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Words of the Bible

The Bible enables us to be wise for salvation (2 Ti 3:15). Let us learn the true will of God from it.

The Blessing of Jacob

Jacob, who had received the birthright blessing from his father Isaac, fled from his brother Esau’s fury and stayed in the house of Laban, his mother’s brother, working for him. He decided to return to his hometown, but he was afraid that his brother would still be angry with him. So, just before he returned to Canaan, he sent messengers ahead to find out the situation. When they came back, they said that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men. Jacob was in great fear, and he earnestly prayed that God would help him return to his home safely as He had promised. That same night, Jacob got his family with all his possessions across the ford…

Immortal Telomeres

In the 14th century, the average life expectancy in Europe was a mere 38 years. With the advent of soap in 1790, disease incidence significantly decreased, leading to a ten-year increase in life expectancy. By 1928, with the discovery of the antibiotic penicillin, life expectancy rose to 58 years, making another ten year leap. In the 21st century, the average lifespan has reached 80 years. Experts anticipate a further increase to 100 years in the near future—a twenty-year gain. The term “Homo-Hundred” is already understood and acknowledged by the public. Scientists have identified telomeres as a crucial factor in aging and human lifespan. Telomeres, derived from the Greek words telos (end) and meros (part), are protective caps at the end…

Why We Must Keep God’s Commandments

If we consider ourselves God’s people, we must cherish and obey the commandments established by God. Let us explore through the Bible why it is essential for us to keep God’s commandments. 1. Those Who Love God Will Keep His Commandments When people meet someone they want to love, they go to great lengths to express their love in various ways—sometimes through letters, sometimes with roses, and sometimes with various gifts. Then, how should we express our love for God? God does not want us to express our love with letters, roses, or gifts; instead, He has stated that we express our love by keeping His commandments. “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.”Jn…

Glorify God Through Your Good Deeds

There are many unbelievers around us who hold preconceived ideas that Christians’ words, attitudes, and deeds must be superior to those of non-Christians. Therefore, we should strive to glorify God, recognizing that each of our words and deeds has the power to either conceal or reveal the glory of God. Jesus also taught us to glorify God through our good deeds. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Mt 5:16 If our good deeds lead many unbelievers to repentance before God, how pleased God will be! Apostle Peter exhorted us to live good lives as follows: Live such good lives among the pagans that,…

The Homing Instinct Contained in Heungbujeon

At Heungbu's house, a pair of swallows built a nest. Before long, baby swallows began to appear in the nest. Then one day, Heungbu discovered a baby swallow lying on the ground. Heungbu took care of the baby swallow with great care. The swallow, nurtured by Heungbu, grew up healthy and flew to a warm country in the autumn. The following spring, the swallow returned to Heungbu's house, carrying a seed. When the seed given by the swallow was planted, a box full of treasures opened up. Heungbu, who always lived kindly and even took care of the injured swallow, lived happily ever after with his family. This is the plot of the classic Korean folktale Heungbujeon. But how could…

“I Will Be with You”

Moses, who lived as a shepherd, tendering the flock in the desert of Midian after he left the palace of Egypt, came to Horeb, the mountain of God one day. On the trackless mountain, a bush was on fire but it did not burn up. Surprised at the strange sight, Moses went over to look. At that moment, God called to Moses from within the bush. “Moses, do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of your father. I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out…

Skin, the Perfect Clothes

In summer, Ms. Stevens goes to the beach. She is dazzled with sunlight and sweat rolls down her face, but the blue sea and the sandy beach in front of her eyes is so refreshing. She gets her feet wet in the waves and feels happy like a little child at the cool waves hitting her ankles. It hurts a little when she steps on a shell, but a little scratch doesn’t bother her. She can enjoy all these, thanks to skin’s various functions. Skin, the largest organ of the human body Skin is the largest and most visible organ in our body. When spread out, its width is about 1.5–2 m2 [16–21 ft2] and it weighs for about 8%…

I Have Come to Call Sinners

Jesus healed a paralytic in Capernaum, and when He passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth, said to him: “Follow me!” At Jesus’ word, Matthew got up and followed Him without hesitation. Matthew prepared dinner for Jesus at his house, where many tax collectors and sinners ate with Him. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus’ disciples: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” The tax collectors were hated and despised because they collected taxes from their fellow Jews for the Roman Empire. Being treated as sinners, they were all objects of…

History and Prophecy

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty meticulously document the 472-year reign of the Joseon Dynasty, spanning from the inaugural monarch, King Taejo, to the twenty-fifth ruler, King Cheoljong. Comprising over 1,800 volumes, these annals offer a comprehensive and objective account of Joseon’s politics, diplomacy, education, economy, industry, military affairs, religion, transportation, art, and cultural practices. Authored by dedicated officials who maintained constant vigilance over the monarch, the annals chronicle every facet of royal activity with painstaking detail. In a testament to their cultural significance, UNESCO recognized the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in 1997, enlisting them in the prestigious Memory of the World Programme. Such historical treasures, including these annals, hold immeasurable value as they encapsulate centuries of invaluable historical…

Homing Instinct

Heungbu and Nolbu, an old Korean novel, contains scientific knowledge of migratory birds. This novel is about a kind man named Heungbu, who takes care of a baby swallow that had its leg broken by falling to the ground from its nest. The baby swallow leaves for a long journey in the autumn, and the next spring it comes back for Heungbu with a seed, which grows to be a gourd full of gemstones inside. Animals’ instinct to leave for far-off places from their habitats and come back to their original locations is called homing instinct. Just as it is shown in the novel, Heungbu and Nolbu, the swallow has an amazing homing instinct. A few years ago, a bird…

Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Have Believed

On the evening of the third day since Jesus died on the cross, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus who had been resurrected appeared among them. Though the doors were all locked, Jesus came into the house and said to His disciples, “Peace be with you!” Then, the disciples were convinced of Christ’s resurrection and were overjoyed. Thomas, one of the Twelve, who was not with the disciples when Jesus came, doubted Jesus’ appearance. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later, the disciples were in the…

Symbiosis, Wisdom to Live Together

All living organisms are interacting with each other. As for relationships with other living organisms, there are some types of symbiosis: mutualism which is a relationship where two organisms of different species benefit each other, and parasitism which is a relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other. Not only humans but also animals and plants cannot live on their own; this is the principle of nature. Mutualism is a type of symbiotic relationship where two different organisms benefit from each other, while commensalism is a relationship where one obtains benefits from the other without harming or benefiting it. Mutualism benefits each other Mutualism is often found between animals that live together with other types of animals.…

The Power of a Partner

In international competitions, a Judo athlete who returned home with a medal credited their training partner as a key supporter. It was through countless practice sessions with this partner that the athlete mastered the techniques needed to secure victory in the semifinals. The training partner endured being thrown to the ground over and over again, always rising back up—ultimately helping the national team athlete reach the podium. Training partners work one-on-one with national team athletes, helping them refine their techniques and sharpen their skills. They endure long hours of intense training, standing by the athlete’s side through every hardship. Like a shadow, they remain close, moving in sync, becoming one with the athlete. Even if they do not stand on…

For Him Who Believes

Jesus’ disciples tried to heal a demon-possessed boy, but they could not. When they were arguing with the teachers of the law about this, they saw Jesus and ran to Him. The crowd also gathered around Him. “What are you arguing with them about?” Then a man in the crowd answered. “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit.” From childhood, the boy’s life had been in danger many times; the spirit had often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. The boy’s father asked Jesus’ disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not. So he begged Jesus. “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “ ‘If…

Light and All Creation

Seeing is a process to perceive the shapes and colors of objects with the eyes. This has been a great curiosity for many people since ancient times. Empedocles, an ancient Greek philosopher, thought that we can see objects as beams are emitted by the eyes, and Aristotle thought that colors exist in objects. Descartes said that when light touches an object, it is transformed into color and enters our eyes. It wasn’t until the 16th century when people finally figured out that we recognize an object as the light reflected on the object comes into our eyes. Like this, light is absolute in perceiving objects. Without light, our eyes can perceive neither the shape of an object nor its color.…

Be All the More Eager to Make Your Calling and Election Sure

A farmer is plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. Prophet Elijah, who received God’s command and has arrived there, goes up to the farmer and throws his cloak around the farmer, meaning that the farmer should respond to God’s calling. The farmer takes his yoke of oxen and slaughters them. He burns the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gives it to the people. Then he sets out to follow Elijah. The farmer’s name is Elisha, and he is recorded as God’s prophet in the Bible. Elisha, who strictly followed God’s will without hesitation when he was called to be a prophet, later inherited a double portion of the spirit that Elijah had and performed the will of God…

Power of Cleaning

Everyone prefers a clean and tidy place to a filthy one. However, no place can be clean by itself. Dust piles up silently even though nobody brings it in, and trash is left from whatever we do. That’s why we clean. Throwing away, wiping down, and organizing . . . Cleaning does not seem so important, but the power of cleaning is even more amazing than we think. Broken Window Theory After we clean up, we feel refreshed though tired a bit. In fact, cleaning can affect not only our mood but also our mind and behavior. This is proven true by the “Broken Window Theory.” Philip Zimbardo, an American psychologist, conducted an experiment: He put two cars with the…

Soil, the Earth’s Skin

On August 1, 2013, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] released images from the Mars rover Curiosity. Mars has a more Earth-like environment than any other planet in our solar system, so it is dubbed the second Earth and is considered the best candidate for human settlement. However, the images of Mars just showed a barren wasteland covered with vast expanses of sand, dust and rock, unlike the blue planet Earth. Birth of living soil One of the reasons Earth can become a beautiful planet that has life is that soil covers most of its land surface. Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil. It is usually the top 30 cm [12 in]. On Mars, however, there is…

Heavenly Blessings Sold for Thirty Silver Coins

Before the Passover, Judas Iscariot goes to the chief priests. “What are you willing to give me if I hand Jesus over to you?” As the chief priests have been plotting to arrest in some sly way and kill Jesus of Nazareth who is an eyesore to them, they count out for Judas thirty silver coins. From then on, Judas watches for an opportunity to hand Him over. Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples with Peter, John, and Matthew. He gained enough trust to be the keeper of the money bag. And he witnessed the miraculous works of Jesus right beside Him. It was a life that many Christians today dream of. Nevertheless, Judas abandoned the responsibilities of…

Protein, Material of Life

You grope around to turn off the loud alarm, and drag your feet to the bathroom. You brush your teeth, wash up with soap contained in various containers, and dry your hair with a hair dryer. After a quick breakfast, you get dressed, and leave the house, carrying your purse and cell phone. When we take a look at the items that are used while getting ready to leave for work, most of them are made of plastic. Starting with watches, toothbrushes, detergent bottles, hair dryers, utensils, cooking utensils, functional fabrics, bags, and cell phone display stands—all these would not have been around us if we did not have plastic. The 21st century is worth being defined as the “age…