Waswe, God Ting Long Iu Olsem Iu Rich?
“Bae hem semsem tu long man wea hipimap plande richfala samting for hemseleva bat long tingting bilong God hem no rich.”—LUKE 12:21.
1, 2. (a) Pipol willing for mekem big sakrifaes for kasem wanem samting? (b) Wanem danger and hard samting nao olketa Christian mas feisim?
WEI for lukaotem samting wea garem hae price hem samting wea pipol long plande kantri duim, and hem samting wea pipol duim long olketa difren taem long history tu. Olsem example, long mek-19 century staka pipol from olketa difren kantri willing for lusim hom and famili bilong olketa for go long Australia, South Africa, Canada, and long United States for lukaotem gold mekem olketa kamap rich nomata laef hem hard tumas. Tru nao, plande pipol willing for feisim danger and mekem big sakrifaes for kasem olketa rich samting wea olketa laekem tumas.
2 Nomata plande pipol distaem no go long olketa nara kantri for lukaotem samting wea garem hae price, olketa mas waka hard for kasem selen for stap laef evriday. For duim olsem long disfala world man savve kasem hard samting and diswan putim bigfala hevi long man. Hem wei bilong man for barava wari abaotem kaikai, kaleko, and ples for stap, gogo diswan mekem olketa ting smol long olketa samting wea moa important. (Romans 14:17) Jesus talem wanfala tokpiksa wea barava storyim disfala wei bilong olketa man. Iumi savve lukim long Luke 12:16-21.
3. Storyim tokpiksa wea Jesus talem long Luke 12:16-21.
3 Jesus talem datfala tokpiksa long semtaem wea hem story abaotem wei for stap klia long fasin for kavet, wea iumi storyim long article bifor diswan. Bihaen hem givim warning abaotem wei for kavet, Jesus story abaotem wanfala rich man wea no satisfae long olketa stoahaos bilong hem wea fulap finis witim olketa gudfala samting, and laek for aotem olketa and buildim samfala big wan moa for hipimap samfala moa gud samting. Gogo hem tingse evri samting hem set nao and bae hem garem isi living, bat God talem hao hem bae dae and nara man nao bae tekem evri samting wea hem hipimap. Then Jesus sei olsem: “Bae hem semsem tu long man wea hipimap plande richfala samting for hemseleva bat long tingting bilong God hem no rich.” (Luke 12:21) Wanem nao iumi savve lanem from disfala tokpiksa? Long wanem wei nao iumi savve followim diswan long laef bilong iumi?
Wanfala Man wea Garem Problem
4. Wanem kaen man nao Jesus storyim long tokpiksa bilong hem?
4 Pipol savve gud long datfala tokpiksa wea Jesus storyim. For startim datfala story Jesus sei olsem: “Olketa garden long land bilong wanfala rich man hem garem staka kaikai.” Jesus no sei man hia kamap rich from hem duim samfala raverave bisnis wea brekem law. So hao Jesus storyim disfala man hem no mekem iumi tingse hem wicked. Tru nao, from samting wea Jesus talem, hem stret for tingim hao disfala man hem man for waka hard. Luk olsem datfala man hem plan for future bilong hem, maet from hem ting abaotem living bilong famili bilong hem. So iumi savve ting long hem olsem wanfala man wea waka hard and ting strong long responsibility bilong hem.
5. Wanem problem nao datfala man long tokpiksa bilong Jesus garem?
5 Long datfala tokpiksa, Jesus sei datfala man hem rich, wea minim hem garem finis plande material samting. Bat olsem Jesus talem, datfala man garem wanfala problem. Land bilong hem garem staka kaikai tumas winim wanem hem needim and wanem hem savve lukaftarem. Wanem samting nao hem shud duim?
6. Olketa wanem samting nao plande servant bilong God mas disaedem?
6 Plande servant bilong Jehovah distaem feisim samfala samting wea semsem olsem datfala rich man. Olketa trufala Christian trae for honest, and pipol for waka hard. (Colossians 3:22, 23) Nomata sapos olketa waka for wanfala company or garem bisnis bilong olketa seleva, plande taem olketa win long datwan and kasem gudfala samting. Taem chance kamap for garem moa waka and hae position long wanfala company, diswan mekem olketa for mas disaed. Waswe, bae olketa acceptim datwan and kasem moa selen? Olsem tu, plande Witness pikinini duim gud waka bilong olketa long skul. From diswan, gavman savve givim scholarship long olketa for go long university. Waswe, olketa shud acceptim datfala chance olsem staka nara young wan duim?
7. Long wanem wei nao datfala man long tokpiksa bilong Jesus deal witim problem wea hem garem?
7 Long tokpiksa bilong Jesus, wanem nao datfala rich man duim taem land bilong hem garem staka kaikai tumas gogo hem no garem eni ples for putim olketa kaikai bilong hem? Hem disaed for aotem olketa stoahaos wea hem garem finis and buildim samfala big wan moa for putim staka extra kaikai hia and olketa gudfala samting wea hem garem. Luk olsem datfala plan barava mekem hem for feel sef and satisfae, dastawe hem ting olsem long hemseleva: “Bae mi sei long soul bilong mi: ‘Soul, iu garem plande gudfala samting for mekem iu stap gud for plande year; garem isi living, kaikai, drink, and stap hapi nao.’”—Luke 12:19.
Why Nao Datfala Man “No Garem Stretfala Tingting”?
8. Wanem important samting nao datfala man long tokpiksa bilong Jesus hem no tingim?
8 Bat nomata datfala rich man tingse plan bilong hem gud, hem giamanim hemseleva nomoa. Hem tru, datwan hem here olsem gud samting for duim, bat hem no tingim wanfala barava important samting, wea hem nao will bilong God. Datfala man hem tingim hemseleva nomoa, wei wea hem bae garem isi living, kaikai, drink, and stap hapi. Long tingting bilong hem, from hem garem “plande gudfala samting” diswan bae mekem hem for stap laef for “plande year.” Bat sorre tumas, hem no happen olsem. Olsem Jesus talem, “nomata sapos man garem plande samting, olketa samting hia no mekem hem laef.” (Luke 12:15) Long datfala naet, evri samting wea datfala man hem waka hard for kasem hem finis nao, from God sei long hem: “Iu no garem stretfala tingting, long disfala naet bae iu lusim soul bilong iu. So hu nao bae kasem evri samting wea iu hipimap?”—Luke 12:20.
9. Why nao God sei datfala man no garem stretfala tingting?
9 So main point bilong disfala tokpiksa hem olsem: God sei datfala man hem no garem stretfala tingting. Datfala Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament hem explainim hao datfala word long Greek languis hem “evritaem minim wei for no minim gud samting.” Disfala dictionary talem hao long datfala tokpiksa, God hem iusim datfala word for showimaot klia hao “olketa samting wea rich pipol planim for future hem iusles.” Datfala word hem no for man wea no garem inaf savve, bat hem for “man wea no laek acceptim hao hem depend long God for stap laef.” Wei wea Jesus story abaotem datfala rich man helpem iumi for minim samting wea hem talem long olketa Christian long first-century long kongregeson bilong Laodicea, long Asia Minor: “Iu sei: ‘Mi rich and kasem staka samting and no needim eni samting moa,’ bat iu no savve iu barava no fit and iu no stap gud and iu poor and blind and naked.”—Revelation 3:17.
10. Why nao wei wea man garem “plande gudfala samting” hem no mekem hem stap laef for “plande year”?
10 Iumi shud ting raonem samting wea iumi savve lanem from diswan. Waswe, iumi olsem datfala man long tokpiksa bilong Jesus long wei wea iumi waka hard for mek sure iumi kasem “plande gudfala samting,” bat no duim olketa important samting wea savve helpem iumi stap laef for “plande year”? (John 3:16; 17:3) Bible hem sei: “Olketa richfala samting bae iusles long datfala day bilong kros,” and “man wea trustim riches bilong hem—hemseleva bae foldaon.” (Proverbs 11:4, 28) Dastawe long datfala tokpiksa, Jesus sei moa: “Bae hem semsem tu long man wea hipimap plande richfala samting for hemseleva bat long tingting bilong God hem no rich.”—Luke 12:21.
11. Why nao hem iusles nomoa for man aftarem olketa material samting from hem tingse datwan bae givim hem hope and gudfala living?
11 Taem Jesus hem sei “bae hem semsem tu,” diswan showimaot hao samting wea kasem datfala rich man long datfala tokpiksa bae kasem tu olketa wea tingse hope and gudfala living hem depend long wei for garem olketa material samting. Mistek bilong datfala man hem no wei wea hem ‘hipimap plande rich samting for hemseleva,’ bat problem nao hem no duim eni samting wea bae mekem God ting long hem olsem hem rich. Disaepol James talem semkaen warning, hem sei: “Samfala long iufala sei: ‘Tuday or tumoro bae iumi go long disfala taon and iumi bae stap long there for wanfala year, and iumi bae duim bisnis and kasem staka selen,’ bat iufala no savve wanem bae happen long iufala tumoro.” Wanem nao olketa shud duim? “Bat, iufala shud sei: ‘Sapos hem will bilong Jehovah, mifala bae stap laef and duim samting mifala tingim.’” (James 4:13-15) Nomata wanfala man hem rich or garem plande material samting, sapos long tingting bilong God hem no rich, evri samting wea hem garem hem iusles nomoa. So wanem nao hem minim for God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich?
For God Ting Long Iumi Olsem Iumi Rich
12. Wei for duim wanem samting nao bae mekem God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich?
12 Toktok bilong Jesus hem showimaot hao wei for God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich hem difren from wei wea man hipimap olketa material samting for hemseleva, or for kamap rich long material wei. So Jesus hem sei wei for hipimap olketa material samting or for enjoyim olketa samting wea iumi ownim shud no main samting long laef bilong iumi. Bat iumi shud iusim olketa samting wea iumi garem for helpem iumi strongim wei wea iumi fren witim Jehovah. Taem iumi duim olsem God bae ting long iumi olsem iumi rich. Why nao olsem? Bikos diswan hem mekem wei for iumi kasem plande blessing from hem. Bible talem iumi: “Blessing bilong Jehovah—hem nao mekem man rich, and hem no addim eni pain witim datwan.”—Proverbs 10:22.
13. Long wanem wei nao blessing bilong Jehovah hem “mekem man rich”?
13 Taem Jehovah blessim pipol bilong hem, hem evritaem givim best samting. (James 1:17) Olsem example, taem Jehovah givim olketa Israelite ples for stap, hem “wanfala ples wea fulap witim milk and honey.” Hem tru, Bible hem sei Egypt hem olsem tu, bat wanfala samting nao hem barava difren abaotem datfala land wea Jehovah givim long olketa Israelite. Moses talem long olketa Israelite hao hem ‘wanfala land wea God bilong olketa, Jehovah, hem lukaftarem.’ Diswan minim, olketa bae garem gudfala laef bikos Jehovah nao bae lukaftarem olketa. Jehovah hem blessim olketa Israelite and olketa garem gudfala laef wea moabeta winim olketa narafala nation, taem olketa gohed for faithful long hem. Tru nao, blessing wea kam from Jehovah nao “mekem man rich”!—Numbers 16:13; Deuteronomy 4:5-8; 11:8-15.
14. Olketa wea God ting long olketa olsem olketa rich enjoyim wanem samting?
14 Olketa wea garem plande material samting savve tingim nomoa hao pipol bae ting long olketa. Plande taem diswan hem showaot long samting wea olketa duim. Olsem Bible hem talem, olketa laek ‘for show-off witim samting wea olketa garem’ for mekem pipol lukim and tinghae long olketa. (1 John 2:16) Bat saed long olketa wea God ting long olketa olsem olketa rich, olketa hapi from God acceptim olketa and showimaot long olketa kaenfala fasin wea man no fit for kasem, and tu, olketa fren gud witim hem. Diswan nao bae mekem olketa hapi and stap gud. Hard for eni material samting and riches mekem man stap gud olsem. (Isaiah 40:11) Bat samting for iumi tingim nao hem olsem, Wanem nao iumi mas duim for mekem God hem ting long iumi olsem iumi rich?
Rich Long Tingting Bilong God
15. Wanem nao iumi mas duim mekem God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich?
15 Long datfala tokpiksa bilong Jesus, datfala man hem waka hard for kasem samting for hemseleva nomoa, dastawe God sei hem no garem gudfala tingting. So, for God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich, iumi mas waka hard and share evribit long olketa kaen waka wea God tinghae long hem and sei hem important. Wanfala nao hem disfala komand bilong Jesus: “Iufala mas go and mekem pipol long evri nation for kamap disaepol bilong mi.” (Matthew 28:19) Gud samting for iumi duim nao hem for iusim taem, strong, and savve bilong iumi, no for kasem samting for iumiseleva, bat for duim waka for preach abaotem Kingdom and mekem pipol kamap disaepol. Wei for duim olsem bae mekem iumi kasem staka gud samting long spiritual wei olsem olketa experience hia showimaot.—Proverbs 19:17.
16, 17. Olketa wanem experience nao showimaot samting wea man savve duim long laef for mekem God ting long hem olsem hem rich?
16 Tingim story bilong wanfala Christian man long wanfala kantri long Asia. Hem garem waka for fixim computer, and hem kasem gudfala pei for datwan. Bat hem iusim staka taem long disfala waka and diswan mekem hem wikdaon long spiritual wei. Gogo, winim wei for trae duim moa samting long waka bilong hem mekem hem kasem moa selen, hem finis long datwan and startim wanfala smol bisnis for wakem ice-cream and hem go salem long saed road. From diswan, hem garem moa taem for lukaftarem olketa spiritual need bilong hem and for duim olketa spiritual responsibility bilong hem tu. Olketa wea hem waka witim olketa bifor mekfani long hem. Bat wanem gud samting nao kamaot from diswan? Hem sei: “For tok stret, mi garem staka selen winim taem wea mi fixim olketa computer. Mi kasem moa hapi bikos mi no garem olketa wari wea mi garem taem mi stap long waka bilong mi bifor. And samting wea moa important nao, mi barava fren gud witim Jehovah.” Wei wea living bilong disfala man hem change, mekem hem savve duim moa samting long ministry, and distaem hem serve long branch office bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long kantri bilong hem. Tru nao, blessing bilong Jehovah hem “mekem man rich.”
17 Nara example hem wanfala woman wea growap long famili wea barava tinghae tumas long wei for garem hae education. Hem go long olketa university long France, Mexico, and Switzerland and hem luk forward for kasem wanfala gud waka. Hem sei: “Mi win long education bilong mi; mi kasem respect and olketa chance wea nara pipol no kasem, bat insaed heart bilong mi, mi feel emti and mi barava no satisfae.” Then hem lane abaotem Jehovah. Hem sei: “Taem mi muv ahed long spiritual wei, mi laek for mekem Jehovah hapi and for duim moa samting for hem, bikos hem givim plande samting for mi. Diswan helpem mi for lukim hao best samting for mi duim hem for servem hem full taem.” Hem finis from waka bilong hem and no longtaem bihaen hem baptaes. Insaed 20 year wea go pas, hem hapi for serve insaed full-taem ministry. Hem sei: “Samfala tingse mi weistim savve wea mi garem, bat olketa luksavve mi hapi, and olketa tinghae long olketa principle wea mi followim. Mi prea long Jehovah evriday for hem helpem mi for hambol mekem hem savve hapi long mi.”
18. Olsem Paul, wanem nao iumi savve duim for mekem God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich?
18 Long firstaem, Saul wea hem kamap aposol Paul, duim olketa samting wea gogo savve mekem hem garem hae position. Bat bihaen hem raet olsem: “Mi ting long evri samting hia olsem samting nating bikos long nambawan savve abaotem Lord bilong mi, Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:7, 8) Long tingting bilong Paul, olketa nambawan spiritual samting wea hem kasem hem barava winim eni samting wea world savve givim hem. Olsem tu, taem iumi lusim eni selfish goal wea iumi nomoa laekem and live followim wei bilong God, iumi tu savve enjoyim kaen laef wea God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich. Word bilong God talem promis olsem: “Samting wea kamaot from hambol fasin and wei for fraet long Jehovah hem richfala samting and glory and laef.”—Proverbs 22:4.
Waswe, Iu Savve Explainim?
• Wanem nao problem bilong datfala man long tokpiksa bilong Jesus?
• Why nao God sei datfala man no garem gudfala tingting?
• Wanem nao hem minim for God ting long iu olsem iu rich?
• Wei for duim wanem samting nao bae mekem God ting long iumi olsem iumi rich?
[Piksa long page 28]
Why nao God sei datfala rich man hem no garem gudfala tingting?
[Piksa long page 29]
Hao nao olketa chance for garem gudfala laef long world savve kamap wanfala test?
[Piksa long page 30]
“Blessing bilong Jehovah—hem nao mekem man rich”