NGENXA yokwanda kwezingcindezi ezibangelwa ‘izinsuku zokugcina,’ abantu bakaJehova badinga ukubekezela kunanini ngaphambili. (2 Thim. 3:1-5) Siphila ezweni eligcwele abantu abazithandayo, abangafuni sivumelwano nabangenakho ukuzithiba. Ngokuvamile abantu abanjalo abakwazi ukubekezela. Yingakho umKristu ngamunye kumelwe azibuze: ‘Ingabe sengifana naleli zwe elingakwazi ukubekezela? Kusho ukuthini ukubekezela? Ngingayenza kanjani le mfanelo enhle yobuKristu ibe ingxenye yobuntu bami?’

EBhayibhelini igama elithi ukubekezela aligcini nje ngokuchaza ukukhuthazelela isimo esithile. Umuntu onemfanelo yokubekezela efundiswa iBhayibheli ukhuthazela enenjongo. Ubheka ngale kwezidingo zakhe futhi ucabangela inhlalakahle yomuntu omphatha kabi. Ngenxa yalokho, umuntu obekezelayo lapho ephathwa kabi noma echukuluzwa, uhlale enethemba lokuthi izimo zizoba ngcono phakathi kwakhe nalowo muntu omphathe kabi. Akumangazi ukuthi eBhayibhelini ukubekezela kusekuqaleni ohlwini lwezimfanelo ezinhle ezivezwa uthando. * (1 Kor. 13:4) IZwi likaNkulunkulu libala “ukubekezela” phakathi ‘sezithelo zomoya.’ (Gal. 5:22, 23) Nokho, yini edingeka kithi ukuze sihlakulele le mfanelo?

Ukuze sihlakulele imfanelo yokubekezela, kumelwe sithandazele usizo lomoya kaJehova, awunika labo abamethembayo nabancika kuye. (Luka 11:13) Nokho, nakuba umoya kaNkulunkulu unamandla, nathi kumelwe senze umzamo, senze ngokuvumelana nemithandazo yethu. (IHu. 86:10, 11) Lokhu kusho ukuthi kumelwe senze konke okusemandleni ethi ukuze sibonise ukubekezela nsuku zonke ukuze le mfanelo ihlume ezinhliziyweni zethu. Nokho, ngisho nalapho, kungase kudingeke ukuba senze okwengeziwe ukuze senze ukubekezela kube yingxenye evelele yobuntu bethu. Yini enye engasisiza?

Singahlakulela ukubekezela ngokuhlola nangokulingisa isibonelo sikaJesu esiphelele. Ngokuvumelana naleso sibonelo esiphefumulelwe, umphostoli uPawulu wachaza “ubuntu obusha” obuhlanganisa “ukubekezela,” ngemva kwalokho wasikhuthaza ukuba sivumele ‘ukuthula kukaKristu kulawule izinhliziyo zethu.’ (Kol. 3:10, 12, 15) Singavumela lokho kuthula “kulawule” izinhliziyo zethu ngokulingisa ukholo lukaJesu oluqinile lokuthi uNkulunkulu uzozilungisa izinto ezisikhathazayo ngesikhathi sakhe esifanele. Lapho silingisa isibonelo sikaJesu ngeke sicasulwe abanye, size sihluleke ukubekezela kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwenzekani.—Joh. 14:27; 16:33.

Nakuba sikulangazelela ukubona izwe likaNkulunkulu elisha elithenjisiwe, sifunda ukubekezela lapho sicabangisisa ngendlela  uJehova asibekezelela ngayo. ImiBhalo iyasiqinisekisa: “UJehova akephuzi ngokuqondene nesithembiso sakhe, njengoba abanye abantu becabanga ukuthi uyephuza, kodwa uyanibekezelela ngoba akafisi ukuba kubhubhe namunye kodwa ufisa ukuba bonke baphenduke.” (2 Pet. 3:9) Ukucabanga ngendlela uJehova asibekezelela ngayo kusenza sibabekezelele abanye. (Roma 2:4) Sinalokho engqondweni, yiziphi ezinye izimo okudingeka sibekezele kuzo.

Ziningi izinto ezenzeka nsuku zonke ezingavivinya ukubekezela kwethu. Ngokwesibonelo, uma kunento ebalulekile ofuna ukuyisho, kungase kudingeke ubekezele ukuze ugweme ukungena abanye emlonyeni. (Jak. 1:19) Kungase kudingeke ukuba ubekezele nalapho ukhonza namaKristu enza izinto ezikucasulayo. Kunokuba uthathe ngamawala lapho kwenzeka izinto ezikucasulayo, kuwukuhlakanipha ukucabanga ngendlela uJehova noJesu abasabela ngayo emaphutheni ethu. Abagxili emaphutheni ethu amancane. Kunalokho, babona izimfanelo zethu ezinhle futhi ngesineke babuka imizamo esiyenzayo ukuze sithuthuke.—1 Thim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:12.

Esinye isimo esingavivinya ukubekezela kwethu yilapho othile ethi sisho into eyiphutha noma senze into eyiphutha. Ngokuvamile singase sikhubeke ngokushesha noma sisheshe ukuzithethelela. Nokho, iZwi likaNkulunkulu lisikhuthaza ukuba senze okuhlukile. Lithi: “Ungcono obekezelayo kunomuntu onomoya ozidlayo. Ungasheshi ukucasuka emoyeni wakho, ngoba ukucasuka kuhlala esifubeni seziphukuphuku.” (UmSh. 7:8, 9) Ngakho, ngisho noma sisolwa ngento esingayenzanga, ngesineke kufanele sicabange kahle ngaphambi kokuba siphendule. UJesu walandela leso simiso lapho abanye bemdelela.—Math. 11:19.

Abazali ngokukhethekile kudingeka babonise ukubekezela lapho bebona kufaneleka ukuba balungise isimo sengqondo esibi, izifiso noma ukuthambekela okubi okungase kukhule ezinganeni zabo. Cabanga ngokwenzeka kuMattias oyilungu lomkhaya waseBethel eScandinavia. Ngesikhathi esemusha uMattias wabekezelela ukwedelelwa esikoleni ngenxa yezinkolelo zakhe. Ekuqaleni, abazali bakhe babengakwazi lokhu. Noma kunjalo kwadingeka babhekane nomphumela lokhu kuphikiswa okwaba nakho endodaneni yabo, eyayisiqala ukungabaza iqiniso. Ubaba kaMattias, uGillis, uthi: “Kwadingeka sibekezele kakhulu. UMattias wayesibuza ukuthi: ‘Ungubani uNkulunkulu? Kuthiwani uma iBhayibheli lingelona iZwi likaNkulunkulu? Sazi kanjani ukuthi nguNkulunkulu ngempela ofuna senze izinto okuthiwa kufanele sizenze?’” UMattias wayephinde abuze uyise ukuthi: “Kungani kumelwe ngibhekwe kabi uma ngingakukholelwa lokho enikukholelwayo?”

UGillis uyachaza: “Ngezinye izikhathi imibuzo yendodana yethu yayibonisa ukuthi ithukuthele, yayingathukuthelele thina, kodwa yayithukuthelele iqiniso, ngoba yayinomuzwa wokuthi lenza ukuphila kwayo kube nzima.” Yini uGillis ayenza? Uthi: “Mina nendodana yami sasixoxa isikhathi eside. Ngokuvamile ngangiyilalela futhi ngibuze imibuzo ukuze ngikwazi ukuyiqonda kahle imizwa nemibono yayo. Ngokuvamile ngangiyinika incazelo ukuze icabange ngayo usuku lonke ngaphambi kokuba siqhubeke nengxoxo yethu. Ngezinye  izikhathi, ngingiyitshela ukuthi ngidinga izinsuku ezimbalwa ukuze ngicabange ngalokho eyayisanda kukusho. Ngenxa yalezo zingxoxo esasiba nazo njalo, kancane kancane uMattias wathuthuka endleleni aqonda ngayo izimfundiso ezinjengesihlengo, ubukhosi bukaNkulunkulu nothando lukaJehova futhi wazamukela. Kwathatha isikhathi futhi kwakunzima, kodwa kancane kancane waqala ukumthanda uJehova. Mina nomkami sijabula kakhulu ngokubekezela esakubonisa ngesikhathi sisiza indodana yethu nokubona ukuthi lokho kwayithinta inhliziyo yayo.”

UGillis nomkakhe bathembela kuJehova ukuba abasekele njengoba bekhulisa indodana yabo ngesineke. Ecabanga ngalokho, uGillis uthi: “Ngangivame ukutshela uMattias ukuthi ngenxa yokuthi simthanda kakhulu, sasishukumiseleka ukuba simthandazele ukuze uJehova amsize aqonde.” Yeka indlela labo bazali abajabula ngayo ngokuthi babonisa le mfanelo ebalulekile yokubekezela!

Ngaphezu kokubasiza ngokomoya, amaKristu eqiniso kumelwe abe nothando oluhambisana nokubekezela lapho enakekela amalungu omndeni noma abangane abanesifo esingelapheki. Cabanga ngesibonelo sika-Ellen, * naye ohlala eScandinavia.

Eminyakeni engaba ngu-8 edlule, umyeni ka-Ellen washaywa unhlangothi kabili okwalimaza ukusebenza kwengqondo yakhe. Ngenxa yalokho akasakwazi ukuzwela, ukujabulo noma ukudabuka. Lokhu kuyamkhandla u-Ellen. Uthi: “Kuye kwadingeka ngibekezele kakhulu futhi ngithandaze ngokuphindaphindiwe. UmBhalo engiwuthanda kakhulu ongiduduzayo incwadi yabaseFilipi 4:13 ethi: ‘Nginamandla azo zonke izinto ngenxa yalowo ongipha amandla.’” Ngenxa yalawo mandla, u-Ellen uyakhuthazela ngesineke ethembele ngokuphelele ekusekelweni uJehova.—IHu. 62:5, 6.

Kuyavunywa ukuthi akekho umuntu ongabekezela njengoJehova, yingakho eyisibonelo esihle esingasilingisa. (2 Pet. 3:15) Kunokulandisa okuningi eZwini likaNkulunkulu okubonisa izikhathi lapho uJehova abekezela kakhulu khona. (Neh. 9:30; Isaya 30:18) Ngokwesibonelo, yini uJehova ayenza lapho u-Abrahama embuza ngesinqumo saKhe sokubhubhisa iSodoma? Okokuqala nje, uJehova akazange amphazamise u-Abrahama ngesikhathi ekhuluma. Kunalokho, uJehova wayilalela ngesineke yonke imibuzo u-Abrahama ayeyibuza nokukhathazeka ayenakho. Ngemva kwalokho, uJehova wabonisa ukuthi umzwile u-Abrahama ngokusho izinto ezazimkhaza, wabe esemqinisekisa ngokuthi ngeke alibhubhise iSodoma uma kunabantu abayishumi abalungile kulelo dolobha. (Gen. 18:22-33) Leso isibonelo esihle kakhulu sokulalela ngesineke nokungathathi ngamawala.

Ukubekezela, okuyimfanelo evela kuNkulunkulu, ngempela kuyingxenye ebalulekile yobuntu obusha okufanele wonke amaKristu abe nabo. Uma sizikhandla ukuze sibe nale mfanelo enhle, siyodumisa uBaba wethu wasezulwini onakekelayo nobekezelayo futhi siyobalwa phakathi kwalabo “okuthi ngokholo nangokubekezela bazuze izithembiso njengefa.”—Heb. 6:10-12.