Waswe, Iu Shud Honest Evritaem?

SAMFALA taem evriwan savve honest, and staka maet honest klosap evritaem. Bat, haomas pipol wea iu savve long olketa nao laek honest evritaem?

Distaem, wei for no honest hem affectim laef bilong evriwan. Nomata olsem, pipol savve long tingting bilong God abaotem wei for honest. Tingim diswan, klosap evriwan savve long mek-eit komandment wea sei: “Iu mas no steal.” (Exodus 20:15) Bat staka sei, wei for steal or wei for no honest samfala taem hem gud nomoa. Iumi bae storyim thrifala wei for steal wea pipol tingse hem gud nomoa.

Waswe, Hem Olraet for Man Steal Sapos Hem Poor?

Wanfala bigman long Rome hem sei: “Wei for poor savve mekem pipol brekem law.” Samwan wea poor maet tingse hem olraet nomoa for steal. Olketa narawan wea lukim hem steal maet garem sem tingting tu. Wanem nao tingting bilong Jesus abaotem diswan? Hem kaen long olketa wea poor. “Hem barava sorre tumas long olketa.” (Matthew 9:​36) Nomata olsem, hem nating agree long wei for steal. So wanem nao man wea poor savve duim?

God tingim olketa wea barava trae hard for obeyim hem, and hem bae blessim hard waka bilong olketa for olketa kasem wanem olketa needim. (Psalm 37:25) Bible promis olsem: “Jehovah bae no letem man wea raeteous for hangre, bat olketa wicked man bae no kasem samting wea olketa laekem.” (Proverbs 10:⁠3) Waswe, man wea poor savve trustim disfala promis? Victorine hem barava trustim datwan.

Victorine hem wanfala widow wea garem faevfala pikinini wea skul, and hem no isi for hem. Hem stap long wanfala kantri wea gavman no helpem tumas pipol saed long selen. Olketa stap long ples wea wei for steal hem isi nomoa. Nomata olsem, Victorine no laek for steal. Hem trae hard for kasem wanem hem needim and hem honest taem hem salem olketa samting long street. Why nao Victorine honest evritaem?

Hem sei: “First samting, mi savve God hem honest and sapos mi followim hem bae hem helpem mi. Mek-tu samting, sapos mi honest olketa pikinini bilong mi tu bae honest.”

Wanem nao kamaot from datwan? “Mifala garem kaikai, kaleko, and ples for stap. Nomata olsem, samfala taem mi savve askem selen long olketa fren for helpem mi peim samfala samting taem seknomoa samwan long famili hem sik. And olketa helpem mi, from olketa fren bilong mi savve mi honest and mi no trae for kasem samting wea mi no needim.”

 “Olketa pikinini bilong mi lane for honest tu. No longtaem go nomoa, wanfala neiba bilong mi lukim samfala selen long tebol, and hem askem mi sapos olketa pikinini bilong mi bae no stealim datfala selen. Hem sapraes taem mi talem hem hao olketa no savve steal. So hem disaed for testim olketa long taem wea mi no savve. Hem leavim tufala 100-franc coin (40 cents, U.S.) insaed haos bilong mifala long ples wea olketa pikinini isi for lukim. Taem hem kam bak next day, hem sapraes for lukim olketa coin stap yet. For garem olketa pikinini wea honest hem wanfala gud samting, winim wei for garem staka material samting.”

“Hem Samting wea Evriwan Duim”

Wei for steal long ples for waka hem kamap big tumas. From datwan, staka garem disfala tingting, “Sapos evriwan duim, mi tu savve duim!” Bat Bible talem: “Iu mas no go witim olketa wea plan for duim nogud samting.” (Exodus 23:⁠2) Victoire hem followim datfala toktok. Waswe, hem kasem eni gud samting?

Taem Victoire hem 19 year hem waka long wanfala oil palm factory. Hem luksavve 40-fala woman wea hem waka witim savve stealim olketa palm kernel and putim long basket bilong olketa. Evri weekend olketa salem olketa kernel hia and tekem selen wea semsem long pei wea olketa savve kasem long thri or fofala day. Victoire sei: “Klosap evriwan nao duim. Olketa laekem mi tu for steal, bat mi no laek for duim, and mi talem olketa mi mas honest evritaem. Olketa tok spoelem mi and sei mi missim chance bilong mi.”

“Wanfala day, taem evriwan redi for go bak, seknomoa manager kam long mifala. Taem hem luk insaed basket bilong evriwan, hem lukim olketa palm kernel, bat basket bilong mi nao no eni kernel insaed. Hem talem evriwan wea steal for finis from waka, or waka for tufala week and no kasem eni pei. Long datfala tu week, olketa woman wea tok spoelem mi luksavve mi duim stret samting.”

“Iu Savve Keepim Sapos Iu Nao Faendem”

Hao nao iu feel sapos iu faendem wanfala expensive samting wea samwan hem lusim? Staka pipol tingse sapos olketa faendem eni samting datwan hem bilong olketa nao, and olketa no ting for givim bak. Olketa tingse “iu savve keepim sapos iu nao faendem.” Samfala tingse samting wea olketa duim hem olraet nomoa, bikos maet man wea ownim bae hem no tingim moa. Olketa narawan sei, hem no isi for faendem man wea ownim and hem no waka bilong olketa for duim datwan.

Wanem nao tingting bilong God abaotem datwan? Deuteronomy 22:​1-3 talem sapos iu faendem samting, iu mas no keepim for iuseleva bat lukaftarem ‘go kasem taem brata bilong iu lukaotem, and then iu mas givim go bak long hem.’ Sapos man no talemaot samting wea hem faendem, pipol maet tingim hem olsem man wea steal. (Exodus 22:⁠9) Waswe, diswan fitim taem bilong iumi tu? Christine hem luksavve datwan hem tru.

Christine hem big woman long wanfala skul. Long wanfala Wednesday hem go tekem pei bilong hem. Hem pasolem olketa selen bilong hem olsem staka long West Africa savve duim, and putim insaed basket. Hem stopem wanfala motorbike [wea olketa iusim olsem taxi] and hariap go for meeting. Taem hem kasem ples, hem luk insaed basket bilong hem for eni coin for peim draeva. Bat from hem naet, hem no savve selen wea hem pasolem hem foldaon long graon.

Tu-thri minute bihaen, Blaise, wanfala boy wea 19 year, wea visit long datfala ples wakabaot kam long datfala road tu. Hem plan for meetim wanfala fren bilong hem long datfala sem meeting wea Christine go long hem. Hem lukim pasol selen wea foldaon and hem putim insaed poket bilong hem. Taem meeting hem finis, Blaise talem fren bilong hem hao  hem faendem samting aotsaed and sapos eniwan lusim eni samting, hem shud ringim hem for talem wanem nao lus.

Taem Christine kasem haos long datfala evening, hem sapraes taem hem no lukim selen bilong hem nao. Wanfala week bihaen, taem Christine talem long fren bilong hem Josephine, hao hem lusim selen bilong hem, Josephine sei samwan wea visit kam long datfala meeting faendem samting. Christine ringim Blaise and talem selen wea hem lusim. Hem hapi tumas taem Blaise givim bak selen wea hem lusim. Hao nao tingting bilong Blaise? Hem keepim datfala selen for wanfala week, bat hem sei, “Mi hapi taem mi givim bak datfala selen winim taem mi keepim.”

Why Olketa Trae for Honest Evritaem

Victorine, Victoire, and Blaise stap long olketa difren ples and olketa no savve long each other. Bat olketa semsem long wanfala samting. Thrifala evriwan Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea followim wanem Bible talem abaotem wei for honest. Olketa weit for taem wea God bae mekem promis bilong Hem for wanfala niu world bae kamap tru. “Iumi weitim wanfala niu skae and wanfala niu earth wea hem promisim. Evriwan wea duim stret samting nao bae stap long hem.” Long datfala taem olketa honest and raeteous pipol nomoa bae stap.​—⁠2 Peter 3:​13.

Victorine luksavve hard taem wea hem garem saed long selen bae no kamap gud go kasem taem God bae stretem evri samting. Nomata olsem, hem barava fren gud witim Jehovah, wea hem samting wea man no savve peim witim selen. Olketa pikinini bilong hem olketa honest and garem olketa gudfala wei. Evri Sunday olketa “hapi” for story witim olketa neiba abaotem olketa gud samting wea God duim, and taem wea bae hem mekem “evriwan wea kolem hem long trufala fasin” for hapi and protectim “evriwan wea lovem hem.”​—⁠Psalm 145:​7, 18, 20.

Gogo, Victoire hem finis for waka long datfala oil palm factory. Hem startim bisnis bilong hem for salem garri (wanfala kaikai wea olketa mekem from kasava) long market. From hem honest, staka pipol laek pei long hem. From diswan, hem no need for market evritaem, mekem hem garem moa taem for talem pipol abaotem hope for stap long world wea garem honest pipol. Gogo Victoire hem marit, and distaem hem and hasband bilong hem duim full taem preaching waka.

Christine lusim selen bilong hem front long wanfala Kingdom Hall bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Blaise no savve long staka wea go long datfala meeting, bat hem savve evriwan long datfala meeting hem olketa Christian brata and sista bilong hem wea trae for honest evritaem.

Haomas pipol nao iu savve wea trae for honest evritaem? Tingim sapos iu stap witim 50, 100, or 200 pipol wea honest evritaem. Hem nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness enjoyim long olketa Kingdom Hall. Hem gud for iu kam long eni Kingdom Hall for savve long olketa.

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“For garem olketa pikinini wea honest hem wanfala gud samting, winim wei for garem staka material samting.”​—⁠VICTORINE

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Waswe, Proverbs 6:​30 Minim Hem Olraet Nomoa for Steal?

Proverbs 6:​30 sei: ‘Pipol no heitim wanfala man wea steal from hem steal bikos hem hangre.’ Waswe, diswan minim hem olraet nomoa for steal? Nomoa. Nara toktok long sem scripture showimaot man wea steal mas ansa long God for samting wea hem duim. Long nextfala verse hem sei: ‘Bat, taem olketa faendaot, hem mas changem bak sevenfala taem moa long eni samting wea hem stealim; evri riches long haos bilong hem bae hem givim.’ (Proverbs 6:​31) Sapos wanfala man steal from hem greedy or hem laek spoelem narawan, datwan maet nogud winim sapos man steal from hem hangre, bat nomata olsem man wea steal from hem hangre mas ‘changem bak’ samting wea hem stealim. Olketa wea laek for mekem God hapi mas no steal.