Enlightenment

Chosen by God

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” Jn 15:18–20 This year, I turned twenty, a first-year university student, just beginning a new chapter of life. Before entering university, I often found myself worrying: “What if my classmates or seniors don’t like me because…

Jahng Su-ji from Seosan, Korea

After Conscious Sedation Endoscopy

I had a stomach endoscopy for the first time in my life. My husband had previously undergone the procedure without sedation and said it was difficult, so I chose to be sedated without hesitation. The nurse administered the sedative. One second, two seconds, three . . . and my memory faded. When I opened my eyes again, the procedure was already over. I was filled with gratitude to God for allowing me to go through it without any pain or discomfort. While I was resting in the recovery room, the doctor came by for rounds. But instead of mentioning the test results, he talked about something entirely unrelated. When I asked him about the results, he looked surprised and said:…

Kim Hyeon-im from Suncheon, Korea

God Gives Greater Honor to the Parts That Lack It

One day, I tripped over a stone and fell. In the moment, I was too stunned to pay attention to the pain. But as time passed, my entire body began to ache; my hand swelled up, and a deep bruise appeared on my knee. Being unable to properly use my hands and feet proved to be more inconvenient than I had imagined. Cleaning, eating, and even praying became difficult. Each time I struggled, the members in Zion comforted me with sincere concern. The parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body…

Hyeon Su-jin from Incheon, Korea

Continue in What You Have Learned and Have Become Convinced of

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Ti 3:12–15 Although God has granted us the truth that leads to eternal life in heaven, there are moments when our faith may be shaken. Temptations that promise wealth, and a culture that glorifies instant gratification, can make the pursuit of…

Kim Jin from Daegu, Korea

A Glorious Name in the Heavenly Family Lineage

One day, while dining at my parents’ home, my father disappeared into his room after the meal and returned with a book in hand. It was a family genealogy—bound in black leather with gold lettering engraved on the cover. Even at a glance, it was clear the book had been crafted with great care. Despite my mother’s gentle scoff, “Who even reads genealogies these days?” my father paid no mind and eagerly opened its pages. He began sharing the stories written within—tales of our ancestry, of forebears who brought honor to the family name, of a man who, having no son, adopted his brother’s child to continue the lineage. With each turn of the page, his explanations drew me in.…

Gahng Min-seo from Seongnam, Korea

New Song Poetry Collection

One day, I noticed a deaconess holding a large-print New Song book and asked her why. I had assumed the large-print version—containing only lyrics without musical notation—was intended for elderly members who had difficulty reading small text or for young children who couldn’t yet read sheet music. I asked casually, not thinking much of it. To my surprise, the deaconess gave a deeply touching response. She shared that during an overseas mission trip, she brought the large-print hymnal with her. Since she wasn’t fluent in the local language, she would quietly sing the Korean lyrics in a soft voice during worship, reflecting on each word. From that moment on, the New Song book became, to her, a deeply moving book…

Im Ji-yeon from Seongnam, Korea

Surely This Is Our God

I was once someone who did not seek God. As a child, I followed my parents to temples and shrines, joining my hands in prayer to Buddha or various deities as they instructed. But as I grew older, doubts began to surface, and I eventually stopped participating in those practices. The year I left my family home and began living on my own, I was given the opportunity to hear the word of God. On a cold day, I spent over an hour studying the Bible, and among all the teachings, the one that struck me most deeply was the truth of the Passover. When I realized that Christ Ahnsahnghong, who brought back the Passover, is in fact God, I…

Oyama Yuki from Fukuoka, Japan

Dreaming of the Universe

In his writings, American astronomer Carl Sagan introduced the “Cosmic Calendar,” a model that compresses the 13.8-billion-year history of the universe into a single year. According to this scale, the Big Bang takes place at midnight on January 1, and the present moment falls at the final stroke of midnight on December 31. This framework offers a striking perspective on the vast timeline of the cosmos. Within the Cosmic Calendar, one second represents 475 years on Earth; a single day spans 38 million years, and a month amounts to roughly 1.1 billion years. Earth appears in early September, and modern humans emerge only in the final moments of December 31. All of human civilization fits within less than a minute,…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Cheongju, Korea

The Blessing of the One who Reads God’s Word, Hears It, and Take It to Heart

While on an overseas mission, I met someone who attended church but had never once opened a Bible. Believing it to be a book reserved only for clergy, he had never read a single verse. I opened the Bible and read this passage aloud: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart [keep, KJV] what is written in it, because the time is near. Rev 1:3 I had always thought that reading, hearing, and keeping God’s word was something anyone could easily do. But I came to realize that there are still many people in the world who have neither heard nor seen the words…

Park Ji-ho from Seoul, Korea

Let’s Talk for a Thousand Years in Heaven

The greatest lesson I learned during my three-week overseas mission was the meaning of brotherly love. Until then, I had admired our overseas members from a distance, viewing them as amazing prophets and key figures in God’s prophecy, but I had never truly felt close to them. However, throughout the mission, as we laughed, shed tears, and preached together, a deep bond naturally formed. When the time came to part, I couldn’t hold back my tears. Seeing me sobbing, a deaconess gently came over and offered comfort: “If it’s this hard for us to say goodbye, imagine how hard it must be for Mother.” Though we were unforgivable sinners, our Heavenly Mother came to this earth because She could not…

Park Min-ji from Seoul, Korea

Youth

General MacArthur, renowned for the Incheon Landing during the Korean War, was 70 years old when he served in that conflict. In his office, he always kept a poem he often read like a personal creed, Samuel Ullman’s “Youth.” Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; . . . Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. . . . In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless…

Kim Hae-gyeong from Taebaek, Korea

The Heart Behind ‘Animo!’

While I was briefly standing still after sharing the message of the Passover with passersby, I sensed someone slowly approaching. When the presence stopped beside me, I turned in surprise to see a person cheerfully exclaim, “Animo!” while handing me a bottle of vitamin drink. It caught me completely off guard. For a moment I thought, “Animo? That sounds familiar . . .” Then it clicked—the person seemed to be a member from another Zion who worked at the convenience store near Zion. I immediately expressed my gratitude. That warm greeting and the thoughtful gesture of offering the drink moved me deeply. I couldn’t help but wonder, “How much she thought it through before coming over?” “What could I give…

Ahn Ji-yeong from Gwangju, Korea

Although I Am Less Than the Least of All God’s People

I wanted to be like Apostle Paul, who preached the gospel of the new covenant with tireless passion, enduring countless hardships and persecutions. While reflecting on his life, I came across this verse: Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. Eph 3:8–9 Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen and an elite of his time, having studied under the renowned teacher of the law, Gamaliel. Yet, while carrying out the work of the gospel, he humbled himself,…

Lee U-rim From Guayaquil, Ecuador

Good Harvest From Good Soil

I visited my younger sister’s weekend farm on Ganghwa Island to harvest garlic and onions. The garlic cloves we had planted individually last fall had grown into six-clove garlic by the time of harvest. My sister and her husband were very pleased, saying that this year’s garlic and onion harvest was much better compared with last year. They shared that they had put in a lot of effort to achieve a good harvest this year, learning from the lessons of last year’s poor results. The first thing they did was enrich the soil by making natural fertilizer. They mixed and fermented various ingredients such as coffee grounds, oilcake, EM (Effective Microorganisms), and rice husks, then spread the mixture over the…

Ahn Hee-yeon from Seoul, Korea

Let Your Conversation Be Always Seasoned With Salt

I recently came across a brief reflection on salt. It explained how salt can enhance our perception of other flavors—even sweetness. This is why, at times, a pinch of salt is added instead of sugar to draw out a sweeter taste. Just a small amount of salt can determine the overall flavor of a dish. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col 4:6 Reflecting on the role of salt made me realize how even the smallest words we speak can have a profound impact on our brothers and sisters. Perhaps, in telling us to season our words with salt, God is expressing His will for us…

Kim Seung-hyeok from Madrid, Spain

Swallowing a Pill

My daughter’s runny nose had worsened, so we went to the ENT clinic. During the check-up, she suddenly told the doctor that she wanted to try taking pills. Until then, she had only taken liquid medicine mixed with powder. The doctor smiled broadly and said cheerfully, “Challenge accepted!” At the pharmacy, the pharmacist told me to bring the medicine back if she couldn’t swallow the pills. Once we got home, her pill-swallowing challenge began; and it was quite the ordeal. She barely managed to swallow the two small tablets, but couldn’t get down the capsule or the larger round pill. She kept drinking water in an attempt to swallow, but ended up gagging. Realizing it wouldn’t work, I returned to…

Kim Hyeon-im from Suncheon, Korea

A Beautiful Peace

While talking with one of my friends, our conversation turned to what makes us truly happy. My friend said she feels happiest when she enjoys complete freedom and does whatever she wants. But the things she described felt strangely hollow to me. So I asked her, “Don’t you ever feel a deep sadness at the end of the day?” She paused, then quietly replied, “Sometimes, yes.” Before I came to know the truth, I too enjoyed many freedoms and did as I pleased. But as each day came to an end, I was often swept up in a wave of sorrow. Nothing I pursued could satisfy me—nothing could bring lasting joy at the close of the day. I had wandered…

Jorgette from Edmonton, Canada

Since You Have Received Everything

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Co 4:7 There is nothing I possess that has not been given to me by God. He has provided everything I need to reach the kingdom of heaven. And yet, at times, I have spoken and behaved as though I had received nothing at all. Along the journey of faith, I sometimes regarded trials and hardships as needless burdens, failing to recognize them as gifts of love, carefully wrapped in the covering of suffering. But our Heavenly Father and Mother work solely for the purpose of our…

Mun So-yeong from Mexico City, Mexico

A Call From a Prisoner’s Mother

I work in the police department, handling inquiries related to detainees. One day, I received a call from the mother of an inmate. “My son has the right to receive medical treatment. Please take care of him,” she pleaded. She was frustrated, saying her son was in need of care but wasn’t being treated. She insisted she wouldn’t hang up until proper action was taken. Her words gave me much to think about. To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to the rights of prisoners, who had committed crimes and were awaiting punishment. But despite society’s coldness and rejection, there was someone who refused to give up on them. With a heart full of compassion, this mother was doing…

Karena Azile Bartee from The Bronx, NY, U.S.

Although Daniel Learned That He Would Be Thrown Into the Lions’ Den

During the reign of King Darius over Babylon, the king’s favored servant Daniel became the target of jealous officials. Driven by envy, they conspired to establish a royal decree: that anyone who prayed to any god or man other than the king over the next thirty days would be cast into the lions’ den. Unaware of their true motive, the king sealed the decree with his signet. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Da 6:10 Daniel fully understood the consequences…

Gahng Sun-bong from Jinju, Korea