Bible Society of South Africa

Grow a Spiritual Garden – Day 10

Keep your hand on the plough.

Itekisi yeBhayibhile

ULUKA 17

Ukuzinikela

5*Abathunywa bâthi kuyo iNkosi: “Sandisele ukholo.”

6Ke iNkosi yathi: “Ukuba beninokholo olungangokhozo lwembewu yemostade, beninokuthi kulo mthi: ‘Ncothuka, umiliseleke phakathi elwandle;’ uze unive.”

ULUKA 17:5-6XHO96Vula kumfundi weBhayibhile

ULUKA 9

61Wathi nomnye: “Ndiya kuba ngumlandeli wakho, Nkosi, kodwa kuqala ndivumele ndiye kubulisa abendlu yam.”

62UYesu wathi kuye: “Umntu ojonga ngasemva, ebambe ikhuba, uyabhanka. Ngokunjalo ke nomntu ophunguzayo ekhonza uThixo, uyaphoswa bubuncwane bokulawulwa nguThixo.”

ULUKA 9:61-62XHO96Vula kumfundi weBhayibhile

KUMAHEBHERE 11

Ukukholwa

1Ukukholwa ke kukuqiniseka ngezinto esinethemba lazo; kukwakukuqiniseka nangobukho bezinto esingaziboniyo. 2Abantu bamandulo bagqwesa ngenxa yokuthembela kwabo kuThixo.

3Ngokholo siyaqonda ukuba indalo yavela ngelizwi likaThixo, zaza izinto ezibonakalayo zabakho kungekho nto ibonakalayo adala ngayo.

4Ngokholo lagqwesa kuThixo elika-Abheli idini kunelikaKayin. Ngokholo uAbheli wamkelwa nguThixo waba lilungisa, kuba uThixo ngokwakhe wakholiswa ngumnikelo wakhe. Ngako ukukholwa kwakhe ke, naxa afileyo nje uAbheli, usathetha.

5Ngokholo uInoki wathwetyulwa engakhange afe. *IziBhalo zithi: “Akazange aziwe bani apho akhoyo, kuba wayethathwe nguThixo.” Futhi ziyangqina iziBhalo ukuba uInoki wamkholisa uThixo ngaphambi kokuba athathwe. 6Lungekho ke ukholo akukho ukumkholisa uThixo. Kaloku wonke ubani ozayo kuye kufuneka akholwe ukuba ukho uThixo, yaye uyabavuza abo bamlangazelelayo.

7Ngokholo uNowa, xa wayexelelwa nguThixo ngezinto ezaziza kuhla, waphulaphula wakha inqanawa, walusindisa usapho lwakhe. Ngokholo lwakhe wabudandalazisa ubugwenxa behlabathi, waza wenziwa ilungisa nguThixo ngenxa yokuthembela kwakhe kuye.

8Ngokholo uAbraham walusabela ubizo lokuya kuma kwilizwe elalithenjiswe nguThixo kuye nakwinzala yakhe. Walishiya elakowabo, engazi nokuba makabheke ngaphi na. 9Ngokholo wahlala engumphambukeli kwilizwe lesithembiso. Wayehlala ezintenteni. Benjenjalo nooIsake noYakobi abakwaziindlamafa zeso sithembiso. 10Kaloku wayenxubile elindele elo lizwe liziseko zingagungqiyo, lakhiwe nguThixo.

11Ngokholo nkqu noSara owayengazali, naxa wayeselegugile nje, wafumana amandla, wakhawula, kuba wathemba ukuba uThixo lo uthembisileyo wosigcina isithembiso sakhe. 12Yiyo ke loo nto kuthe kwindoda enye, naxa yayiselifana nofileyo nje kukwaluphala, kwavela inzala ebuninzi bungangeenkwenkwezi, ingenakubalwa okwentlabathi elunxwemeni lolwandle.

13Bonke aba bantu bafa benokholo. Babengekazixhamli iziqhamo zesithembiso. Kodwa naxa zazikude babezibona, bezilangazelela, bevuma ukuba bona baziindwendwe nje ezidlulayo kweli lizwe. 14Abantu abenjenje ukuthetha kucace mhlophe ukuba bafuna elakowabo, 15bengalikhumbuli ilizwe abalishiyileyo. Kaloku ngebabebuyele ukuba kwakunjalo. 16Koko sibabona benxubele ilizwe elihle – izulu. Yiyo ke loo nto angenazintloni uThixo xa kuthiwa unguThixo wabo; kaloku ubalungiselele isixeko.

17Ngokholo uAbraham wamnikela uIsake akuvavanywa nguThixo. Lo Abraham zazenziwe kuye izithembiso, nguye kanye lo wayeselemnikela unyana okwakukuphela kwakhe; 18lo kanye kwakuthiwe ngaye: “Inzala yakho yokwaziwa ngomlibo kaIsake.” 19Kaloku uAbraham yena wayeqonda ukuba uThixo unako ukubavusa abafileyo – ngathi ke uThixo wamvusa kwabafileyo noIsake.

20Ngokholo uIsake walisikelela ikamva looYakobi noEsawu.

21Ngokholo uYakobi wabasikelela bonke ngabanye, ngaphambi kokuba abhubhe, oonyana bakaJosefu. Wangqiyama ngomsimelelo wakhe, wanqula uThixo.

22Xa wayeselukhukweni lokufa, uJosefu ngokholo wayolela ngemfuduko yamaSirayeli eJiputa, wayaleza namathambo akhe.

23Ngokholo abazali bakaMosis bamfihla iinyanga ezintathu emva kokuba ezelwe. Kaloku wayelusana oluthandekayo, baza ke àbasithobela isimiselo sekumkani ngokwenza loo nto.

24Ngokholo, akuba mdala uMosis, akazange avume ukuba kuthiwe ungunyana wentombi yokumkani waseJiputa. 25Wakhetha ukuhlupheka kunye nabantu bakaThixo kunokuba axhamle isono nokuba ngumzuzwana nje. 26Ingcikivo kaKrestu wayithatha njengento ebaluleke ngaphezu kwabo bonke ubutyebi baseJiputa, kuba wayenethemba lomvuzo ozayo.

27Ngokholo uMosis wayishiya iJiputa, phofu kungengakuba wayesoyika umsindo wekumkani. Wayefunzele phambili ngokungathi wayembona uThixo ongabonwayo. 28Ngokholo wamisela isidlo *sePasika. Wayalela ukuba makutshizwe imigubasi ngegazi, khon' ukuze isithunywa sokufa singawatshabalalisi amazibulo amaSirayeli.

29Ngokholo amaSirayeli aluwela uLwandle oluBomvu ngokungathi ahamba emhlabeni owomileyo, kodwa wona amaJiputa eyela akuwalinganisa.

30Lukholo olwadiliza iindonga zeJeriko, akuba amaSirayeli ezijikeleze iintsuku zasixhenxe. 31Lukholo olwasindisa ihenyukazi uRahabhi ekutshabalaleni kunye nabo bangamthobeliyo uThixo, kuba lona lazamkela ngobubele iintlola.

32Ndibalisa ntoni na? Lingaphela tu ixesha ndithetha ngoGidiyon, noBharaki, noSamson, uJafta, noDavide, uSamweli, *nabashumayeli bamandulo. 33Ngokholo bona babhukuqa izikumkani, benza ubulungisa, bazuza izinto ezazithenjiswe nguThixo. Babevingca imilomo yeengonyama ezigqumayo, 34bacime imililo edwanguzayo, basinde ekufeni ngekrele. Baphiwa amandla xa babengenawo. Babengamagorha emfazweni; babezichitha iintshaba zibe ziintsalu. 35Ngokholo abafazi babebuyiselwa abafileyo babo bevuswe ekufeni. Abanye bâla ukukhululwa, bafa ngokungxwelerhwa, khon' ukuze bavukele kobona bomi. 36Bambi babesenziwa intlekisa, bekatswa, bekhonkxwa ngamatyathanga, bevalelwa entolongweni. 37Babekhandwa ngamatye, besarhwa kubini, bebulawa ngekrele. Babehamba benxibe iimfele zeegusha nezikhumba zeebhokhwe, beswele, betshutshiswa, bephethwe gadalala. 38Babengafanelanga ukuhlala kweli hlabathi linje, ngenxa yokulunga kwabo. Babezizibhadu-bhadu ezazihamba zihlala koozintlango nasezintabeni, koomiqolomba nasemingxunyeni phantsi komhlaba.

39Bayakhunjulwa bonke ngabanye aba, ngenxa yokugqwesa kokholo lwabo. Kambe ke abazizuzanga izinto ezathenjiswayo nguThixo, 40kuba kaloku uThixo ube nacebo limbi lilungileyo: uthande ukuba bangazixhamli izithembiso zakhe ngaphandle kwethu.

KUMAHEBHERE 11XHO96Vula kumfundi weBhayibhile

Time and again, we read how surprised Jesus was at people’s uncertainty about faith. And yet from birth God has endowed us with the gift of faith. Even children know that. For them believing is natural. The problem is that our faith has been worn away by negativity, scepticism, sarcasm and cynicism. Perhaps because we don’t always understand what faith is.

Faith is action. Faith is to do or put into action what Jesus teaches us. Many of us think we do not know enough about faith and should therefore read more about it. “Give me more faith,” we pray while we already believe. All you need to do is to activate the faith your already have in you. Visit the gallery of the heroes of our faith in the Bible – many of them outright villains and not worthy of the title. And yet they were the ones who ventured into the realm of faith. In Hebrews 11 there’s a whole gallery of these heroes of the faith displayed as examples to us.

There comes a time in the life of all those wavering on the edge to take a leap of faith. Perhaps we should stop being passive onlookers sitting in the church Sunday after Sunday waiting for something to happen. So often we are like the Israelites of old wandering in the desert rather than entering the Promised Land. Maybe it’s time to venture out of the nest to give wings to your faith. And before you know you will be soaring like an eagle above God’s heavenly landscape.

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
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