If a good friend asks you to follow him, but you do not know where he is taking you, how would

you respond?
Likely your reaction will depend on the results of previous times that you decided to follow him. And if your
previous experiences were good, you will likely follow him with your whole heart, without any hesitation.

Uma umngane omuhle ekucela ukuthi umlandele, kodwa ungazi ukuthi uyisaphi(ukuyisa kuphi) ,
ungamphendula uthini? Cishe ukusabela kwakho kuzoncika emiphumeleni yezikhathi zangaphambilini lapho
uthathe isinqumo sokumlandela. Futhi uma okuhlangenwe nakho kwakho kwangaphambilini bekukuhle, cishe
uzomlandela ngayo yonke inhliziyo yakho, ngaphandle kokungabaza.

Just so, Jehovah invites each one of us to follow him. And if we do so wholeheartedly, He promises that we will
enjoy many blessings. While the Israelites were in the wilderness, some doubted the direction that Jehovah
was giving them, and did not keep following him. But during that time, Caleb continued to follow Jehovah with
his whole heart. What helped him to do that? And how can we imitate him? Let’s see.

Ngokufanayo, uJehova umema ngamunye wethu ukuba amlandele. Futhi uma senza kanjalo ngenhliziyo yonke,
Uthembisa ukuthi sizojabulela izibusiso eziningi. Ngenkathi ama-Israyeli esehlane, amanye ayengabaza
ukuholwa nguJehova, futhi awazange aqhubeke nokumlandela. Kodwa ngaleso sikhathi, uKalebi waqhubeka
elandela uJehova ngayo yonke inhliziyo yakhe. Yini eyamsiza wakwenza lokho? Futhi singamlingisa kanjani?
Asibone.

Please read with me the account of Caleb’s words in Joshua 14:7,8 to see what situation he faced and how he
reacted.

Sicela (ngicela) ufunde nami (Kanye nami) ukulandisa kwamazwi kaKalebi akuJoshuwa 14: 7,8 ukubona ukuthi
wayebhekene nasiphi isimo nokuthi wasabela kanjani.

Early in his life, Caleb already followed Jehovah with this whole heart. The report he gave of the promised land,
showed that he fully trusted Jehovah’s direction to enter the promised land. He was ready to follow Jehovah
wherever He would lead them. He was not blind to the facts that the inhabitants were big and lived in fortified
cities. But he knew that if they follow Jehovah, He would enable them to overcome any challenge!

Kusukela esemusha, uCaleb wayesevele elandela uJehova ngayo yonke inhliziyo yakhe. Umbiko awunikeze
ngezwe lesithembiso, ukhombise ukuthi usethembe ngokuphelele isiqondiso sikaJehova sokungena ezweni
lesethembiso (lesithembiso) . Wayekulungele ukulandela uJehova nomaphi lapho ayezobaholela khona.
Wayengawaboni amaqiniso okuthi izakhamuzi zazinkulu futhi zihlala emadolobheni abiyelwe. Kodwa wayazi
ukuthi uma belandela uJehova, wayezobenza bakwazi ukunqoba noma iyiphi inselele!

Yet, even though they did not enter the promised land at this point, Caleb did have another opportunity to
show that he would follow Jehovah anywhere. Please read Joshua 14:10-12 with me.

Kodwa-ke, yize bengangenanga ezweni lesethembiso (lesithembiso) ngalesi sikhathi, uKalebi uthole elinye
ithuba lokukhombisa ukuthi uzolandela uJehova noma yikuphi. Sicela (ngicela) ufunde nami(kanye nami)
uJoshuwa 14: 10-12.q

45 years later, we see that Caleb still has the same confidence in Jehovah. He specifically asks for the
assignment to conquer the cities which scared the other 10 spies and the Israelites. We can be sure this was a
difficult assignment. But because of his willingness to keep following Jehovah, Jehovah helped him, and he was
successful. And Jehovah blessed him! How?

Eminyakeni engama-45 kamuva, siyabona ukuthi uKalebi usenethemba elifanayo ngoJehova. Ucela ngqo
isabelo sokunqoba amadolobha asabise ezinye izinhloli eziyishumi nama-Israyeli. Singaqiniseka ukuthi lesi
bekuyisabelo esinzima. Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi wayezimisele ukuqhubeka elandela uJehova, uJehova wamsiza
futhi waphumelela. Futhi uJehova wambusisa! Kanjani?

Please read together Joshua 14:13,14

Sicela sifunde (ukufunda) ndawonye uJoshuwa 14: 13,14

At that time there were about 3 million Israelites. Yet Jehovah made sure that Caleb was rewarded for loyally
following him. He gave him a personal inheritance in the promised land. But we can be sure that Caleb’s faith
in Jehovah did not depend only on receiving his own city. Likely he had no idea that Jehovah would give him
such a blessing. But, throughout his life Caleb must have seen many times that following Jehovah leads to
blessings. And he allowed these experiences to strengthen his faith in Jehovah.

Ngaleso sikhathi kwakukhona cishe ama-3 miliyoni ama-Israyeli(ama Israyeli angu 3 miliyoni) . Noma kunjalo
uJehova waqinisekisa ukuthi uKalebi uthola umvuzo ngokumlandela ngokwethembeka. Wamnika ifa lakhe siqu
ezweni lesethembiso (lesithembiso) . Kodwa singaqiniseka ukuthi ukholo lukaCaleb kuJehova aluzange
luthembele ekwamukeleni kuphela idolobha lakhe. Cishe wayengazi ukuthi uJehova wayeyomnika isibusiso
esinjalo. Kodwa, kukho konke ukuphila kwakhe uKalebi kufanele ukuthi wabona kaningi ukuthi ukulandela
uJehova kuholela ezibusisweni. Futhi wavumela lezi zenzakalo ukuba ziqinise ukholo lwakhe kuJehova.

So how can we imitate Caleb?

Ngakho-ke singamlingisa kanjani uKalebi?

Let’s please look at our picture. On the left, we see our elderly sister is happy, and is looking to Jehovah. But
why can she be so joyful? She doesn’t have her own city. But she is happy because she is following Jehovah. In
the picture we see that she prays to Jehovah, and no doubt she notices how Jehovah has answered her many
times. This has strengthened her faith in Him, and she continues to follow him. Like Caleb, she is accepting
assignments that are not easy for her, but she can feel Jehovah help her to accomplish those assignments. And
we can see that she also remembers all the times that Jehovah has helped her. Because she is sharing those
experiences with the young ones in the congregation and strengthening their faith too.

Ake sibheke isithombe sethu. Ngakwesobunxele, sibona udadewethu osekhulile ejabule, futhi ebheke
kuJehova. Kodwa kungani engajabula kangaka? Akanalo idolobha lakhe. Kodwa uyajabula ngoba ulandela
uJehova. Esithombeni siyabona ukuthi uyathandaza kuJehova, futhi akungabazeki ukuthi uyayibona indlela
uJehova amphendule ngayo kaningi. Lokhu kuqinise ukukholwa kwakhe kuYe, futhi uyaqhubeka nokumlandela.
NjengoCaleb, wamukela izabelo ezingelula kuye, kodwa uzizwa sengathi uJehova uyamsiza ukuba afeze lezo
zabelo. Futhi siyabona ukuthi ukhumbula nazo zonke izikhathi uJehova amsize ngazo. Ngoba uhlanganyela
lokho okuhlangenwe nakho nentsha ebandleni futhi uqinisa nokholo lwabo.

Thank you for the picture.

Ngiyabonga isithombe.

So we can ask ourselves, where does Jehovah want me to go? How can I follow him? How do I feel about his
encouragement to trust in him instead of higher education? How do I feel about His encouragement to enter
full-time service? Maybe pioneering, kingdom hall construction, bethel or SKE? Do these assignments seem like
giants, that are too big to defeat? If so, can we think of ways that Jehovah has blessed and helped us in the
past when we followed him through other challenging situations? Like Caleb, this will strengthen our faith and
help us to be confident that wherever we follow Jehovah wholeheartedly, he will help us to be successful, and
will bless us in ways we cannot imagine!

Ngakho-ke singazibuza, uJehova ufuna ngiye kuphi? Ngingamlandela kanjani? Ngizizwa kanjani ngesikhuthazo
sakhe sokuthembela kuye esikhundleni semfundo ephakeme? Ngizizwa kanjani ngesikhuthazo Sakhe
sokungenela inkonzo yesikhathi esigcwele? Mhlawumbe ukuphayona, ukwakhiwa kwehholo lombuso, iBethel
noma iSKE? Ngabe lezi zabelo zibukeka njengezidlakela, ezinkulu kakhulu ukuthi zingahlulwa? Uma kunjalo,
singacabanga yini ngezindlela uJehova asibusise futhi asisize ngazo esikhathini esidlule lapho simlandela
kwezinye izimo eziyinselele? NjengoCaleb, lokhu kuzoqinisa ukholo lwethu futhi kusisize siqiniseke ukuthi
nomaphi lapho silandela khona uJehova ngenhliziyo yonke, uzosisiza siphumelele, futhi uzosibusisa ngezindlela
esingazicabangi!