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God has given us blessings including eternal life and has even promised us the authority to rule in the kingdom of heaven. God has not only forgiven all our sins and transgressions we committed in heaven, but He has also been willing to sacrifice for us, sinners, even to the point of death as the lamb for a burnt offering every day, so that we will change to become worthy as a royal priesthood of heaven and receive eternal life.
How can we repay God’s great love for us? What can we give to our Father and Mother who have spared no sacrifice or devotion to save us, Their children, and are always with us?
When we pray to our Elohim God, we should not just ask Them to give us something, but we first need to think about what we shall give to Them and what we can do for the work of salvation that They are carrying out on this earth.
A mother and eggs
I once read a story titled “A Mother and Eggs.” There was a family whose father was a teacher at a school in a town in the countryside. The mother in the family wanted to do something for her family members, so she discussed with her husband. Of course, she was very busy raising her three sons and taking care of her husband while doing her household chores. However, she did not feel comfortable with taking even a short break after her children went to school and her husband went to work.
Her husband suggested that she breed chickens if she really wanted to do something. So she bought some chicks and spent her spare time raising the chicks.
The chicks grew bigger, and they became medium sized chickens and then big ones very quickly. At first there were only three chickens, and the number of chickens increased up to 20. As the chickens grew in number, there were more opportunities for the family to eat eggs, and the eggs which they used to just think of as food later helped them earn some extra income.
One day, the mother called her three sons together and declared that she would not give them any more eggs for the coming month. When her second son asked her sulkily why he would not be allowed to eat eggs from then on, she answered.
“You know that your older brother will graduate after a month. I want to buy him a suit for his graduation. So I need to save some money.”
When the eldest brother heard his mother say that, his heart ached. He did not want to wear new clothes if his younger brothers had to give up delicious foods because of that. Although he said that it would be okay even if he did not wear a new suit at his graduation, his mother did not change her mind. Since her eldest son was supposed to receive an honor prize on behalf of all the students at the graduation, she wanted to dress him in fine clothes that day because she could not usually afford to buy him anything descent to wear.
From that day on, the brothers were unable to eat eggs for quite a long while. A few days later, however, two eggs started to disappear from the chicken coop. Thinking that it was so strange, the mother discussed it with her husband. They doubted that a thief had stolen them, but they could not understand why the thief would just take two eggs away instead of stealing all the eggs, if he had broken into the chicken coop.
Although they looked through the chicken coop carefully, they were unable to find any signs of a break-in. Then the father tied his dog to the front door of his house, but still two eggs were stolen from the chicken coop every day.
Meanwhile, the eldest brother’s graduation day came. The father got up early in the morning and hurried her children to get ready. The eldest son wore his new jacket which his mother had bought him the previous day. The mother, who was supposed to stand on the award stage along with her son as his respectable mother, also finished getting ready to attend the graduation, even putting on make-up which she did not usually do. However, the youngest child was just dragging his feet. When the father told him to hurry up in a loud voice, he came out of the room with an awkward smile, trying to hide something behind his back.
While everybody in the family was looking at the youngest child, he quietly held out a pair of white rubber shoes for hanbok (traditional Korean dress). As soon as they saw the rubber shoes, they all thought the same thing: They saw their mother’s old, worn-out and faded rubber shoes peeking out from beneath the hem of her hanbok skirt.
The youngest child said that he started to secretly take away two eggs when he saw that his mother’s rubber shoes were too worn-out to wear anymore. Additionally, he said that what he had done was not really something bad and that he had just taken his portion of the eggs. Then he held out the pair of white rubber shoes to his mother, saying that he would not eat eggs from that day on.
Seeing this, the mother shed tears endlessly, and she had to do her make-up again because her tears had ruined it. Then all the family members went in a hurry to the graduation ceremony since they had no time to delay. The eldest brother was thankful for everything because of his brother’s commendable thought, even though he had to put on his old trousers which he used to wear while he wore a new jacket. The second brother felt proud of his little brother for the fact that he had been so thoughtful of their mother while the rest of the family had not. That day, all the family members—the father, the mother, and the brothers—were all so happy.
God-pleasing faith
Although this is a story that happened in a family, it gives us many spiritual lessons.
The story helps us think about what we can do for God our Father and Mother who always give us so many things.
Actually, God does not need any gift or help from us (Isa 40:15-18; Job 35:5-8).
God is omnipotent and omniscient, so He can do everything alone. However, I believe that there must be something we can do for our Heavenly Father and Mother, as an expression of our love and devotion to Them, even though it may be small.
In the above story, what moved the mother was her son’s sincere heart towards her.
The other brothers only received things from their parents and did not think about giving them something in return, but the youngest brother thought about doing something for his parents. He knew that his older brother would probably wear fine clothes for his graduation but his mother would wear her old hanbok and worn-out rubber shoes when she went to attend his graduation ceremony to stand on the award stage with him. So he wanted to buy a new pair of white rubber shoes for her. The mind of the youngest child, contained in the shoes, is so beautiful.
Like the youngest child, we, too, should express our gratitude to our Heavenly Parents by giving Them something, even though it is small and nothing special in Their eyes, instead of thinking that we were born with a destiny to just receive everything from Them.
Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything ex posed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Eph 5:7-14
The Bible tells us to find out what pleases the Lord and strive to carry it out. Until now, we have always been receiving everything from God and have been only asking God for help whenever we face hardships. So, there must be something we can do to repay God’s love and grace. Let us find out what pleases God and do it.
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col 1:10-14
As children of heaven, we always need to think about what we should do to live a life worthy of God and please God in every way. In the above story, although the father and mother did not know the reason why the eggs were going missing every day, how pleased they must have felt when they found out later that their youngest child had bought a pair of rubber shoes for his mother by selling the eggs which he had thought were part of his portion! How delighted and thankful his brothers must also have been to their younger brother for doing something that they should have done! We, as members of the heavenly family, must also realize the grace of our Heavenly Father and Mother and always think about what pleases Father and Mother, so that we can glorify Them all the more.
The most pleasing thing for God
Then, what pleases God the most? To give glory and joy to God, we first need to know what God is most pleased with.
Our actions that enable us to be saved, our faith that can lead us to salvation, our life that is full of hope for the eternal kingdom of heaven—all these things are always pleasing to God. Ultimately, it is our salvation that pleases God the most. Jesus helped us realize this fact through a parable.
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Lk 15:3-7
We are the heavenly children, the lost from the kingdom of heaven. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that God’s children would return to the arms of God one after another, describing their coming to God as flying like clouds, like doves to their nests, and he also predicted that Jerusalem would be radiant when She saw Her children coming to Her. Radiant means shining brightly and emitting rays of light. If there is a moment when Mother’s face shines brightly, full of delight, it must be when Her lost children are found. So, we can understand that God is most pleased when we help the lost sinners from heaven to repent of their sins and lead them into the arms of God (Isa 60:1-5; 49:14-23).
Jesus says that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents on this earth and returns to God than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Let’s take a look at another verse which shows that God is most pleased when sinners repent.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Lk 19:10
Jesus Christ said that He came to seek and to save what was lost. Here, “what was lost” refers to sinners who committed sins deserving of eternal death and have been cast down to the earth (Mk 9:13). God is most pleased when His lost children, sinners, who have been thrown down to the earth as a result of committing sins, repent of their sins and return to God’s grace one after another. This is why we preach the gospel so diligently.
Let us lead the whole world to salvation
Since the most pleasing thing for God is to lead sinners to repentance and salvation by preaching the gospel to them, now let us help numerous people to repent of their sins and lead each and every single soul to God, so that they will all be saved. “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation,” and, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—this is God’s holy will for us.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mt 28:18-20
Baptism is a ceremony for the remission of sins. Our baptism means our commitment to live only according to the will of God from now on, since we have repented of our sins. So, Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them” means that we must lead all people to repentance. This is what pleases God the most, who is always with us.
If you know what pleases Father and Mother, please carefully think again about whether you will do it, just as the youngest child in the story did, or just keep it to yourself. God our Father and Mother treasure Their children more than anyone or anything else in this world. There are still many brothers and sisters who have not yet repented of their sins and are wandering aimlessly in the world. We must not leave them alone. To find them, we should go to Samaria and to the ends of the earth and let them know the path to the kingdom of heaven by telling them the good news about Father and Mother and about our heavenly family members, so that they will all return to heaven, their eternal home.
2,000 years ago, when Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, He said to His disciples, “You will be my witnesses in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” “You will be my witnesses,” and, “Go and make disciples of all nations”—these two commands of Jesus ultimately mean the same thing: “Lead all the children of God to repentance through God’s word so that they can go to the kingdom of heaven together.”
I truly hope that all members of Zion will give joy and glory to Heavenly Father and Mother by bearing at least ten fruits and will enter the eternal kingdom of heaven. As children of heaven, let us always devote ourselves to prayer and put into practice what pleases God. By doing so, let us give our sincere, beautiful hearts to God, like the youngest child in the story who held out a pair of white rubber shoes to his mother.