Ileta Evela KwiQumrhu Elilawulayo
“UTHIXO uluthando.” (1 Yoh. 4:16) Ewe, uYehova uluthando lumntwisiwe. Hayi indlela ekuvuyisa ngayo ukuphila kweli xesha xa uThixo elubonisa ngeendlela ezininzi uthando lwakhe nobungqina bokuba injongo kaYehova yothando sele iza kuzaliseka kungekho bani unokuyithintela!
Njengabantu bakaThixo, sinelungelo lokuba ngamangqina Osenyangweni. (Isa. 43:10-12) UYehova wathi ngabantu bakhe bamandulo: “Ngenxa yokuba uxabisekile yaye ubekekile emehlweni am, mna ke ndikuthandile.” (Isa. 43:4) La mazwi akwabhekiselwa kuSirayeli wokomoya namhlanje. Ngapha koko, uYehova uyabathanda bonke abo besihlwele esikhulu, abanethemba lokuphila ngonaphakade kwiparadesi esemhlabeni. Khawufan’ ucinge! UYehova uthi: “Mna ke ndikuthandile.” Engqondweni yakho, ngaba uyamva uYehova esitsho kuwe?
Nangona sirhanqwe ngabaninzi ‘abanothando olupholileyo’ ehlabathini yaye oku kungasidimaza, hayi indlela ekukhuthaza ngayo ukwazi ukuba uYehova uyasithanda! (Mat. 24:12) NjengamaNgqina kaYehova, sikwangamangqina othando lwakhe olukhulu kuba siyalubona uthando lwakhe kubomi bethu bemihla ngemihla. Kuba uYehova esithanda, uyawusikelela umsebenzi wokushumayela iindaba ezilungileyo njengabantu ngabanye nanjengeqela. Kutshanje iQumrhu Elilawulayo liye lazinciphisa iiyure ezifunekayo ngenyanga koovulindlela abathe ngxi zaya kuma-70, koovulindlela abangabancedani zaya kuma-50. Oku kuye kwabangela ukuba inani loovulindlela lande. Ebudeni bonyaka wenkonzo odluleyo, ngokomlinganiselo, amaNgqina angama-738 343 ebengoovulindlela abakhethekileyo, abathe ngxi okanye abangabancedani. Eli nani xa lilonke liye labonisa ulwando lwe-5,7 ekhulwini ngaphezu komlinganiselo wonyaka owandulelayo. Ngenxa yokushumayela ngenzondelelo nangentsikelelo kaYehova, veki nganye, ngokomlinganiselo, kuye kwasekwa amabandla amatsha angama-45. Mpela-veki nganye kubhaptizwa abathile ehlabathini lonke. Ebudeni bonyaka odluleyo, veki nganye, ngokomlinganiselo abangama-6 220 bebebhaptizwa befuzisela uzahlulelo lwabo nothando lwabo ngoYehova. Abantu abashumayela iindaba ezilungileyo ngoku bafikelele kwincopho yama-5 912 492.—Mat. 24:14.
Ukucamgca ngothando lukaThixo kubangela ukuba uthando lwethu ngoYehova lukhule. Sinokubonisa uthando esinalo ngaye ngokufunda iBhayibhile okanye siphulaphule iikhasethi zeBhayibhile suku ngalunye. Ngokufuthi sizipha ixesha ngento esiyithandayo. Ukuba siyamthanda uYehova, siya kwenza umgudu onyanisekileyo wokuhlengahlengisa izinto ukuze sibe nexesha lokufunda inxalenye yeBhayibhile. Kwangaxeshanye, ukucamngca ngoko sikufundayo kuya kubangela uthando esinalo ngoYehova lukhule. Uthando nolwazi oluchanileyo ngumtya nethunga. Kulungile ukuba siphuphume kuzo zombini yaye singatyesheli nanye. EyabaseFilipi 1:9 ithi: “Yaye ndiqhubeka ndithandazela ukuba uthando lwenu luphuphume ngakumbi nangakumbi lulwazi oluchanileyo nokuqonda okupheleleyo.”—Bona INdumiso 119:97.
Asithandi Yehova kuphela kodwa bonke abazalwana abasehlabathini. ‘Sinothando ngabazalwana bonke.’ (1 Pet. 2:17) Ekuqaleni konyaka wenkonzo, abaninzi kuni baye banandipha ubudlelane obunothando neendwendwe ezize kwiindibano zezizwe ngezizwe. Abanye baye bakhuthazwa bubudlelane kwiindibano zezithili.
Ukutyhubela unyaka odluleyo, amashumi amawaka abazalwana baye bajamelana nobunzima ngenxa yeemfazwe zamakhaya neentlekele. Kwenziwa amaphulo okunceda ukuze kuncedwe abo baxhwalekileyo. Kwiimeko ezininzi kwakuncedwa nabo bangabamelwane abangengawo amaNgqina. Oku kuyinxalenye yokubonakalisa uthando kubantu abasehlabathini. NjengamaKristu, ‘siyamthanda ummelwane wethu.’ (Mat. 22:39) Noko ke, sifanele sikhumbule ukuba eyona mbopheleleko yethu ingundoqo kukuba nesabelo kumsebenzi osindisa ubomi wokushumayela nokufundisa—umsebenzi obaluleke kakhulu kunomsebenzi wentlalo-ntle yabantu.—Mat. 28:19, 20.
Ukuphila kwihlabathi apho ugonyamelo nokuzonwabisa ngokuziphatha okubi nokufuna ubutyebi kuye kusanda, sifanele siqinise uthando lwethu ngoYehova ukuze sikwazi ukuxhathisa xa sihendwa leli hlabathi. (1 Yoh. 2:15) Ukuya rhoqo ezintlanganisweni kuya kusinceda kule nkalo. Umdumisi uDavide ‘wayeyithanda indawo yokuhlala yendlu kaThixo’ yaye wayenqwenela ukubonga uYehova “phakathi kweendimbane ezihlanganiseneyo.”—INdu. 26:8, 12.
Ukuqinisa uthando esinalo ngoYehova kuyasomeleza ukuze siqine xa sijamelene nentshutshiso. Ngokufanayo, kuyasomeleza ukwazi ukuba akukho ndalo eya “kuba nako ukusahlula eluthandweni lukaThixo olukuye uKristu Yesu iNkosi yethu.”—Roma 8:39.
Siyakuvuyela ukunazisa ukuba ukususela ngo-Oktobha 1999, abazalwana abane abangabathanjiswa baye banyulwa ukuba bakhonze nathi kwiQumrhu Elilawulayo. Oku kwaziswa kwintlanganiso yonyaka. Ngokomlinganiselo aba bazalwana basandul’ ukunyulwa baneminyaka engama-57 ubudala, yaye ngokomlinganiselo baneminyaka engama-31 bekwinkonzo yexesha elizeleyo. Amagama abo nguSamuel F. Herd, uM. Stephen Lett, uGuy H. Pierce noDavid H. Splane.
Enoba sele ukhulile ngeminyaka, iimini zisakuvumela, usemtsha, okanye ungumntwana, qiniseka ukuba iQumrhu Elilawulayo liyakuthanda kakhulu.—1 Yoh. 3:23; 2 Yoh. 1.
“Ngamana kungandiswa kuni inceba noxolo nothando” njengoko ‘nizigcine kuthando lukaThixo.’—Yude 2, 21.
Abazalwana benu,
IQumrhu Elilawulayo LamaNgqina KaYehova