Faith & Life

Being Clothed With Christ

There is an old saying that goes, “Fine clothes make the man.” This is not entirely wrong. There was an interesting experiment demonstrating that what one wears influences his behavior. Adam Galinsky, a social psychologist, divided university students into two groups, and let one group of students wear white lab coats and the other group, street clothes; then he showed a screen which randomly displayed green and red colors with the words “green” and “red” at the bottom. He examined how well they could notice incongruities when the color and the word were incongruent. As a result, the students in the doctor’s coats did twice as well as those who wore street clothes in noticing that the color and the…

A Picture Book for a Friend

Jonah (8), who lives in Los Angeles, is a glycemic patient with a rare liver disease that affects about 500 people around the world. No cure has been developed yet, and because of the severe hypoglycemic symptoms, he should take cornstarch, which slowly supplies blood sugar to the blood, once every three hours. Dylan, who is his best friend, wondered what he could do for his friend. Then, he decided to do the fundraising for the treatment research for his friend’s disease. He made and sold mini picture books. The title of the book is “Chocolate Bar,” which was published after he had persistently asked his parents to publish. A chocolate bar is a slang word that means awesome. For…

You Are More Beautiful Than You Think You Are

A British company launched a unique campaign by using the FBI’s forensic sketch technique to instill pride in women and show their true beauty. The slogan of this campaign is, “You’re more beautiful than you think.” In New York, U.S., an FBI-trained forensic sketch artist interviewed seven women of different ages and races. The artist could not see women’s faces, but could only ask questions about the women’s facial appearances. Women also could not see the artist and could only answer his questions. The next day, third parties came and described the women’s faces to the artist. The results were astonishing. The portraits drawn on the second day, based on the third parties’ description, were all more beautiful than those…

Change

I’ve been attending the Church of God ever since I was in my mother’s womb. This means that I’ve been a member of the Church of God since birth. It was when I was in middle school that I started growing in my faith, not depending leaning on my mother’s faith. As I met many friends in school who had different religions from mine, I started wondering, ‘What truth can lead me to the kingdom of heaven?’ It didn’t take long for my question to be answered. As I studied the Bible diligently in Zion, I was able to understand the truth of the new covenant clearly. However, my life of faith was put on hold when I was in…

Jang Ye-jin from Ansan, Korea

Now!

There is a saying that goes, “Tomorrow is an old deceiver.” This implies that we often put things off until tomorrow and most of the time we just let them fizzle out or give up on them completely. In fact, even when tomorrow comes, nothing changes. Nevertheless, many of us still put off what we have to do immediately until tomorrow. It is proof that we are lacking the will to accomplish it. In the parable of the talents told by Jesus, there was one thing in common among those who were complimented by their master for having gained twice as much as they had received: They went “at once” and put their money to work. They were completely different…

How to Bear Much Good Fruit

The best way to bear the abundant fruits of the gospel is to put God in the center of our hearts. One of the characteristics of those who have put God in the center of their hearts is that they are naturally accustomed to serving others and humbling themselves. It is because God, who has personally shown His children an example of serving, dwells within them. Before the Holy Supper of the Passover, Jesus personally washed His disciples’ feet, so that we would also serve one another with such a humble attitude. The God of heaven, who should have been seated on the highest throne, humbled Himself to the lowest place. As God’s children, if we engrave the will of…

A Surprise Gift

At my workplace, I work for kids, so I’m interested in children. One day, I saw a child who always loosened her hair. I wanted her to look beautiful, so I tied her hair back. After the class was over, her mother came and repeatedly thanked me. I thought it was not a big deal because I used to tie children’s hair back, but seeing her mother take great delight in my help, I felt as if I received a surprise gift. I was reminded of a Bible verse I read before. “I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.” Mk…

Sim Hyeon-ji from Guri, Korea

Like the Flower of Dracaena

It was when I went to my friend’s house back in my elementary school days. I was admiring a large variety of well-maintained flowering plants, and my friend pointed to a tall tree and said proudly, “Do you see this flower? It’s a flower of dracaena. It blooms once a decade. It is a very precious flower.” ‘It blooms once a decade?’ I thought if it’s a flowering plant, it should bloom at least once a year to fulfill its duty. So the dracaena was disagreeable to me. Come to think of it now, however, I can imagine how elated the owner must’ve been after taking care of it for a long time. There is a brother who is like…

Shin Gyeong-suk from Guayaquil, Ecuador

Mother’s Voice

Babies like their mother’s voice. Even while they are crying, they stop right away when they hear their mother’s voice; they move their arms and legs at their mother’s singing or make a similar sound to the singing. There is a certain reason why they respond to their mother’s voice. Functional units and sensory organs of the human body are formed in the womb. It is the organ of hearing that is developed first, and babies are most sensitive to their mother’s voice. That is because their mother’s voice is imprinted on them as they listen to their mother’s voice and move to its vibration from the womb. This is not only the case for humans. Baby birds who have…

Aroma of Christ

There are moments that are remembered by scents. Occasionally, my mom bought flowerpots for gardenias; when I put them by the window, the scent from the flowers spread out along the soft wind. To this day, when I smell gardenias, I’m reminded of old memories against the sunset background. In my middle school years, when I opened the door of the broadcasting room for the final interview of joining the broadcasting club, I smelled freesias which eased the tension. The scent of freesias evokes the old memories I had with the broadcasting club. In spring season, acacias bloomed around my university, turning the air into sweet scents like those of perfumes. Every spring, I’m vividly reminded of the memories I…

Lee So-yeong from Seongnam, Korea

All Parts of the Body Should Have Equal Concern for Each Other

In Nolan Creek, Washington D.C., there is the 3rd largest western red cedar in the world. But unfortunately, it is already dead. Over 30 years ago, when a large-scale logging operation was conducted there, the tree was spared by loggers because it had a symbolic meaning. However, as the trees around were cut down one after another, the red cedar gradually withered. People tried every possible means to save the tree, but all their efforts were in vain. Finally the tree withered up and died. The reason why the red cedar tree withered up was unexpectedly simple: even though it was a gigantic tree, it was unable to live while withstanding the fierce wind in the desolate wilderness alone. We…

What Can I Give You?

I was getting ready for work when my five-year-old daughter woke up earlier than usual and came to me, rubbing her eyes. “Dad! Are you going to work?” “Yes, I am.” Then she kept looking at me until I took out a small bag of biscuits from a drawer and gave it to her. “Yunji! You can have this after breakfast.” “Is it for me?” “Uh huh. I want you to have breakfast first, and then you can have this, too.” Then she seemed to think hard and said, “What can I give you? Do you want me to leave a biscuit for you?” I said to her with a smile, “No, you can have it all. I’m okay. See…

Yeo In-won from Daejeon, Korea

The Best Way to Overcome Difficulties

Charlie Chaplin, a famous comic actor, used to write all of his lines on paper before going on stage, although he had performed in front of crowds many times. Even after he was somewhat accustomed to his work in broadcasting, whenever he went on stage, he felt nauseous as if he was seasick. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who left many wise sayings, also vented his mental sufferings by saying that it would be better to be the commander of a cavalry than to speak in front of people. Such influential people, who dominated the world in their time, had their own hardships. What do you think was their secret to overcoming difficulties and achieving success? The secret of their…

Faith Like Abraham’s

Abraham obeyed God’s command to sacrifice his son Isaac, who was born to him when he was one hundred years old, as a burnt offering. Since Abraham passed this test, he earned the title “forefather of faith.” God promised to make Abraham’s descendants numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore through Isaac. To me, the command to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering seemed too difficult to obey. Wondering what kind of mindset Abraham had, I came across a verse that helped me fathom the depth of his faith. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and…

Hong Jeong-eun from Seongnam, Korea

Be the One Who Serves

After I received God and started my life of faith, I noticed a few things in Zion that couldn’t be seen in any other places. First of all, it was hard to find out who was older and who had attended church longer. The reason was that I didn’t see anyone who exerted authority over others. Second, they all participated in the Bible study, cleaning, and volunteer services very actively though nobody asked them to. These were the things that I couldn’t understand easily, because I was used to the strict order of rank in the social life. In my experience, it is usually hard to control a group, so it requires a command system. If two people are in…

Park Seong-min from Seoul, Korea

Let Us Never Give Up on Heaven

The Israelites made a golden calf and worshiped the idol when they saw that Moses had not come down from Mount Sinai but was staying there for a long time. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew just to satisfy his hunger. Demas abandoned the truth because he loved the world. All these people are the characters in the Bible, whose misfortunes started the moment they gave up on the things that were truly precious and valuable to them. ‘I’ve done my best, and that’s enough. I can’t do it anymore.’ There are difficult moments when we feel like giving up. However, even in those moments there is one thing we must never give up on. That…

Misunderstanding Is Bitter, and Understanding Is Sweet

In The Little Prince, a novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the fox says to the little prince, “You will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstanding,” and the fox continues to talk. This scene is very contradictory, but it shows that words are a very important means to communicate and understand each other’s thoughts. Misunderstanding can be produced not only by words but also by actions. Many times, there can be a coincidence that two events happen at the same time and cause a misunderstanding. Even though one had no other intention, his action can look like he intended in others’ eyes. It is very unfair to be misunderstood, but such a thing happens all the time. No one…

To Enhance the Beauty of the Bride

There is nothing more suitable than Hanbok (traditional Korean dress) for traditional Korean holidays, and Norigae (a traditional Korean accessory) goes well with Hanbok. Western clothing is suitable for formal occasions, and a brooch can make the outfit look more elegant. Being properly dressed for any occasion makes the wearers look nice and it even ennobles them. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Rev 19:7–8 In this age, when the heavenly wedding banquet where Heavenly Mother appears as the Bride is…

Delivering Jewels on a Jewel-like Day

#1 Nam Ji-eun from Gangneung, Korea Mukho-dong is a very sloped mountain village. There are many narrow alleys where handcarts can hardly enter the village. It is almost impossible to deliver coal briquettes to the village. However, the Church of God members from Yeongdong, Gangwon Province, deliver coal briquettes to the village every year. This year, more than 200 members joined the briquette relay to help the elderly in Mukho-dong spend a warm winter. I could not deliver briquettes this time due to my chronic back pain. This was a volunteer activity which I had really wanted to participate in. So I volunteered to drive the members to the place and waited in the parking lot. Thanks to this, I…

Gangneung, Korea

Like Elijah’s Prayer

After I received the truth, my values and standards in life changed. Having the salvation of my soul as the goal of my faith, I no longer busied myself satisfying worldly desires; instead, I made every effort to live a righteous life as a child of God. The people around me were frustrated when they saw me living a joyful life with hope for heaven, because they couldn’t understand me. Whenever I met some people who slandered the truth blindly, I felt lonely and heartbroken. But whenever that happened, I remembered these Bible verses. The prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel…

Lee Ji-won from Gimhae, Korea