Bible Society of South Africa

Grow a Spiritual Garden – Day 10

Keep your hand on the plough.

Um(Imi)bhalo weBhayibheli

NgokukaLuka 17

5Abaphostoli base bethi eNkosini: “Yandisa ukukholwa kwethu.”

6Yayisithi iNkosi: “Uma beninokukholwa okungangenhlamvu yesinaphi, beningasho kulo mthombe: ‘Simbuka, utshaleke elwandle,’ ubuyakunilalela.

NgokukaLuka 17:5-6ZUL59NOVula kumfundi weBhayibheli

NgokukaLuka 9

61Nomunye-ke wathi: “Ngizakukulandela, Nkosi; kepha ngivumele ngiye kuqala ukuyovalelisa abasekhaya.”

62Kodwa uJesu wathi kuye: “Akakho othi esebeke isandla sakhe egejeni, abuke emuva, ofanele umbuso kaNkulunkulu.”

NgokukaLuka 9:61-62ZUL59NOVula kumfundi weBhayibheli

KumaHeberu 11

Amaqhawe enkolo esivumelwaneni esidala

1Kepha ukukholwa kungukuqiniseka ngezinto ezithenjwayo, kuyiqiniso ngezinto ezingabonwayo. 2Ngokuba okhokho bafakazelwa ngakho.

3Ngokukholwa siqonda ukuthi izwe lonke ladatshulwa ngezwi likaNkulunkulu, kuze kuthi okubonwayo akuvelanga kokubonwayo.

4Ngokukholwa u-Abela wanikela kuNkulunkulu ngomhlatshelo omuhle kunoKayini, athola ngakho ubufakazi bokuthi ulungile, uNkulunkulu uqobo efakaza ngezipho zakhe; nangakho usakhuluma, noma efile.

5Ngokukholwa u-Enoke wathathwa, ukuze angaboni ukufa, akabe esafunyanwa, ngokuba uNkulunkulu wayemthabathile. Ngokuba engakathathwa ufakazelwe ukuthi wayethokozisa uNkulunkulu; 6kepha-ke ngaphandle kokukholwa akwenzeki ukumthokozisa; ngokuba ozayo kuNkulunkulu umelwe ukukholwa ukuthi ukhona nokuthi ungumvuzi walabo abamfunayo.

7Ngokukholwa uNowa exwayisiwe ngezinto ebezingakabonwa, esaba uNkulunkulu, wakha umkhumbi wokusindisa indlu yakhe, okungakho walahla izwe, waba yindlalifa yokulunga okuvela ngokukholwa.

8Ngokukholwa u-Abrahama walalela ebizwa ukuba aphume aye endaweni abezakuyamukeliswa ibe yifa lakhe; waphuma engazi lapho eya khona. 9Ngokukholwa waba ngumfokazi ezweni lesithembiso kwangathi ngelezizwe, ehlala ematendeni, beno-Isaka noJakobe, beyizindlalifa kanye naye zaleso sithembiso, 10ngokuba wayebheke umuzi onezisekelo, omakhi nomenzi wawo nguNkulunkulu.

11Ngokukholwa naye uSara uqobo wathola amandla okukhulelwa esedlulelwe yisikhathi, ngokuba wathi ukholekile owethembisayo. 12Ngakho-ke kwavela koyedwa, yena enjengosewafa, abangangezinkanyezi zezulu ngobuningi, bengangesihlabathi esisogwini lolwandle esingenakubalwa.

13Bonke laba bafa bekholiwe, bengazamukeliswanga izithembiso, kepha bezibonile, bezithakazele zikude, bevumile ukuthi bangabafokazi nezihambi emhlabeni. 14Ngokuba abasho kanjalo babonakalisa ukuthi bafuna izwe lakubo. 15Uma kambe bebecabanga ngalelo ababephuma kulo, bebeyakuba nethuba lokubuyela kulo; 16kepha manje balangazelela elihle kunalelo, okungukuthi elasezulwini. Ngalokho uNkulunkulu akanamahloni ngabo ukuba abizwe ngokuthi uNkulunkulu wabo, ngokuba ubalungisele umuzi.

17Ngokukholwa u-Abrahama evivinywa wanikela ngo-Isaka, yebo, yena owayamukele izithembiso, wanikela ngozelwe yedwa wakhe, 18okwathiwa kuye: “Inzalo yakho iyakubizwa ngo-Isaka,” 19ethi uNkulunkulu unamandla okuvusa nakwabafileyo; ngokulinganisa wabuye wamthola futhi evela khona.

20Ngokukholwa u-Isaka wabusisa oJakobe no-Esawu ngezinto ebezizakuza.

21Ngokukholwa uJakobe esezakufa wabusisa leyo naleyo yamadodana kaJosefa, wakhuleka encikile esihlokweni sodondolo lwakhe.

22Ngokukholwa uJosefa esezakufa wakhuluma ngokuphuma kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli, wayaleza ngamathambo akhe.

23Ngokukholwa uMose esezelwe wafihlwa ngabazali bakhe izinyanga ezintathu, ngokuba bembona engumntwana omuhle; abawesabanga umyalo wenkosi.

24Ngokukholwa uMose esekhulile wala ukubizwa ngokuthi indodana yendodakazi kaFaro; 25kunalokho wakhetha ukuphathwa kabi kanye nabantu bakaNkulunkulu kunokuba athokoze isikhashana esonweni, 26ethi ukuthukwa ngenxa kaKristu kuyimfuyo enkulu kunengcebo yaseGibithe, ngokuba wayebheke umvuzo. 27Ngokukholwa washiya iGibithe engesabi ulaka lwenkosi; ngokuba wakhuthazela sengathi uyambona ongabonwayo. 28Ngokukholwa wamisa iPhasika nokufafaza ngegazi, ukuze umbhubhisi angathinti amazibulo abo.

29Ngokukholwa badabula uLwandle Olubomvu kungathi kusemhlabathini owomileyo, okwathi abaseGibithe bekulinga lokho, baminza.

30Ngokukholwa izingange zaseJeriko zawa, sezizungeziwe izinsuku eziyisikhombisa.

31Ngokukholwa, uRahabi isifebe, akabhubhanga kanye nabangalalelanga, esezamukele izinhloli ngokuthula.

32Ngisezakuthini futhi na? Isikhathi kambe sizakungishiya, uma ngibalisa ngoGideyoni, noBaraki, noSamsoni, noJefta, noDavide, noSamuweli nabaprofethi, 33abathi ngokukholwa banqoba imibuso, basebenza ukulunga, bazuza izithembiso, bavimba imilomo yezingonyama, 34bacima amandla omlilo, baphepha osikweni lwenkemba, baphiwa amandla ebuthakathakeni, baba yiziqhwaga empini, baxosha izimpi zabezizwe. 35Abesifazane bamukeliswa abafileyo babo bevusiwe; abanye bahlushwa, kabavuma ukukhululwa, ukuze bathole ukuvuka okuhle; 36abanye balingwa ngokujivazwa nokushaywa, yebo, nokuboshwa nokufakwa etilongweni; 37bakhandwa ngamatshe, banqunywa ngesaha, balingwa, babulawa ngenkemba, bazulazula bembethe izikhumba zezimvu nezezimbuzi, beswela, behlushwa, bephathwa kabi, 38izwe elingabafanele bona, behamba emahlane, nasezintabeni, nasemihumeni, nasemigedeni yomhlaba.

39Labo bonke, befakazelwe ngokukholwa, abazuzanga isithembiso, 40ngokuba uNkulunkulu wayesibonele okuhle kunalokho, ukuze bangapheleliswa ngaphandle kwethu.

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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
SITHOLE KU