blindim spiritual wei for lukluk. (Revelation 3:14-18) Wei for lovem olketa material samting savve affectim man long sem wei tu distaem. Hem savve mekem faith bilong iumi wik and mekem iumi stop for ‘ranran witim fasin for gohed strong long datfala resis’ for kasem laef. (Hebrews 12:1) Sapos iumi no careful, “olketa samting long laef wea pipol savve laekem tumas,” savve gogo, “barava skwisim” olketa spiritual samting, mekem iumi no garem taem for duim olketa.—Luke 8:14.
9. Hao nao wei for satisfae and tinghae long spiritual kaikai hem protectim iumi?
9 Wanfala samting wea savve protectim spiritual saed bilong iumi hem wei for satisfae winim wei for laek iusim evribit olketa samting bilong world and kasem plande material samting. (1 Corinthians 7:31; 1 Timothy 6:6-8) Taem iumi wakabaot followim faith and no followim samting iumi lukim, iumi barava hapi long spiritual paradaes wea stap distaem. Taem iumi kaikaim olketa spiritual kaikai wea strongim iumi, diswan barava muvim iumi for “singaot from hapi bikos heart [bilong iumi] fulap witim gudfala samting and hapi”! (Isaiah 65:13, 14) And tu, iumi hapi taem iumi hipap witim olketa wea showimaot olketa frut bilong spirit bilong God. (Galatians 5:22, 23) Hem barava important for iumi satisfae and kasem strong from olketa spiritual samting wea Jehovah givim for iumi!
10. Olketa wanem kwestin nao hem gud for iumi askem iumiseleva?
10 Samfala kwestin wea hem gud for iumi askem iumiseleva nao hem: ‘Hao important nao olketa material samting long mi? Waswe, mi iusim olketa material samting for miseleva nomoa or for mekhae long tru worship? Wanem nao mekem mi barava feel satisfae? Waswe, hem wei for studyim Bible and hipap long olketa Christian meeting, or hem wei for no duim eni Christian waka long olketa weekend? Waswe, mi iusim plande weekend for hapitaem winim wei for duim field ministry and olketa nara waka wea join witim klin worship?’ Wei for wakabaot followim faith hem minim iumi mas gohed for busy long Kingdom waka, and garem full trust long olketa promis bilong Jehovah.—1 Corinthians 15:58.
Gohed for Tingim Hao End Hem Klosap
11. Hao nao wei for wakabaot followim faith helpem iumi for gohed tingim hao end hem klosap?
11 Wei for wakabaot followim faith bae helpem iumi stap klia long kaen tingting for sei end hem farawe yet or for tingse hem bae nating kam. Iumi no olsem olketa wea tok daonem olketa Bible profesi, iumi luksavve hao olketa samting wea happen long world distaem hem barava olsem samting wea Bible talem. (2 Peter 3:3, 4) Olsem example, iumi savve hao olketa tingting and fasin bilong pipol hem barava showimaot hao iumi stap insaed “olketa last day.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) From iumi lukluk witim eye bilong faith, iumi lukim hao olketa samting wea happen distaem, olketa no just sem samting wea happen plande taem bifor. Bat, iumi lukim hao olketa part long wanfala “saen for markem taem wea [Christ] stap moa and taem bilong end bilong disfala world.”—Matthew 24:1-14.
12. Hao nao toktok bilong Jesus long Luke 21:20, 21 hem fulfill long bifor?
12 Tingim samting wea happen long taem bilong olketa aposol, and wea semsem tu witim taem bilong iumi. Taem Jesus Christ stap yet long earth, hem talem disfala warning long olketa follower bilong hem: “Taem iufala lukim olketa army camp raonem Jerusalem, then iufala mas savve end bilong hem klosap for kam nao. Then olketa long Judea mas start for ranawe go long olketa maunten, and olketa wea stap insaed mas go aot from hem.” (Luke 21:20, 21) Taem disfala profesi hem fulfill, olketa army bilong Rome wea stap anda long datfala komanda Cestius Gallus olketa raonem Jerusalem long 66 C.E. Bat gogo, olketa army hia seknomoa go bak, wea diswan nao saen for olketa Christian and hem chance for olketa ‘ranawe go long olketa maunten.’ Then long 70 C.E., olketa army bilong Rome kam bak and attakim Jerusalem and distroem temple. Josephus hem sei winim wan million Jew nao dae long datfala taem, and 97,000 olketa kamap prisoner. Jehovah finisim evribit evri samting saed long olketa Jew long datfala taem. Olketa wea wakabaot followim faith and lisin long warning bilong Jesus olketa stap sef.
13, 14. (a) Olketa wanem samting nao bae klosap for happen? (b) Why nao iumi shud gohed for luksavve long wei wea Bible profesi hem fulfill?
13 Samting wea lelebet semsem witim datwan bae klosap for happen distaem tu. Jehovah bae iusim samfala sekson wea part long United Nations for distroem false religion. Long sem wei wea olketa army bilong Rome bifor duim waka wea olketa kolem Pax Romana (Roman Peace), distaem, goal bilong United Nations hem for keepim peace. Nomata olketa army bilong Rome trae for mekem pipol evriwea long world stap sef long datfala taem, olketa nao distroem Jerusalem. Bible profesi showimaot hao distaem olketa member bilong United Nations wea garem army, bae ting long religion olsem wanfala danger samting and bae duim samting for distroem Jerusalem bilong distaem, wea hem nao olketa false Christian church, and distroem tu, olketa nara religion insaed Bigfala Babylon. (Revelation 17:12-17) Tru nao, olketa false religion evriwea long world klosap for finis nao.
14 Taem false religion hem distroe hem nao start bilong datfala big trabol. Long end bilong datfala big trabol, evri nara samting bilong disfala wicked world wea stap yet bae hem finis evribit. (Matthew 24:29, 30; Revelation 16:14, 16) Wei for wakabaot followim faith bae helpem iumi gohed for luksavve long wei wea olketa Bible profesi hem fulfill. No eniwan savve mekem iumi bilivim hao God bae iusim eni organization bilong man, olsem United Nations, for mekem trufala peace and sef living kamap. So living bilong iumi shud showimaot iumi barava bilivim hao “bigfala day bilong Jehovah hem klosap”!—Zephaniah 1:14.
Hem Danger Tumas for Wakabaot Followim Samting Iumi Lukim
15. Nomata olketa kasem blessing bilong God, wanem trap nao nation bilong Israel foldaon insaed?
15 Olketa samting wea kasem Israel bifor showimaot olketa danger wea kamap taem man letem wei for wakabaot followim samting hem lukim for mekem faith bilong hem kamap wik. Nomata olketa Israelite lukim tenfala trabol wea barava daonem olketa false god bilong Egypt and then olketa go thru long Red Sea, olketa no obey and wakem wanfala gold buluka and worshipim datwan. Olketa start for no patient and olketa taed for weitim Moses wea “hem longtaem tumas for kam daon from maunten.” (Exodus 32:1-4) Wei wea olketa no patient hem mekem olketa for worshipim wanfala idol wea olketa savve lukim witim eye bilong olketa. Wei wea olketa wakabaot followim samting olketa lukim hem mekem Jehovah barava feel nogud and hem killim dae “samting olsem thri thousand man.” (Exodus 32:25-29) Hem sorre samting taem wanfala worshiper bilong Jehovah disaedem samting long wei wea showimaot hem nating trustim Jehovah and nating bilivim hao Hem savve fulfillim olketa promis bilong hem!
16. Hao nao samting wea olketa lukim hem affectim olketa Israelite?
16 Wei wea olketa Israelite tingim nomoa samting olketa lukim hem spoelem olketa long olketa narafala wei tu. Wei for wakabaot followim samting olketa lukim hem mekem olketa fraetem olketa enemy bilong olketa. (Numbers 13:28, 32; Deuteronomy 1:28) From diswan olketa tok againstim position bilong Moses wea God givim hem and olketa komplen abaotem living bilong olketa. From olketa no showimaot faith olketa laek stap long Egypt, wea stap anda long paoa bilong olketa demon, winim wei for stap long datfala Promis Land. (Numbers 14:1-4; Psalm 106:24) Jehovah mas barava feel sorre tumas taem hem lukim wei wea olketa no respectim King bilong olketa wea olketa no savve lukim!
17. Wanem nao mekem olketa Israelite les long wei wea Jehovah leadim olketa long taem bilong Samuel?
17 Long taem bilong profet Samuel tu, nation bilong Israel hem foldaon long trap for wakabaot followim samting olketa lukim. Olketa start for laek garem wanfala king wea olketa savve lukim. Jehovah showimaot finis hao hem nao King bilong olketa, bat diswan no mekem olketa wakabaot followim faith. (1 Samuel 8:4-9) From olketa les long perfect wei wea Jehovah leadim olketa, and laek followim wei bilong olketa nation wea stap raonem olketa, olketa spoelem olketa seleva.—1 Samuel 8:19, 20.
18. Wanem nao iumi savve lanem abaotem danger for wakabaot followim samting wea man lukim?
18 Iumi olketa servant bilong Jehovah distaem barava tinghae long wei wea iumi fren gud witim God. Iumi laekem tumas for lane and followim samting wea iumi lanem from olketa samting wea happen bifor. (Romans 15:4) Taem olketa Israelite wakabaot followim samting wea olketa lukim, olketa forgetim wei wea God iusim Moses for leadim olketa. Sapos iumi no careful, iumi tu savve forgetim hao Jehovah God and Bigfala Moses, Jesus Christ, tufala nao leadim Christian kongregeson distaem. (Revelation 1:12-16) Iumi mas keakea nogud iumi garem physical tingting abaotem organization bilong Jehovah long earth. Sapos iumi duim datwan maet iumi garem fasin for komplen and no tinghae long olketa wea Jehovah markem for duim waka bilong hem and no tinghae long spiritual kaikai wea iumi kasem from “faithful and wise slave.”—Matthew 24:45.
Disaed Strong for Wakabaot Followim Faith
19, 20. Wanem nao iu disaed strong for duim, and why nao olsem?
19 Bible hem sei: “Iumi garem wanfala faet, no againstim blood and body, bat againstim olketa gavman, againstim olketa wea garem paoa, againstim olketa world ruler bilong disfala darkness, againstim olketa wicked spirit long ples bilong olketa.” (Ephesians 6:12) Main enemy bilong iumi nao hem Satan. Goal bilong hem, hem for distroem evribit faith bilong iumi long Jehovah. Hem bae iusim eni wei for stopem iumi for servem God. (1 Peter 5:8) Wanem nao bae protectim iumi from wei for letem olketa samting iumi lukim long world bilong Satan for laea long iumi? Iumi mas wakabaot followim faith and no samting iumi lukim! Wei for trustim and barava bilivim olketa promis bilong Jehovah bae protectim iumi from wei for “shiprek saed long faith.” (1 Timothy 1:19) Dastawe, iumi evriwan mas disaed strong for gohed wakabaot followim faith, and barava trustim hao Jehovah bae blessim iumi. And iumi mas gohed for prea mekem iumi savve missim evri samting wea klosap for happen long future.—Luke 21:36.
20 Iumi garem wanfala nambawan Example wea savve helpem iumi gohed for wakabaot followim faith, and no samting wea iumi lukim. Bible hem sei: “Christ hem safa for iufala, and leavim wanfala example for iufala followim long klos wei.” (1 Peter 2:21) Next article bae showim long iumi hao for gohed wakabaot long sem wei wea hem wakabaot.
Waswe, Iu Remember?
• Wanem nao iu lanem from example bilong Moses and Esau abaotem wei for wakabaot followim faith and no followim samting iu savve lukim?
• Wanem nao wanfala main samting wea bae helpem iumi for no foldaon long wei for lovem olketa material samting?
• Hao nao wei for wakabaot followim faith hem helpem iumi for no tingse end hem farawe yet?
• Why nao wei for wakabaot followim samting iumi lukim hem danger tumas?
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Moses wakabaot followim faith
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Waswe, plande taem hapitaem mekem iu no duim theocratic waka?
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Hao nao wei for followim Bible hem protectim iu?