Faith & Life

How to Overcome a Tsunami

When a tsunami is generated, where should a ship escape to if it is already out in the sea? People generally think the ship should quickly go toward land where there is a port, but it is safer to go out into the open sea as far as possible from land. That’s because the closer it is to land, the shallower the water gets that the waves become dramatically high. But in the offing, the waves do not rise high. In fact, when a tsunami hit Fukushima in Japan in March, 2011, the ships that fled to the port were swept away, broken and sunk by the waves, but the ships that went far to the offing were able to…

If You Desire Eagerly . . .

“. . . If you want to do something, desire it eagerly.” I had spent a long time as a fruitless branch although I had always fed on the nourishing sap from God who is the vine. I wanted to deliver God’s words to my family and friends, but I had no courage to preach to them and I just thought that they might not be God’s children. When I saw other brothers and sisters receiving the blessing of bearing fruit abundantly, I deliberately tried to look away from myself who was lacking in boldness and prayer as well, and I used to comfort myself with the belief that I would be blessed with fruit someday because I kept God’s…

Ji-ye Lee from Daegu, Korea

Three Percent of Salt That Will Purify the World

Not long ago, we conducted a street cleanup in Junggwan-eup, Gijang, Busan. The day before we were supposed to do the cleanup, it started to rain at night, and it didn’t stop until the next morning. We were worried about the bad weather, but thankfully the rain stopped at 9 a.m. and the sun started to shine. The cleanup started and we joyfully cleaned the trash hidden between buildings and the areas that sanitation workers couldn’t reach, and also cleared weeds that covered the trees and the waste in the sewers. We moved in perfect order with the tools in our hands such as mops, tongs, and trash bags as if we were one body. I was reminded of the…

Kim Suk-gyeong from Busan, Korea

100 Percent Faith

Elijah and 850 idolaters gathered on Mount Carmel. It was the last battle to distinguish the true God from the gods they served. What Elijah did at that time moved me greatly. “With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.” He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time.…

Gu Jeong-min from Durban, South Africa

What I Have

Whenever I compared myself with other people, I felt that I owned nothing better than they did. At such times when I felt a loss of confidence, a verse woke me up. “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” Rev 3:11 God’s word, “Hold on to what you have,” made me realize that I owned precious things more than other people. Father and Mother protect us as the apple of Their eyes, and our brothers and sisters share joys and sorrows with me. The heavenly blessing has been given to me, but not to everyone though he wants it. I was ashamed of myself for having compared myself with…

Kang Yeong-suk from Busan, Korea

When Do You Give Up?

Someone asked a famous salesman, “Does someone like you get rejected by a customer, too?” “Certainly! I haven’t had a day of rejection since I started work.” “Then how many times do you get rejected before you give up?” The salesman replied, “I don’t give up before the other gives up.”

To the New World of the Gospel

“Do you want to hear some words of wisdom?” My friends asked me as we walked back from school on the last day of our junior year in high school. Seeing their eagerness, I wanted to hear them. One who lived close had run to his house and brought his Bible, and they explained the truth about Heavenly Father and Mother and God’s regulations. The words of God were amazing and undoubtedly certain. That very afternoon, I went home and highlighted every verse I had been taught, not wanting to forget even one point. The next day, I was scheduled to leave to boot camp in high school, so I was not able to go to Zion right away. However,…

Nathalia Salvatierra-Abuid from Morgantown, WV, U.S.

For God Is with You

It’s been a year since I came to India for the gospel mission. Sometimes, I struggle with the language barrier or feel disheartened when things don’t turn out well. Then, I remind myself of these verses. “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together” Jdg 6:14–16 Gideon was the least in his family, and his clan was the weakest in Manasseh, and yet God chose him as the judge…

Bangalore, India

A Flower of Love Bloomed in the Garden of Trials

For more than ninety days, I had to stay in hospital to get my back treatment. If you think it’s short, it is a short period of time, but when I was lying down, not moving even an inch because of pain, time passed slowly as if it stood still. I was also distressed, learning that I had to receive outpatient treatment for a long time even after I get discharged from hospital. Even before I was hospitalized, I had already been weakened from sadness after losing my loving family three years before without any preparation. I could barely endure without being completely devastated because I understood the spiritual world and God encouraged me with an invisible helping hand. But…

Park Du-yeon from Changwon, Korea

Earnest Prayer

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Ps 145:18–19 Whenever I felt as if God didn’t answer my prayers immediately, I wondered, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” I should’ve checked if I had prayed earnestly to God. From now on, I will change the way I pray. Hoping that all my wishes will be granted, I put my hands together and pray earnestly with reverence for God today, too.

Gu Jeong-min from Durban, South Africa

Match of Faith

In most sporting events, it is difficult to predict victory or defeat until the final whistle blows. A team outscores the other in the beginning, but it might be defeated with lack of persistence. On the contrary, a team seems likely to lose, but it comes from behind with a dogged fighting spirit and concentration. The touching scenes remembered by sports fans are usually displayed at the last moment of the match. It is not different in the match of faith that is played right before the completion of the Bible’s prophecies. Although you’ve done well so far, the victory might slip from your grasp when you relax your attention. On the contrary, you can get an amazing result by…

Help Me Overcome My Unbelief!

There is a verse that breaks my heart whenever I read it because it describes me very well. “. . . But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mk 9:22–24 The boy’s father disappointed Jesus with his words of unbelief, but which were familiar to my ears. It’s because there were many times when I prayed to God without believing firmly that He would surely answer my prayer, although I acknowledged with my lips that God is the Almighty. Now, I reaffirm my faith and pray to God…

Gu So-hyeong from Anyang, Korea

Fast Alone? Together Though Taking Time

There is a sister whose faith grew so much around the time of the Passover. She participated in preaching with great joy that members around her were energized. One day, I preached the Passover to a passerby with the sister. We met her again at another time. She came to Zion, studied the truth of the Bible more, and finally received the blessing of a new life. She filled herself with the word of God and overcame the tests she faced right after beginning her life of faith. The sister and I saw the new sister growing in faith under God’s grace, and we spent much time taking care of and praying for the new sister. While doing so, I…

Incheon, Korea

I’m Sorry, Sister

One morning, I was late while getting ready to go to my class and did not leave my house until the class started. I was rushing out and eventually tripped on the stairs. Fortunately, I was not seriously injured. Even the doctor said I would get well soon if I was careful and refrained from being active, so I didn’t think it would impact my daily activities. Contrary to what I thought, since I sprained my ankle, I felt uncomfortable in my daily life. It took me 20 to 30 minutes to get to school, which usually took 10 minutes, and it was difficult to use the stairs, which used to be very easy for me to go up and…

Song Ji-soo, Jeonju, Korea

God Can Testify

“God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” Php 1:8 Apostle Paul was very confident in his love for the church members in the gospel, and said that God could testify how he loved them. We can feel his heartfelt sincerity for his brothers, whom he loved with all his heart and soul. When you make efforts to help your brothers and sisters, crying in response to their suffering, nobody may know or acknowledge it. But it shouldn’t matter because God knows all your invisible behind-the-scenes efforts and your earnest love for them, as it is written: “God can testify.” I give thanks to God for being a witness to everything I…

Shin Yu-dong from Seoul, Korea

Liebig’s Law of the Minimum

There is a law called Liebig’s Law of the Minimum. This was announced by Justus von Liebig, a German chemist. It states that the growth of plants is controlled not by the total amount of available resources, but by the scarcest resource. An image of a barrel—often called Liebig’s barrel—can explain this law: Just as the capacity of a barrel with staves of unequal length is limited by the shortest stave, so a plant’s growth is limited by the nutrient in shortest supply. Although a man is healthy, if one of his organs is not good, his lifespan is shortened. No matter how smart a student is, if he or she doesn’t get a good grade at one of the…

I Will Obey It with All My Heart

Since I was little, I’ve been under God’s blessing with my family. However, I began to attend worship services just out of habit. I really hated myself for doing that, and I felt sorry to God. Out of frustration, I opened the Bible, where I found out what I had been missing out on. Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Ps 119:33–34 It is natural that we, God’s people, should keep the law of God with all our heart in any and every circumstance. How much more should we obey God’s law in peaceful,…

Kim Hye-been from Incheon, South Korea

Giving Thanks, the Essential Virtue of Happy Home

In 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after spending 27 years in prison for fighting against racism. People thought that he would look very old since he was 70 years old. However, he surprised people as he came out of prison, looking healthy and spirited. A reporter asked him the secret to his health, and he answered: “I always gave thanks to God in prison. I thanked God, looking up at the sky. I gave thanks, looking down at the ground. I gave thanks, drinking water. I gave thanks while eating. I even gave thanks, working in a labor camp. I was able to stay healthy because I always gave thanks.” A university student got third-degree burns all over her body…

Put It into Action with the 5-Second Rule!

Our brain instinctively avoids anything that requires effort. Whenever we need to move, decide, or take action, the mind immediately searches for excuses—causing us to hesitate or delay. But there is a simple way to break this pattern: When something needs to be done, count backward from 5 to 1, and act right away. By the time you reach 1, your brain has no chance to talk you out of it. This is the 5-Second Rule. This month, try using the 5-Second Rule to take quick action for the happiness of your home. Why postpone joy? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—now is the moment to move. Tip Say “thank you” the moment you feel grateful Express “I love you” without…

Organizing Skill

There are many objects and lots of information around us. However, do we need all of them? If we think about this matter carefully, we can easily realize that we don’t need them all. Liz Davenport, a famous organization consultant, explains that workers spend about 150 hours a year just on searching necessary information or objects. In fact, everyone frequently wastes much time on searching for things at home. Experts explain that we can have more time for ourselves to spend on what is valuable by saving time spent on searching for things, and they pass on the knowhow of organizing things and information. In summary, their instructions come down to “Set your priorities and put things and files within…