1. Wetin all of us must do?

YOU go like to run for race wey you know say e dey hard, especially if you de sick or you tire? You fit no want run. But, apostle Paul talk say all true Christian de run one race. (Heb. 12:1) And whether we young or we old, whether we get power or we don tire, all of us must endure reach the end if we want receive the prize wey Jehovah go give us.​—Matt. 24:13.

2. As e dey for 2 Timothy 4:7, 8, why Paul fit give the advice about race?

² Paul fit give this advice about race because e don “run the race reach the end.” (Read 2 Timothy 4:7, 8.) But, wetin be the race wey Paul talk about?

3. Wetin be the race wey Paul talk about?

³ Sometimes, Paul de use things wey people de do for olden days games for Greece to teach important lesson. (1 Cor. 9:25-27; 2 Tim. 2:5) For different-different time, e talk say the life wey Christian de live be like race wey person de run. (1 Cor. 9:24; Gal. 2:2; Phil. 2:16) Person de start to run this “race” when e promise to use e life serve Jehovah and baptize. (1 Pet. 3:21) The person don reach the end of the race when e receive the prize of everlasting life from Jehovah.​—Matt. 25:31-34, 46; 2 Tim. 4:8.

4. Wetin we go talk about for this topic?

⁴ The race wey people de run with leg and the life wey Christian de live resemble each other. Wetin make them resemble? Different-different things make them resemble. Make we talk about three of this things. Number one, we need to run for the correct road. Number two, we must put our mind for the race to finish-am. And number three, we need to endure for the race even when we de face problem.

5. Which road or life we need to follow, and why?

⁵ If people de run race and they want win the prize, they must follow the road wey they arrange for them. For the same way, if we want receive everlasting life as prize, we must live our life for the way God want make Christian de live. (Acts 20:24; 1 Pet. 2:21) But, Satan and the people wey de follow e example want make we no live Christian life. They want make we de follow them live the kind life wey them de live. (1 Pet. 4:4) Them de laugh us for the kind life wey we de live. They claim say na the way wey them de live their life better pass, and e de make person dey happy. But this things wey they talk no correct.​—2 Pet. 2:19.

6. Wetin you learn from the example of Brian?

⁶ If any person de live e life the way people for this world wey Satan de control de live their life, small time, the person go see say that kind life no de make person dey free. Instead, the life de make person be slave. (Rom. 6:16) Make we see the example of Brian. E papa and mama encourage-am make e de live Christian life. But before e reach 20 years, e begin doubt whether e go glad if e live that kind life. So Brian decide say e go live e life the way people for this wicked world de live. Brian talk say: “I no know say the freedom wey I want go make me be slave to bad things.” E still talk say: “As time de go, I begin take hard drugs and too much alcohol and de put hand for dirty things about sex. And after some years, I begin take drugs wey hard pass the ones wey I de take before and I come be slave to many of them. . . . I start to sell drugs to support the kind life wey I de live.” But as time de go, Brian decide say e go de follow the laws for Bible. Brian change the way e de live e life and baptize for 2001. Now, e really dey happy say e de live Christian life. *

7. According to Matthew 7:13, 14, which two road dey our front?

⁷ E really dey important for us to choose the correct road wey we go follow! We dey the tight road wey Bible talk say people go pass-am go everlasting life. But Satan no want make any of us continue to run the race for this road. Instead, e want make we follow the wide road wey plenty people for this world de follow. People really sabi that road and e dey easy to follow the road. But Bible talk say people for this road de go die. (Read Matthew 7:13, 14.) If we want  continue for the correct road and we no want make anybody deceive us, we must trust Jehovah and listen to wetin e de talk.

8. If person de run race and e fall, wetin e de do?

⁸ When people de run long race, they no de comot their eye from the road for their front so that they no go fall. But, by mistake another person for the race fit fall them or they fit put leg for hole. If they fall, they go get up again and continue to run. The main thing wey them de put for their mind no be wetin make them fall, but na to run the race reach the end and win the prize.

9. If we fall for the race, wetin we suppose to do?

⁹ For the race wey we de run as Christians we fit fall plenty times, or make mistake for the things wey we de talk and do. Or other people for the race fit make mistake and we go feel the pain. If e happen like that, make that one no surprise us. They born all of us with sin, and all of us de run for the same tight road to life. So sometimes, we fit do something wey our brothers and sisters no like. Paul talk say sometimes we fit “get reason to complain about another person.” (Col. 3:13) But instead of us to put our mind for wetin make us fall, make our mind dey for the prize wey we go get for front. If e happen say we fall, make we decide to get up and continue to run. But if we begin vex and put wetin our brothers do us for mind and we no get up, we no go reach the end of the race and we no go get the prize. Apart from that one, we fit make other people for the race to fall, or stop to serve Jehovah with joy.

10. How we go behave so that we no go fall other people?

¹⁰ As we de run the race, when e dey possible, make we allow our brothers and sisters to choose the things wey they want, instead of us to choose for them the things wey we want. This one na another way wey we fit make them no fall, or sin. (Rom. 14:13, 19-21; 1 Cor. 8:9, 13) This one dey important. For this one, we no de do wetin people de do for race. They no want make other people for the race win, and each of  them de struggle so that e go be the only person to get the prize. As this people de run, each person de think only about e self. So they fit try to push other people go corner so that they fit dey for front. But no be so we de do. We no dey for competition. (Gal. 5:26; 6:4) The thing wey we de think about na how to help plenty people run the race reach the end with us and get everlasting life as prize. So we go try follow the thing wey Paul talk for Bible say we “no just de look for wetin go benefit only [ourself], but wetin go benefit other people.”​—Phil. 2:4.

11. As person de run race, wetin e de put for e mind, and why?

¹¹ As people de run race, they no de only look the road for front; they still de put their mind for the end of the race. Even if they no fit see the finish line for the end of the race, they fit imagine say them de cross-am and de collect the prize. As them de put their mind for the prize, e de push them to continue the race.

12. Wetin Jehovah say e go give us?

¹² For the race wey we de run, Jehovah don make-am dey sure say e go give us prize when we complete the race. This prize go be everlasting life for heaven or for paradise for this earth. Bible talk about this blessing so that we fit de think about the way life go sweet. The more we de think about the hope wey we get, the more we go try our best to endure anything till the end of the race.

13. Wetin we get wey runners for race no get?

¹³ When people de run for competition for Greece, e get things wey them de face. For example, they fit tire and de feel pain. But the only thing wey they get to help them na the training wey they receive and their own power. For the same way, we don receive training about how to run the race wey we de run. But e get wetin make our own better pass runners for race. We fit get power from Jehovah, and power from Jehovah no de finish. If we trust Jehovah, e no only promise say e go train us, but e go still make us strong!​—1 Pet. 5:10.

14. How 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10 fit help us face problems?

¹⁴ Paul face plenty things. Apart say people insult and suffer Paul, e still feel weak sometimes and e endure the thing wey e call “chuku-chuku for body.” (2 Cor. 12:7) But Paul no stop to serve Jehovah because of the things wey e face. Instead, e see-am as opportunity to trust Jehovah. (Read 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10.) Because of this way wey Paul de think, Jehovah help Paul to face all e problems.

15. If we copy Paul, wetin go happen to us?

¹⁵ Like Paul, people fit still insult or suffer us because of our faith. E fit still be say we de sick or we don tire. But if we copy Paul, we go see each problem as chance for Jehovah to show us love and support us.

16. Even if you de sick, wetin you fit do?

¹⁶ Na ontop bed you dey or you dey for wheelchair? Your knees don weak or you no fit de see well again with your eye? If na so, you think say you fit still run the race with young and strong people? Yes, you fit run! Plenty old and sick people de run for the road to life. No be their own power them de use do this work. Instead, them de get power from Jehovah as them de use telephone to listen to our meeting, or de watch-am for video. And them de preach to doctors, nurses, and their family people.

17. How Jehovah de feel about sick people?

¹⁷ If you no fit do everything wey you  want do for Jehovah, make you no allow that one make you tire and think say you no fit endure reach the end of this wicked world. Jehovah love you because of the faith wey you get and for all the things wey you don de do for e service. You need Jehovah to help you now pass any other time, and e no go leave you. (Ps. 9:10) Instead, God go even near you more. Hear the thing wey one sister talk. This sister de sick. E talk say: “As my sickness de plenty more-more, I see say the chance wey I get to always preach de go down. But I know say even the small one wey I fit do de make Jehovah glad, and this one de make me happy.” When condition make you tire, remember say no be only you dey. Think of the example of Paul, and make you remember this fine thing wey e talk, say: “I de enjoy-am when I dey weak, . . . because when I dey weak, na that time I de get power.”​—2 Cor. 12:10.

18. Which kind serious problem some people de face?

¹⁸ Some brothers and sisters for the race to life de face another problem. Them de face problems wey other people no fit see and wey people fit no understand. For example, them de always dey sad or de over worry. Why the problem wey this dear servants of Jehovah de face really dey serious? Na because when person break e hand or e de use wheelchair de waka, everybody fit see the problem and they fit want help the person. But, people wey the kind problem wey them de face de only affect their mind or the way them de feel, e de hard for person to see any sign to show say them de really suffer. But their condition still dey serious like person wey e hand or leg break. The thing na say, because people no de see the thing wey them de suffer for inside, they fit no show them the love and care wey they need.

19. Wetin we learn from the example of Mephibosheth?

¹⁹ If you no de fit do things wey you de do before and you feel say people no de understand you, the example of Mephibosheth go fit encourage you. (2 Sam. 4:4) Mephibosheth na cripple, and e no get the correct judgment from King David. No be e fault say e de face this things. Even with that one, e no vex. Instead, e enjoy the good things wey e see for e life. Mephibosheth dey happy for the good wey David show-am sometime ago. (2 Sam. 9:6-10) So when David judge Mephibosheth for wrong way, Mephibosheth try to understand the whole situation. E no begin vex because of the mistake wey David make. And e no blame Jehovah for wetin David  do. Mephibosheth put e mind for the thing wey e fit do to support the person wey Jehovah don choose as king. (2 Sam. 16:1-4; 19:24-30) Jehovah arrange make this fine example of Mephibosheth dey for Bible so that we go fit learn from the example.​—Rom. 15:4.

20. How over worry-worry fit affect some people, but wetin they fit dey sure of?

²⁰ Over worry-worry na sickness wey some brothers and sisters de face. This one de make them de over fear and shame even for normal everyday situation. E fit hard them to dey among plenty people, but they never stop to go meeting, assembly, and convention. They no de fit talk with strangers, but them de talk to people for field service. If you de face this kind condition, make you know say no be only you dey. Plenty people de feel the way you de feel. Remember say Jehovah dey happy for things wey you de do with all your heart for e service. As you still de serve Jehovah, this one show say e de bless you and de give you the power wey you need. * (Phil. 4:6, 7; 1 Pet. 5:7) If you still de serve Jehovah even with everything wey you de suffer, you fit dey sure say you de make Jehovah glad.

21. Wetin Jehovah go help all of us to do?

²¹ We dey happy say the race wey people de run with leg and the one wey Paul talk about dey different small. For the race wey people de run for Bible time, na only one person de win the prize. But no be so e be for the race wey Christians de run. For the race wey we de run, when anybody live e life well as Christian and e endure go reach the end, e go get everlasting life as prize. (John 3:16) And for the race wey people de run with leg, all the runners go need to get strong body if they want win the race. But many of us de sick, and even with that one we de endure. (2 Cor. 4:16) Jehovah go help all of us run the race go reach the end!