Ndinali kuyenda tsiku lina labwino ndi mawu akuti ― "Strayin" mumdima "akuzungulira mutu wanga, nditayamba kuganiza za mawu odabwitsawa. Chitsanzo choyamba chimene chinafika m’maganizo mwanga chinali fanizo la nkhosa yotayika. Nkhosa makumi asanu ndi anayi mphambu zisanu ndi zinayi zinatha kukhala m’khola, koma wolota masana anasochera mumdima.

Ndaonerapo mapulogalamu ambiri a chilengedwe pa TV ndipo ndaona kuti mimbulu ndi nkhandwe nthawi zonse zimadya nyama zosokera. Chifukwa chiyani? Chifukwa zilombozi zidzayamba kuukira cholumikizira chofooka kwambiri, ndipo gulu lonse limakhala lamphamvu kuposa kuchuluka kwa ziwalo zake. Chotero, pamene “wolota masana” asochera pagulu lankhosa, amakhala pangozi yaikulu, ndipo ngati yasokera kutali kwambiri, ndiye kuti imagwera kwa mbusa kuti aibweze nkhosayo kapena nkhosayo idzafa. Zilibe kanthu kwa Mbusa Wabwino kuti akadali ndi makumi asanu ndi anayi mphambu zisanu ndi zinayi mu khola. Chifukwa chake chiri monga momwe iye akunenera, “Iyeyo ndiye wanga wosochera kwa ine, ndipo ngakhale njira ili yoipa ndi yotsetsereka, ndipita kuchipululu kukafunafuna nkhosa zanga.”

Ichi ndi chifukwa chake Yesu ali “M’busa Wabwino.” Mbuye amatidziwa bwino ndipo amatisamalira mwachikondi aliyense wa ife. Aleluya, Mpulumutsi wake! Ndi dalitso lalikulu kudziwa kuti simasewera chabe kwa Yesu, monga wamalonda wina wapadziko lonse lapansi adapambana ena ndikutaya ena pomwe amamanga mbiri yake yayikulu. Mbusa wathu ali wokonda kwambiri nkhosa yake iliyonse, ndipo salolera kutaya iliyonse chifukwa cholephera khama. Anzanga, pamene tikulingalira za chikondi chodabwitsachi, chiridi chodabwitsa. Ndi mphatso yamtengo wapatali bwanji yomwe tapatsidwa kuchokera kwa Iye amene ali Mwana wa Mulungu, wobadwa woyamba wa chilengedwe chonse, Alefa ndi Omega, Mwanawankhosa wathu wa Paskha, Mbusa wathu Wabwino, amene zinthu zonse zinapangidwa kudzera mwa Iye, ndipo popanda Iye. palibe chimene chinapangidwa!” (Yohane 1:3) WOW!!!

“Mulungu ndiye kuunika, ndipo mwa Iye mulibe mdima ngakhale pang’ono” (1 Yohane 1:5). Ngati ife tiridi, “tikusokera” ku mdima, ndiye kunena mwamalemba, tikuyenda kutali ndi Mulungu. Taganizirani za mnyamata wina amene anakhala ndi Yesu m’munda wa Getsemane. Mukukumbukira chochitikacho, kamwana ka nkhosa kamodzi kanakhala m’khola, pamene ena makumi asanu ndi anayi mphambu asanu ndi anayi, kuphatikizapo Petro, Mateyu, Yakobo, Filipo ndi ophunzira ena onse anasochera’ mumdima. Ndikukhulupirira kuti mnyamata wina anakhalabe chifukwa ankakonda Yesu. Onse anasokera kusiyapo mmodzi, ndipo ndimasilira kupirira kwake. Ndimayamika moxie wake, koma moxie kapena ayi, atasankhidwa ndipo asirikali adagwira mkanjo wake wansalu, adanyamuka ngati kalulu! Mkanjo wake wa bafuta unang’ambika, ndi moyo wachichepere wosaukayo ukusokera’ mumdima wamaliseche ndi wosokonezeka, akumasiya Yesu yekha ndi mimbulu ija ndi ankhandwe, monga mwanawankhosa wokonzekera kuphedwa.

Pamene tikuyenda m’kuunika ndi Ambuye wathu wamtengo wapatali, timakutidwa ndi mwinjiro wake wa chilungamo. Kusokera mumdima kumatisiya amaliseche, owonekera, ndi pangozi yaikulu yochokera ku mimbulu ndi mimbulu. Kusokera ndiko kupatuka panjira yachindunji, kusiya malo oyenera, kapena kupyola malire oyenera, popanda njira kapena cholinga chokhazikika. Kwa Akristu, malo athu oyenera ndi kuyenda ndi Kristu, Mpulumutsi wathu, Ambuye wathu, Mfumu yathu, Mbusa wathu, ndi kupenyerera ndi kumvetsera malangizo Ake ponena za njira yoti tipite. Timayang'anitsitsa ndikumvetsera mau ake ang'onoting'ono, ndi unyinji wa njira zomwe amalankhulirana nafe. Timayesa, mwina mwanjira ina, kudziwa zomwe zikuchitika pafupi nafe komanso komwe tili, kuti tikhale okonzekera chilichonse. Monga mmene Yesu anauzira ophunzira ake kuti: “Chotero dikirani ... inunso khalani okonzeka, chifukwa Mwana wa munthu adzadza pa ola limene simukuliyembekezera.” ( Mat. 24:42, 44 ) Pamene Yesu anaphunzitsa ophunzira ake kuti:

Ophunzira makumi asanu ndi anayi mphambu asanu ndi anayi omwe adathawa Yesu ku Getsemane, moona mtima sanayang'ane kapena kumvetsera mwachidwi kuti azindikire zomwe zinali kuchitika kuzungulira iwo m'mundamo, ndipo atagonjetsedwa ndi chisokonezo ndi kudzisunga kwawo adasokera mumdima. Wophunzira wachichepere mmodzi wolimba mtima amene poyamba anakhalabe anagonjetsa chisokonezo chake ndi kudzisunga kwake ndi chikondi chake pa Yesu, koma pamene manja a asilikali amenewo anafika pa mapewa ake, iyenso sanali wokonzeka ndipo anasochera’ mumdima.

Kusokera mumdima ndi bizinesi yowopsa kwambiri, ndipo iyenera kupewedwa ngati mliri. Komabe ndi zabwino kwambiri kudziwa kuti ngati tisochera, M’busa wathu Wabwino adzabwera kudzatifunafuna. Koma zowona, mu chithunzi chachikulu, ndichinthu chanzeru komanso chanzeru kungokhala mugulu.

©CDMI

“…M’busa wabwino amapereka moyo wake chifukwa cha nkhosa. Koma wolipidwa, amene alibe nkhosa, akaona mmbulu ulinkudza, nasiya nkhosa, nathawa; ndipo mmbulu ugwira nkhosa ndi kuzibalalitsa…Ine ndine M’busa Wabwino, ndipo nkhosa zanga ndimazidziwa, ndipo zanga zindizindikirika.” Yohane 10:11-12; 14

I was cruising along one fine day with the phrase ―”Strayin‘ into darkness” be-bopping around my cranium, when I began thinking about that peculiar word stray. The first example that popped into my mind was the parable of the lost sheep. Ninety-nine sheep managed to stay in the fold, but one daydreamer went strayin‘ into darkness.

I‘ve watched many nature shows on TV and have seen that wolves and jackals always prey upon the strays of the fold. Why? Because these predators will first attack the weakest link, and the whole flock is stronger than the sum of its parts. Therefore, when a “day-dreamer” strays away from the flock, it is in great peril, and if it has strayed too far, then it falls upon the shepherd to bring the sheep back or the sheep will die. It matters not to the Good Shepherd that he still has ninety and nine safely in the fold. The reason is as he says, “The one ’tis of mine, having strayed away from me, and although the road is rough and steep, I go to the desert to find my sheep.”

This is precisely the reason Jesus is “The Good Shepherd.” The Master knows us well and tenderly cares for each and every one of us. Hallelujah, what a Savior! It‘s such a blessing to know that it‘s all not just some numbers game to Jesus, like some cosmic stock trader winning some and losing some as he builds his great portfolio. Our Shepherd is fervently passionate about each and every one of His sheep, not willing to lose any for lack of effort. My friends, as we ponder this amazing love, it is truly aweinspiring. What a fabulous gift we are given from Him who is the Son of God, the first-born of all creation, the Alpha and the Omega, our Passover Lamb, our Good Shepherd, the One through whom all things were made and ”Without Him was not anything made that was made!” (John 1:3) WOW!!!

“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). If we are, indeed, “strayin‘ into darkness,” then scripturally speaking, we are walking away from God. Consider the certain young man who stayed with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. You remember the incident, one young sheep stayed in the fold, while the other ninety and nine, including Peter, Matthew, James, Philip and the rest of the disciples went strayin‘ into darkness. I believe that certain young man stayed because he loved Jesus. They all strayed except one, and I truly admire his tenacity. I applaud his moxie, but moxie or not, when he was singled out and the soldiers grabbed his linen robe, he took off like a jackrabbit! His linen robe tore off, with that poor young soul strayin‘ into darkness naked and confused, leaving Jesus alone with those wolves and jackals, like a lamb ready for the slaughter.

As we walk in the light with our precious Lord, we are covered by His robe of righteousness. Strayin‘ into darkness leaves us naked, exposed, and in great peril from wolves and jackals. To stray is to deviate from the direct course, leave the proper place, or go beyond the proper limits, without a fixed course or purpose. For the Christian, our proper place is walking with the Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our King, our Shepherd, and watching and listening to His directions as to which way to go. We watch and listen for His still small voice, and the multitude of ways in which He communicates with us. We try, at least in some way, to keep abreast of what‘s going on around us and where we‘re at, so that we might be ready for whatever. As Jesus told His disciples, “Therefore keep watch ... you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt. 24: 42, 44).

The ninety and nine disciples who fled Jesus in Gethsemane, frankly hadn‘t watched nor listened intently enough to figure out what was going on around them in that garden, and being overcome with confusion and their own self-preservation they strayed into darkness. The one valiant young disciple who initially stayed overcame his confusion and self-preservation with his love for Jesus, but when those soldiers‘ hands came down upon his shoulders, he, too, was not ready and went strayin‘ into darkness.

Strayin‘ into darkness is very risky business, and should be avoided like the plague. However it‘s so nice to know that if we do stray, our Good Shepherd will come looking for us. But of course, in the BIG picture, it‘s certainly a wiser and all around better thing to just stay in the fold.

©CDMI

“… The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them…I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” John 10:11-12;14