UNaoko, ebekuthethwe ngaye kwinqaku elingaphambi kweli, emva kokuba ekwazile ukuyeka ukutshaya wathetha la mazwi: “Ndakwazi ukutshintsha ubomi bam ngenxa yokuba ndafunda ngeempawu zikaThixo nangenjongo yakhe.” Oko wakufunda eBhayibhileni. Nangona iBhayibhile ingathethi ngecuba, kodwa iyasinceda siqonde indlela uThixo akujonga ngayo ukutshaya. * Olo lwazi luncede abantu abaninzi bakwazi ukuzinqanda okanye ukuwuyeka lo mkhwa. (2 Timoti 3:16, 17) Makhe sithethe ngeengozi ezaziwayo ezintathu ezibangelwa kukutshaya nangoko kufundiswa yiBhayibhile.

Icuba linesona siyobisi sikhobokisayo esiyinikotini (nicotine). Esi siyobisi siyadlamkisa kodwa kwangaxeshanye siyadakumbisa. Ukutshaya kubangela ukuba inikotini ifike msinyane nangokuphindaphindiweyo engqondweni. Sihlandlo ngasinye umntu empakuza, ufunxa inikotini. Ngoko umntu otshaya ipakethi yecuba ngosuku ufunxa inikotini kangangezihlandlo eziyi-200, umlinganiselo omkhulu ngaphezu kwaso nasiphi na esinye isiyobisi. Yiloo nto ebangela ukuba inikotini ikhobokise kangaka. Xa sele ichewukile ingedle, iye inqanqatheke ize ilifune apho belikho icuba xa ingekatshayi.

IBhayibhile isilumkisa isithi: “Anazi na ukuba lowo nizinikela kuye njengamakhoboka ukuze nimthobele, ningamakhoboka akhe ngenxa yokuba nimthobela?” (Roma 6:16) Ukuba umntu usoloko ecinga ngokutshaya, kungekudala uba likhoboka lako. Kodwa, uThixo ogama linguYehova ufuna sikhululeke, kungekuphela nje kwizinto ezenzakalisa imizimba yethu, kodwa nakwezo zonakalisa iingqondo zethu. (INdumiso 83:18; 2 Korinte 7:1) Ngenxa yoko, xa umntu efunda ngoYehova uye aqonde ukuba ufanele azinikele ngokupheleleyo kuye, ibe akanakukwazi ukuyenza loo nto ngoxa ezinikele kumkhwa oyingozi. Ukwazi oko kumnceda azimisele ukuxhathisa iminqweno eyingozi.

UOlaf ohlala eJamani uye wakwazi ukoyisa umkhwa wokutshaya weminyaka eyi-16 awawuqala eneminyaka eyi-12 ubudala. Uthi: “Ukuqala kwam ukutshaya kwakungathi yinto nje engenamsebenzi, kanti ndisukele endala ndicing’ ukuba lithole. Ngeny’ imini ndakhe ndaphelelwa licuba. Ndaqokelela zonke izitompi, ndaziqongqotha ndaza ndabopha yonke loo mvuthuluka  ngephepha ndayitshaya. Xa sendiyicinga yonke le nto, yayiziintloni.” Wahlukana njani nalo mkhwa? Uthi: “Eyona nto yandincedayo ngumnqweno wam wokwenza izinto uYehova azithandayo. Uthando uYehova analo ngabantu nethemba asinika lona zandenza ndahlukana nalo mkhwa wokutshaya.”

IThe Tobacco Atlas ithi: “Isayensi ingqina ukuba . . . ukutshaya icuba kuyingozi kuwo onke amalungu omzimba ibe kuyagulisa, ekugqibeleni kubulale.” Siyazi kakuhle into yokuba icuba libangela izifo ezingosuleliyo njengesomhlaza, esentliziyo nesemiphunga. Kodwa ngokutsho kweWorld Health Organization (WHO), ukutshaya kungowona nobangela wokubulawa kwabantu sisifo esosulelayo iTB.

NgeLizwi lakhe iBhayibhile, uYehova uThixo usifundisa ukuba sibuxabise ubomi, nemizimba yethu. UNyana wakhe uYesu wathi xa ethetha ngoku: “Uze umthande uYehova uThixo wakho ngentliziyo yakho iphela nangomphefumlo wakho uphela nangengqondo yakho iphela.” (Mateyu 22:37) Kucacile ukuba uThixo ufuna siyihlonele imizimba yethu size siphile ubomi obunenjongo. Njengoko sifunda ngoYehova nangezithembiso zakhe siye simthande size sizixabise izinto asenzele zona. Oku kusibangela singenzi nanye into enokungcolisa imizimba yethu.

UJayavanth, ongugqirha eIndiya watshaya kangangeminyaka eyi-38. Uthi: “Ndifundile ngeengozi zokutshaya kwiincwadi zempilo. Bendisazi ukuba kuyingozi oko, ibe bendizicebisa izigulane zam ukuba ziyeke ukutshaya. Kodwa mna ndandingakwazi. Ndazama izihlandlo ezihlanu okanye ezithandathu kodwa ndohluleka.” Uncedwe yintoni ke lo gqirha ukuze ayeke ukutshaya? Uthi: “Ukufunda iBhayibhile kundincedile ukuze ndiyeke. Umnqweno wam wokufuna ukuvuyisa uYehova wandinika amandla ndakwazi ukuwoyisa lo mkhwa.”

Umsi wecuba uyingozi. Ukuphefumla umsi wecuba kunokubangela umhlaza nezinye izifo kwabo bangatshayiyo. Nyaka ngamnye kubulala abantu  abangatshayiyo abayi-600 000, uninzi lwabo ngabafazi nabantwana. Ingxelo yombutho iWHO ithi: “Asikwazi kukuphepha ukuphefumla umsi wecuba labantu abatshayayo.”

Ngokutsho kukaYesu, ukuthanda ummelwane—iintsapho zethu, abahlobo nabanye abasingqongileyo—kukwindawo yesibini ekuthandeni uThixo. Wathi: “Uze umthande ummelwane wakho njengawe siqu.” (Mateyu 22:39) Sakuba asilubonisi uthando lommelwane ukuba senza izinto ezibenzakalisayo abo basondeleyo kuthi. Uthando lokwenyani lusibangela ukuba sithobele esi siluleko seBhayibhile: “Ngamnye makafune, kungekhona ingenelo yakhe, kodwa eyomnye umntu.”—1 Korinte 10:24.

UArmen ohlala eArmenia, uthi: “Intsapho yam yandicenga ukuba ndiyeke ukutshaya kuba kwakuyenzakalisa oko. Kodwa ndandingafuni kuyivuma into yokuba ukutshaya kwam kunokuyenzakalisa.” Uchaza into eyamtshintshayo, esithi: “Oko ndandikufunda eBhayibhileni nothando lwam ngoYehova kwandinceda ndakwazi ukuyeka ukutshaya ndaza ndabona ukuba bekuyingozi, kungekuphela kum, kodwa nakwabanye abantu.”

IBhayibhile yanceda uOlaf, uJayavanth, noArmen bohlukana nalo mkhwa uyingozi owawusenzakalisa nabanye abantu. Abazange bayeke kuba nje besazi ukuba ukutshaya kuyingozi kodwa bayekiswa kukuthanda uYehova nokunqwenela ukumkholisa. Ukubaluleka kolu thando kuchazwe kweyoku-1 kaYohane 5:3 ethi: “Ukumthanda uThixo kuko ukuthi, siyigcine imiyalelo yakhe; kwaye ayinzima imiyalelo yakhe.” Kakade ke, akusoloko kulula ukuthobela oko kuseBhayibhileni, kodwa xa umntu emthanda kakhulu uThixo kuba lula ukuba amthobele.

Ngomsebenzi wokufundisa owenziwa ehlabathini jikelele, uYehova uThixo uye wanceda izigidi zabantu zakwazi ukuphuncula kumkhwa okhobokisayo wokutshaya. (1 Timoti 2:3, 4) Kungekudala, uYehova esebenzisa uNyana wakhe uYesu Kristu, uza kuzitshabalalisa ezentengiso ezibangele ukuba izigidi zabantu zikhotyokiswe licuba, baze abantu bafezeke.—Isaya 33:24; ISityhilelo 19:11, 15.

Ukuba uyasokola kwimizamo yokuyeka icuba, ungatyhafi. Xa umthanda uYehova uze ulijonge icuba ngendlela alijonga ngayo, uya kukwazi ukuphumelela kumzamo wakho. AmaNgqina kaYehova angakuvuyela ukukufundisa iBhayibhile. Qiniseka ukuba, xa ufuna uYehova akuncede uyeke ukutshaya, uya kukomeleza aze akunike amandla owafunayo.—Filipi 4:13.