“Trainim Iuseleva”
MOA fast, moa hae, moa strong! Hem nao olketa goal wea olketa sportsman long Greece and Rome bifor trae hard for kasem. For planti handred year, long Olympia, Delphi, and Nemea and long datfala Isthmus bilong Corinth, olketa garem olketa spesol hipap for sports wea olketa god “appruvim” and wea staka pipol kam for lukim. Spesol chance for tekpart long olketa game hia kamaot from wei wea man waka hard for planti year. Wei for win bae mekem olketa and homtaon bilong olketa kasem glory.
From olketa stap long datfala taem, iumi no sapraes hao olketa wea raetem Olketa Christian Greek Scripture markem disfala spiritual resis bilong olketa Christian witim olketa hipap for sports. Aposol Peter and Paul iusim olketa tokpiksa abaotem olketa game for teachim olketa important point. Long taem bilong iumi, disfala sem hardfala Christian resis hem go ahed. Olketa Christian long first-century mas deal witim system bilong olketa Jew long datfala taem; iumi distaem mas deal witim world wea klosap for distroe. (2 Timothy 2:5; 3:1-5) Maet samfala feel olsem “resis bilong faith” bilong olketa hem hard tumas and mekem olketa barava taed. (1 Timothy 6:12, The New English Bible) Bae hem helpem iumi for markem olketa samting wea olketa sportsman duim witim disfala Christian resis insaed Bible.
Wanfala Nambawan Man for Givim Training
Wei wea wanfala sportsman bae win or nomoa hem depend long man wea givim training. Abaotem olketa game bilong bifor, Archaeologia Graeca hem sei: “Olketa wea laek for tekpart mas givim promis hao olketa bin exercise for tenfala month finis.” Olketa Christian tu need for barava train gud. Paul advaesem Timothy, wanfala Christian elder olsem: “Trainim iuseleva witim fasin for lovem God olsem goal bilong iu.” (1 Timothy 4:7) Hu nao wan wea trainim wanfala Christian “sportsman”? Jehovah God seleva! Aposol Peter hem raet: “God bilong evri kaeness wea man no fit for kasem . . . bae hemseleva finisim training bilong iu, hem bae mekem iu stedy, hem bae mekem iu strong.”—1 Peter 5:10.
Olsem Theological Lexicon of the New Testament hem talem, datfala toktok ‘bae finisim training bilong iu’ hem kam from wanfala Greek verb wea minim, “for mekem samting [or samwan] fit for purpose bilong hem, redyim and changem datwan for duim samting.” Olsem tu, Liddell and Scotts Greek-English Lexicon talem hao narafala mining for diswan hem “redyim, trainim, or barava mekem hem fitim.” Long olketa wanem wei nao Jehovah hem ‘redyim, trainim, or barava mekem iumi fit’ for disfala hardfala Christian resis? For minim gud, iumi bae lukluk long samfala teknik bilong olketa man wea givim training.
Datfala buk The Olympic Games in Ancient Greece hem sei: “Olketa wea trainim olketa young wan iusim tufala main wei. First wan, hem for encouragem datfala student for duim best bilong hem mekem hem savve kasem best samting, and mek-tu, hem for mekem teknik bilong hem kamap moabeta.”
Long sem wei, Jehovah encouragem and strongim iumi for duim best bilong iumi and for kamap moabeta long savve bilong iumi for servem hem. God bilong iumi hem strongim iumi thru long Bible, organization bilong hem long earth, and olketa mature Christian. Samfala taem hem trainim iumi thru long discipline. (Hebrews 12:6) Long olketa narataem, maet hem letem olketa hevi and test for kasem iumi for iumi savve mekem grow fasin for stand strong. (James 1:2-4) And hem provaedem strong wea iumi needim. Profet Isaiah hem raet: “Olketa wea hope long Jehovah bae kasem paoa moa. Olketa bae kasem strong olsem olketa garem wing bilong eagle. Olketa bae ran and no kamap taed; olketa bae wakabaot and no wikdaon.”—Isaiah 40:31.
Winim evri samting hia, God no hol bak for givim iumi holy spirit bilong hem, wea strongim iumi for go ahed for givim worship wea hem acceptim. (Luke 11:13) Planti taem, olketa servant bilong God deal witim olketa test bilong faith wea hard and wea no kwiktaem for finis. Olketa hia, olketa man and woman olsem iumi. Bat wei wea olketa barava depend long God hem helpem olketa for stand strong. Tru nao, ‘paoa wea winim wanem olketa garem hem bilong God and no bilong olketa seleva.’—2 Corinthians 4:7.
Man for Givim Training wea Minim Iumi
Wanfala savveman talem hao wanfala waka bilong olketa man for givim training bifor hem for “disaedem wanem kaen and haomas exercise nao each sportsman bae needim for wankaen sport.” Taem God trainim iumi, hem tingim living, savve, and fasin bilong iumi wanwan, and wanem iumi no savve duim. Planti taem, insaed training wea Jehovah givim long iumi, iumi barava ask strong olsem Job: “Remember, plis, hao iu wakem mi from clay.” (Job 10:9) Hao nao God wea trainim iumi and wea minim iumi hem ansa? David hem raet olsem abaotem Jehovah: “Hem savve gud hao hem wakem iumi, hem tingim hao iumi dust.”—Psalm 103:14.
Maet iu garem serious health problem wea stopem iu for duim planti samting long ministry, or maet iu stragol witim feeling for no respectim iuseleva. Maet iu trae hard for winim wanfala nogud wei bilong iu, or maet iu feel olsem iu no fit for feisim hevi wea kam from olketa wea sem age long vilij, ples for waka, or long skul. Nomata wanem samting iu stragol witim, no forgetim hao Jehovah hem minim olketa problem bilong iu winim eni nara man—winim iu tu! Olsem wanfala man for givim training wea kea, hem stap olowe for helpem iu sapos iu kam klosap long hem.—James 4:8.
Olketa man for givim training bifor “luksavve sapos man hem taed no from exercise wea hem duim, bat from olketa samting saed long feeling, olsem wei for no feel hapi or for feel sorre . . . Paoa wea man for givim training hem garem mekem hem savve lukluk long living bilong sportsman and disaedem eni samting for datfala sportsman sapos hem tingse hem fitim for hem duim.”
Waswe, enitaem iu feel wiki or taed from olketa hevi and temptation bilong disfala world? From hem nao datwan wea trainim iu, Jehovah hem barava interest long iu. (1 Peter 5:7) Hem kwiktaem for luksavve long eni saen bilong wei for wikdaon or taed long spiritual wei. Nomata Jehovah respectim free will bilong iumi and freedom wea iumi garem for disaed seleva, hem provaedem bigfala help and kaonsel taem iumi needim datwan, from hem interest long future bilong iumi for olowe. (Isaiah 30:21) Hao nao hem duim? Thru long Bible and olketa Bible pablikeson, olketa spiritual elder long kongregeson, and olketa loving brata bilong iumi.
‘Kontrolem Seleva Long Evri Samting’
Hem tru, for win, man needim moa samting winim wanfala gudfala man for givim training nomoa. Planti samting hem depend long datfala sportsman and long wei wea hem willing for followim datfala hardfala training. Datfala training hem barava strict, from part bilong datfala training hem for no duim olketa samting olsem sex, drinkim alcohol and for no kaikai tumas. Horace, man for raetem poetry long first century B.C.E., talem hao olketa sportsman “stap klia long olketa woman and wine” for “kasem goal wea olketa barava trae hard for hem.” And olsem Bible savveman F. C. Cook hem talem, olketa wea tekpart long olketa game mas “kontrolem seleva and careful long kaikai . . . for tenfala month.”
Paul iusim diswan olsem example taem hem raet go long olketa Christian long Corinth, wanfala taon wea savve gud long olketa Isthmian Game wea klosap long there: “Evri man wea tekpart long wanfala resis hem kontrolem hemseleva long evri samting.” (1 Corinthians 9:25) Olketa trufala Christian stap klia long living bilong world wea aftarem material samting, dirty fasin, and samting wea no klin. (Ephesians 5:3-5; 1 John 2:15-17) Olketa mas aotem olketa fasin wea no followim God and Bible and changem witim olketa fasin wea followim Christ.—Colossians 3:9, 10, 12.
Hao nao olketa savve duim diswan? Paul iusim wanfala strongfala tokpiksa for ansa: “Mi whipim body bilong mi and leadim olsem wanfala slave, from nogud bihaen mi preach long narafala pipol, miseleva nao duim samting wea mekem God no appruvim mi.”—1 Corinthians 9:27.
Paul talem wanfala strongfala point hia! Hem no minim man mas mekem hemseleva kasem pain. Bat, hem talemaot hao hemseleva garem olketa faet wea go ahed insaed long hem. Samfala taem, hem duim samting wea hem no want for duim and hem no duim samting wea hem laek for duim. Bat hem faet hard for nating letem olketa wik point bilong hem bossim hem. Hem ‘whipim body bilong hem,’ long wei wea hem faet hard for kontrolem olketa samting wea body wantem and fasin bilong hem.—Romans 7:21-25.
Evri Christian need for duim sem samting. Paul storyim samfala long Corinth wea bifor olketa duim fornication, worshipim idol, homosexual fasin, fasin for steal, and olketa samting olsem, bat wea mekem olketa change. Wanem nao helpem olketa for change? Paoa bilong Word bilong God and holy spirit witim wei for disaed strong for followim datwan. “Bat iufala kamap klin,” Paul hem sei, “bat iufala kamap holy, bat olketa kolem iufala raeteous long nem bilong Lord bilong iumi Jesus Christ and witim spirit bilong God bilong iumi.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Peter talem sem samting abaotem olketa wea lusim olketa badfala fasin olsem. From olketa Christian, evriwan mekem finis olketa bigfala change.—1 Peter 4:3, 4.
No Waka Hard Nating
Paul showimaot hao hem tingim nomoa for kasem goal wea hem aftarem taem hem sei: “Wei wea mi hit hem no for hitim air nating.” (1 Corinthians 9:26) Hao nao wanfala man for faet long olketa game bae hitim man? Datfala buk The Life of the Greeks and Romans hem ansa olsem: “Hem no strong wea kamaot from kros nomoa wea man hem needim, bat hem mas lukluk gud long wea nao olketa wik point bilong man wea hem faetem. Nara samting wea helpem hem tu hem samfala teknik for hitim man wea hem lanem long skul for faet, and wei for kwiktaem trikim man wea hem faetem.”
Wanfala enemy bilong iumi nao hem wei for no perfect. Waswe, iumi savve long olketa “wik point” bilong iumiseleva? Waswe, iumi willing for lukim iumiseleva olsem hao olketa narawan lukim iumi—especially olsem hao Satan maet lukim iumi? Diswan needim iumi for lukluk gud long iumiseleva long honest wei and willing for mekem samfala change. Hem isi tumas for man giamanim hemseleva. (James 1:22) Hem isi nomoa for mekem olketa excuse for why iumi duim samting wea no wise! (1 Samuel 15:13-15, 20, 21) Datwan hem olsem iumi “hitim air.”
Long olketa last day hia, olketa wea laek for mekem Jehovah hapi and kasem laef shud no hol bak for chusim stret samting or rong samting, kongregeson bilong God or disfala nogud world. Olketa mas stap klia long wei for no savve disaed, ‘no sure, no stedy long evri wei bilong olketa.’ (James 1:8) Olketa shud no weistem strong bilong olketa for aftarem olketa iusles samting. Taem wanfala man hem followim disfala wei for tingim nomoa goal bilong hem, hem bae hapi and ‘wei wea hem muv ahed bae showaot klia long evriwan.’—1 Timothy 4:15.
Tru nao, disfala Christian resis hem go ahed. Long loving wei, Jehovah—Nambawan Man for Givim Training long iumi—provaedem olketa instruction and help wea iumi needim for stand strong and win. (Isaiah 48:17) Olsem olketa sportsman long taem bifor, iumi need for mekem grow fasin for bossim seleva, kontrolem seleva, and fasin for tingim nomoa goal, long disfala faet bilong iumi for keepim strongfala faith. Wei wea iumi trae hard for kasem goal bae kasem bigfala reward.—Hebrews 11:6.
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‘Oilim Hem Witim Oil’
Datfala man for pressim body nao help long training wea olketa sportsman long Greece bifor kasem. Waka bilong hem nao for pressim body bilong olketa sportsman witim oil bifor olketa duim exercise. The Olympic Games in Ancient Greece talem hao olketa man for givim training “lukim hao wei for pressim olketa masol bifor long training hem barava help, and tu, hao wei for isisi pressim olketa masol bihaen man hem duim bigfala training helpem hem for relax and kasem bak strong bilong hem.”
Olsem wei for rabem oil long body savve mekem man kasem bak strong, wei for iusim Word bilong God for helpem wanfala Christian “sportsman” wea taed savve stretem, comfortim, and healim hem. So, anda long direction from Jehovah, olketa elder long kongregeson kasem encouragement for prea for kaen man olsem, and long tokpiksa wei, “oilim hem witim oil long nem bilong Jehovah,” wanfala important samting for kasem bak spiritual strong.—James 5:13-15; Psalm 141:5.
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Bihaen olketa duim wanfala sakrifaes, olketa sportsman promis hao olketa duim training for tenfala month finis
[Credit Line]
Musée du Louvre, Paris
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Copyright British Museum