Faith & Life

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…

The Best Energy from Mother

There is a friend of mine; we’ve been friends since the third year of the middle school. While getting along well with her, I always thought she is really nice; she considers others all the time, which makes me reflect on my weak points. Maybe that’s why. When I gained confidence in the truth, I wanted to deliver the words of God to her more than anyone else. I thought when I told her the truth, she would realize the value of the Passover and the love of Father and Mother easily. But she was reluctant to have a life of faith even though she often joined Zion events. Before entering university, I prayed to God every day to lead…

Ansan, Korea

Like David on That Day

David is described as a man after God’s own heart in the Bible. He is one of the ancestors of faith, whom I want to emulate the most. Whenever I consider his sincere love for God and firm faith in Him, I always think he was such an amazing person. One day, while I was reading the Bible, I opened my eyes wide in amazement at the following verse, which likens us to David. “On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them” Zec 12:8 I reminded myself again…

Hong Jeong-eun from Seongnam, Korea

Motive for Voluntary Services

One foggy morning, the members from Santiago and La Florida, Chile, gathered to participate in the blood drive despite the cold weather. The hospital was very crowded with more than 400 volunteers. So, some of us had to move to a different place to be able to donate blood. People wondered how we could be so willing to do the voluntary service. Whenever we were asked about our motive for voluntary services, our answer was the same always: “It is to spread Mother’s love to the whole world.” Where will be the next place for us to answer this again? We’re very excited!

Jose David Ancamil Rocha from Santiago, Chile

The Reason We Should Practice God’s Word

If you look at the records of Jesus’ work, you can see Jesus healing the sick suffering from incurable diseases. Why are there many miraculous works of Jesus recorded in the Bible? In fact, they are a copy and shadow, giving us a lesson. On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Mt 9:12 Jesus came to the earth as the spiritual Doctor. Just as we go to see a doctor when we are sick, we must go to God for the healing of our souls that are mortal as a result of sin. Two thousand years ago, tax collectors and sinners who were with Jesus were despised by people, but…

Fujikawa Moto from Kyoto, Japan

A Boat Waiting for High Tide

Steel King Andrew Carnegie kept an old painting in his office. The painting he treasured was neither a masterpiece drawn by a famous artist nor an antique that was highly worth possessing. It was just a humble painting of a boat on a sandy beach. When he used to be a traveling salesman in his early days, he found this picture in the house of an old person and politely asked for the picture. At the bottom of the picture was a sentence that read, “The high tide will come.” The boat that seemed abandoned was waiting for high tide. Just like the boat that will row out to the sea when high tide comes, Carnegie had the firm belief…

Mother’s Creation

One day when I was on a short term mission, preaching the gospel overseas, I came across a flower on a street, unwittingly picked it up, and brushed off the dust. The flower was very beautiful at a close distance. I gave the flower to one sister, saying, “Sister, this beautiful flower resembles you.” Then with a twinkle in her eyes she said what made a profound impression upon my soul, “Mother’s creation!” “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Rev 4:11 Her word totally changed my point of view of faith. It really touched my heart…

Park Min-ji from Seoul, Korea

Christian

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Pe 4:12–16 Sometimes, we look for a prestigious title in the…

Alisa Szewcik from Seattle, WA, U.S.

100

The highest point on most exams is 100. When expressing something that is satisfied or full, the number 100 is used in a percentage. Even at 99℃, the water stays still, but when it reaches 100℃, it boils. So the number 100 is the final goal that cannot be surpassed or the highest score with no fault. There is a final goal for us as we work to save souls. Until all the prophecies of the Bible are completed, we must do our best to fill ourselves with 100% faith and 100% passion for the gospel, and change into a 100% beautiful character, so that we will complete the God-given mission of the gospel. It is difficult to accomplish the…

Return to God

When I was young, I worked out in the sea for a few years. Whenever I was out in the sea far from the land, I felt like I was growing away from God. Strictly speaking, I’d already grown away from God because I, once a fervent Protestant churchgoer, had stopped going to church; I didn’t really know what true acts of faith were. However, I hadn’t forsaken my faith; I always had a thought at the edges of my mind that I would return to God some day. To put my resolution into action, I quit my job in the sea and started an ordinary job on land. However, I couldn’t adapt myself to my life on land and…

Chu Myeong-guk from Changwon, South Korea

I Have Prayed for You

Whenever I went through hardships and trials in my life of faith, I always prayed, seeking God’s help and asking for strength to overcome all of them. One day, a member read me a verse that really moved me. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Lk 22:31–32 Even though Jesus foreknew Peter would deny Him even for three times, Jesus never hated him. Instead, He prayed for Peter not to be wavered by the situation, but to have faith so that he could carry out his mission as an apostle of the New Covenant.…

Arnaldo Codoy from Mandaluyong, Philippines