1-3. (a) Wanem nao maet tingting bilong iumi abaotem samting wea iumi duim or no duim long bifor? (b) Wanem nao iumi savve lanem from example bilong aposol Paul?

MAN for raetem poem, John Whittier, sei hem barava sorre samting taem pipol luksavve sapos olketa mekem difren disison long bifor bae laef bilong olketa hem moabeta distaem. Iumi evriwan savve ting go bak long samting wea iumi duim wea iumi sorre long hem. Bat samfala tingim olowe and sorre long samfala samting wea olketa duim or no duim long bifor. Waswe, iu tu kasem kaen feeling olsem?

² Samfala pipol duim bigfala mistek or bigfala sin. Olketa narawan no duim nogud samting, bat olketa no sure sapos wanem olketa disaedem hem best samting or nomoa. Samfala pipol savve forgetim wanem hem happen long bifor. Bat olketa narawan gohed for feel nogud long disison bilong olketa and sei, ‘Mi wish mi no duim datwan!’ (Ps. 51:3) Waswe long iu? Waswe, iu laek for traem best bilong iu for worshipim God and no tingim olowe olketa mistek wea iu duim bifor? Waswe, Bible storyim example bilong eniwan wea duim datwan? Yes, aposol Paul nao duim datwan.

³ Paul duim samfala big mistek and hem mekem samfala wise disison tu. Hem barava sorre long olketa mistek wea hem duim, bat hem lane tu for traem best bilong hem long waka bilong God. Long disfala study bae iumi lane from example bilong hem.

4. Wanem nao aposol Paul duim wea hem sorre long hem bihaen?

⁴ Taem Paul hem young, nem bilong hem Saul and hem wanfala Pharisee. Hem duim samfala samting wea hem sorre long hem bihaen. Olsem example, hem barava persecutim olketa disaepol bilong Christ. Bible  sei bihaen olketa killim dae Stephen, Saul “barava spoelem olketa disaepol. Hem go insaed olketa haos and hem kasholem olketa man and woman for putim olketa long prison.” (Acts 8:3) Wanfala savveman, Albert Barnes, sei datfala toktok “barava spoelem” hem minim Saul attakim olketa Christian “olsem wanfala wild animal.” Saul hem strong long religion bilong olketa Jew and hem tingse God laekem hem for finisim olketa Christian. So hem barava persecutim olketa Christian and sei hem bae killim dae “olketa man and woman.”—Acts 9:1, 2; 22:4. *

5. Wanem nao mekem Saul finis for persecutim olketa disaepol bilong Jesus and start for preach abaotem Christ?

⁵ Plan bilong Saul hem for go long Damascus, aotem olketa Christian from haos bilong olketa, and tekem olketa go long Jerusalem for hae kot bilong olketa Jew panisim olketa. Bat Jesus, wea hem hed bilong kongregeson, no letem hem for duim datwan. (Eph. 5:23) Taem Saul gogo for Damascus, Jesus kam long hem and wanfala laet from heven mekem Saul hem blind. Then Jesus talem hem for go long Damascus and weit long there. Iumi savve wanem nao happen long Saul bihaen datwan.—Acts 9:3-22.

6, 7. Wanem nao showimaot Paul luksavve hem duim olketa bigfala mistek bifor?

⁶ Long semtaem wea Paul luksavve samting hem duim hem no stret, hem finis for persecutim olketa disaepol bilong Christ and start for preach abaotem hem. Nomata olsem, hem no forgetim samting wea hem duim bifor. Hem sei: “Iufala herem finis samting mi duim taem mi followim religion bilong olketa Jew bifor. Mi barava spoelem kongregeson bilong God and trae for finisim datwan.” (Gal. 1:13) Taem hem raet for olketa long Corinth, Philippi, and long Timothy, hem story moa abaotem samting wea hem duim bifor. (Readim 1 Corinth 15:9; Phil. 3:6; 1 Tim. 1:13) Nomata Paul feel shame long samting wea hem duim bifor, hem no trae for haedem datwan. Hem luksavve hem duim samfala big mistek.—Acts 26:9-11.

⁷ Wanfala savveman, Frederic Farrar, sei taem iumi tingim wei wea Paul barava persecutim olketa Christian, masbi Paul feel sorre tumas long wanem hem duim, and masbi olketa narawan barava tok spoelem hem tu. Taem Paul visitim olketa difren kongregeson, maet olketa brata wea meetim hem sei: ‘So iu nao Paul wea spoelem mifala bifor!’—Acts 9:21.

8. Wanem nao tingting bilong Paul abaotem mercy and love wea Jehovah and Jesus showimaot long hem, and wanem nao iumi lanem from datwan?

⁸ Paul luksavve samting wea mekem hem fit for waka olsem wanfala aposol hem bikos God hem kaen long hem. Paul story abaotem mercy bilong God staka taem winim eni nara man wea raetem Bible. Hem storyim datwan samting olsem 90 taem insaed long 14-fala leta bilong hem. (Readim 1 Corinth 15:10.) Paul laek for showimaot hem barava tinghae long mercy bilong God. So hem “waka hard winim olketa nara aposol.” Wanem nao iumi lanem from example bilong Paul? Sapos iumi garem faith long sakrifaes bilong Jesus, talemaot olketa sin bilong iumi, and finis for duim rong samting, Jehovah hem willing for forgivim olketa sin bilong iumi, nomata olketa bigfala sin tu. So sapos iu tingse olketa sin bilong iu hem big tumas for God forgivim iu, tingim example bilong Paul. (Readim 1 Timothy 1:15, 16.) Nomata Paul persecutim Jesus, hem raet olsem: “Son bilong God [hem] lovem mi and [hem] dae for sevem mi.” (Gal. 2:20; Acts  9:5) Nomata Paul duim olketa nogud samting bifor, hem luksavve hem mas traem best for duim waka bilong God, mekem hem no garem eni samting moa for sorre long hem bihaen. Waswe, iu duim sem samting?

9, 10. (a) Wanem nao maet samfala wea worshipim Jehovah sorre long hem distaem? (b) Why nao iumi shud no tingim olowe olketa mistek wea iumi duim bifor?

⁹ Waswe, iu duim eni samting bifor wea iu sorre long hem distaem? Waswe, iu sorre from iu no iusim taem and strong bilong iu for duim samting wea moa important? Waswe, iu duim samting wea spoelem olketa narawan? Or maet iu sorre long samfala nara samting long laef bilong iu. Wanem nao iu savve duim sapos iu feel olsem?

¹⁰ Hem wei bilong samfala pipol for wari evritaem! Olketa feel nogud and sorre from olketa tingim olowe olketa mistek wea olketa duim. Waswe, wei for wari savve stretem olketa problem bilong iu? Nomoa! Wei for wari hem weistim taem and strong bilong iu nomoa. So winim wei for wari, traem best bilong iu for stretem datfala problem. Sapos iu mekem narawan feel nogud, sei sorre long hem and trae for mek peace witim hem. Ting raonem why nao iu duim datfala mistek mekem iu no duim moa. Bat samfala taem, maet iu no savve stretem datfala problem and iu mas deal witim samting wea kamaot from datfala mistek. Nomata olsem, wei for wari abaotem olketa mistek wea iu duim bifor bae no helpem iu, and maet wei for wari savve mekem hem hard for iu traem best bilong iu for worshipim God tu.

11. (a) Wanem nao iumi mas duim mekem Jehovah showimaot mercy and love long iumi? (b) Wanem nao Bible sei iumi mas duim mekem iumi no feel guilty olowe long olketa sin bilong iumi?

¹¹ Samfala tingse hem hard for God showimaot mercy long olketa. Maet olketa tingse sin wea olketa duim hem big  tumas or olketa duim staka sin tumas. Bat tru samting nao, nomata wanem sin olketa duim, olketa fit for repent, changem wei bilong olketa, and askem God for forgivim olketa. (Acts 3:19) Jehovah savve showimaot mercy and love long olketa, olsem hem duim long staka narawan finis. Jehovah bae forgivim eniwan wea hem hambol, honest, and wea repent from olketa sin bilong hem. Olsem example, God forgivim Job, wea barava sorre long olketa mistek wea hem duim. (Job 42:6, ftn.) Bible storyim wanem iumi need for duim mekem iumi no feel guilty olowe long olketa sin bilong iumi. Hem sei: “Man wea haedem sin bilong hem bae no win, bat man wea talemaot sin bilong hem and no duim moa bae kasem mercy.” (Prov. 28:13; Jas. 5:14-16) Iumi mas talemaot olketa sin bilong iumi long God, prea long hem for forgivim olketa sin bilong iumi, and trae for stretem rong samting wea iumi duim. (2 Cor. 7:10, 11) Then Jehovah wea willing for forgive bae showimaot mercy long iumi.—Isa. 55:7.

12. (a) Sapos iumi feel guilty, hao nao iumi savve followim gudfala example bilong David? (b) Why nao Bible sei Jehovah “feel sorre,” and why nao datwan encouragem iumi? (Lukim box.)

¹² God bae helpem iumi sapos iumi prea long hem. David raetem naesfala psalm wea showimaot hem bilivim Jehovah ansarem olketa prea bilong hem. (Readim Psalm 32:1-5.) Taem David no talemaot sin bilong hem long God, hem barava feel nogud bikos hem guilty. Hem wari, sik, and feel sorre tumas. Taem David talemaot sin bilong hem and God forgivim hem, long datfala taem nao David feel gud. Jehovah ansarem prea bilong David. Hem helpem David for feel gud and for gohed duim stret samting. Sapos iu gohed feel nogud abaotem olketa sin wea iu duim bifor, prea from heart for Jehovah forgivim iu, and traem best for changem wei bilong iu. Then iu mas barava bilivim Jehovah hem herem prea bilong iu and hem forgivim iu!—Ps. 86:5.

13, 14. (a) Wanem nao iumi mas tingim distaem? (b) Olketa wanem kwestin nao savve helpem iumi for ting raonem wanem iumi duim distaem?

¹³ Hem tru iumi savve lane from olketa samting wea happen long bifor, bat hem nogud for gohed wari abaotem olketa samting hia. Iumi shud tingim distaem and future. Iumi wanwan shud tingim olketa kwestin hia: ‘Waswe, long future bae mi ting bak and sorre long olketa disison wea mi mekem distaem? Waswe, mi faithful long God distaem mekem mi no sorre long eni samting bihaen?’

¹⁴ Datfala big trabol hem barava klosap. Hem gud for iumi wanwan tingim olketa kwestin hia: ‘Waswe, mi fit for duim moa samting long waka bilong God? Waswe, mi fit for pioneer? Waswe, eni samting  stopem mi for kamap ministerial servant? Waswe, mi traem best for garem olketa wei wea Jehovah hapi long hem? Waswe, mi man wea Jehovah laekem for stap long niu world bilong hem?’ Winim wei for wari abaotem olketa samting wea iu no duim, tingim wanem iu duim distaem and traem best bilong iu long waka bilong Jehovah. Mekem olketa disison distaem wea iu bae no sorre long hem long future.—2 Tim. 2:15.

15, 16. (a) Olketa wanem samting nao staka sakrifaesim mekem olketa savve traem best for worshipim Jehovah? (b) Why nao iu shud no sorre long eni sakrifaes wea iu mekem for worshipim God?

¹⁵ Waswe, iu sakrifaesim samfala samting mekem iu savve duim full-taem service? Maet iu finis from gudfala waka or lusim gudfala bisnis mekem iu savve duim moa samting for Jehovah. Or maet iu disaed for no marit or no garem pikinini mekem iu savve waka long Bethel, duim construction waka, or duim circuit or missionary waka. Nomata maet iu gogo for olo distaem, iu shud no sorre long olketa sakrifaes bilong iu. No tingse iu shud no mekem olketa sakrifaes hia or tingse iu duim datwan long rong taem.

¹⁶ Iu mekem olketa disison hia bikos iu barava lovem Jehovah and iu laek for helpem olketa narawan for worshipim hem. No tingse laef bilong iu bae moabeta sapos iu disaed for duim difren samting long datfala taem. Iu fit for hapi long olketa disison bilong iu! Iu traem best bilong iu for worshipim Jehovah. Jehovah bae nating forgetim olketa sakrifaes wea iu mekem for worshipim hem. Taem iu kasem “datfala tru laef,” wea iu bae perfect and laef olowe, olketa blessing wea iu kasem from Jehovah bae gud winim eni samting wea iu savve tingim!—1 Tim. 6:19; Ps. 145:16.

17, 18. (a) Wanem nao Paul duim mekem hem no garem eni samting moa for sorre long hem? (b) Wanem nao bae iu duim for followim example bilong Paul?

¹⁷ Wanem nao Paul duim mekem hem no garem eni samting moa for sorre long hem? Hem sei: “Mi no tingim olketa samting long bihaen bat mi traem best for kasem olketa samting wea stap front long mi. Mi waka hard for goal bilong mi.” (Readim Philippi 3:13, 14.) Paul no tingim olowe olketa nogud samting wea hem duim taem hem long religion bilong olketa Jew. Hem iusim full strong bilong hem for gohed faithful, mekem hem kasem datfala reward wea hem nao laef olowe.

¹⁸ Wanem nao iumi savve lanem from samting wea Paul talem? Winim wei for tingim olketa samting wea iumi duim bifor wea iumi no savve changem, iumi shud waka hard distaem for kasem olketa blessing long future. Nomata maet iumi no savve forgetim olketa mistek bilong iumi, iumi no need for gohed feel sorre abaotem olketa. Iumi savve traem best for no sorre olowe long olketa samting wea happen bifor, traem best bilong iumi for worshipim God distaem, and tingim nambawan future wea iumi bae kasem!