Faith & Life

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

In the Face of Frustration

The darkest hour is just before dawn. Likewise, the most hopeless time in a person’s life can be a sign that hope is coming. Everyone experiences frustrations. Things do not always go as planned, and sometimes something bad happens unexpectedly. Whenever this situation occurs, we become so discouraged and downcast that we feel like just giving up. Even though we keep looking around, it seems like there is no way to out. At that very moment, God extends His hand to us. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, there were so many frustrating situations awaiting them. However, God did not leave His people alone to fall. When they were trembling in fear, trapped between the Egyptian army pursuing them…

God Sympathizes with Us

‘Why did God live the same way people lived?’ This is what I had been wondering about for a long time since I began to believe in God. Our sins can be forgiven only through the precious blood of Christ, and for that reason, God must have come to the earth in the flesh. However, He could’ve suffered the pain of crucifixion only for a short moment. Why did He endure all that pain and suffering for such a long time? I couldn’t understand it easily. One day, however, I happened to read one verse in the Bible. I felt as if I got punched in the head. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to…

Yun Eun-ju from Goyang, Korea

Let Us Laugh Again and Again!

When you laugh, blessings come your way and harmony follows your family. When you laugh, hope wells up in you and sorrow goes away. When you laugh, you can overcome hardship and relieve stress. Laughter is so good for your body like restorative medicine that it helps you keep your health and drive away cancers and sometimes it can even change your destiny. It brings you happiness, the greatest goal of your life, in the end. People say that they laugh as they are happy, but sometimes they get happy as they laugh. This month, let us enjoy the privilege of laughing to our hearts’ content. Tip Laugh as soon as you get up, and you will be happy all…

To Know and to Act

“It is good for your health to eat meals at regular times and to do exercise steadily.” “You should be diligent to fulfill your duty successfully, whether it is study or work.” Everyone knows this very well, but it is not easy to put it into practice. Ganda Masanori, a Japanese management consultant, said, “The know-how for success is definite, but there is only one percent of people who put it into action.” This implies that even though there is a definite secret to success, only the person who puts it into practice can succeed. The book of “Acts,” as its name implies, is a book that records the acts of the apostles who preached the gospel widely from Judea…

The Law of God

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Ps 19:7–8 There was a tough time when I studied law, dry and dull. I had so many thick books to read, and slightly different theories gave me a headache. The more pages I turned, the more frustrated I became. One day, I saw the above verses from the lyrics of a New Song. It was a liberating experience. Reading the verses directly from the book of Psalms moved me even more deeply. ‘That’s right.…

Lee Su-jin from Hwaseong, Korea

Mother Is My Salvation

There is a sister whom I led to Zion. She was my age and very interested in the Bible. Once she started studying the Bible, it usually took a couple of hours. She also installed a Bible app on her smartphone and read it all in just a few days. As her new semester was approaching, she went off to the province where there was her college dormitory. Her place was five hours away from Uijeongbu, and there was no Zion in its vicinity. Even the transportation was inconvenient, and it took a great deal of time to get to the church. After she moved into the dormitory, I was worried about her, so I visited her on Friday as…

Kim Hyeon-dong from Uijeongbu, Korea

Those Who Hope in God Will Renew Their Strength

I was not motivated to do anything, just like a plant that had lost its vigor and faded away. My self-respect also dropped to the bottom level. I knew that I had to overcome myself, but it was not easy to do so. What was worse, there was a whisper of darkness in my mind; “Lay all down now.” It was tempting, but I couldn’t give up because I had a heavenly home to return to. I urgently needed spiritual strength. Then I happened to read some verses that touched my soul. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who…

Kang Sun-bong from Jinju, Korea

“Good Job!”

In our school days, when our teacher placed this “good job” stamp on our assignment after checking to see if we had completed it, we were as happy as if we had gained the whole world. Everyone probably experienced this kind of joyous moment during their childhood. We felt joyful and happy just to see the “good job” stamp, so in order to receive that stamp, we did our assignments wholeheartedly even though we felt like playing outside with our friends. This must still have remained a pleasant memory for someone. Now, an incomparable compliment—the greatest compliment of all—has been reserved for us. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man…

I Have Prayed for You

When I was a college student, I had many gospel activities. One of the most memorable experiences was having a prayer gathering with some Zion members in a lecture room. We used to meet at 8 a.m. before lectures began. As I was living far from my campus, I had to take a subway train at 6 a.m. to join the prayer gathering. Moreover, I often stayed up until daybreak to write reports and to study for exams. Although my body was tired, my heart was full of joy. Every time we gathered, we read the Bible. The following verses still remain in my mind. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for…

Kim Min-ji from Virar East, Virar, MH, India

The Power of Unity

What do you think is the scariest animal in the jungles of Africa? You might think of a ferocious beast that has sharp teeth and strong claws, but there is an animal which even ferocious beasts are afraid of. That is the ‘ant.’ Ants move in a group, stretching over 5 kilometers (3.11 miles). All other animals, when they see a swarm of ants, get frightened and run away quickly. Even elephants, the largest animals on land, run away screaming, and lions also run away in the opposite direction from the ants as fast as they can. The reason why those animals are scared of ants is because of their tremendous teamwork. A single ant is so trivial, but when…

A New Dream Found in My Country

When I was about to enter middle school, my family’s circumstances got bad suddenly, and I had to leave my family and live with my aunt in America; I had to emigrate out of the blue, leaving my loving family. Fortunately, the life on the opposite side of the world wasn’t so bad. At school, there were many friends of my age from Korea, and I quickly became a friend of American students. Not long after I moved to America, my grandmother who was worried about me came to America and she left me no room to feel lonely or alienated. But I still missed Korea. A few years passed and I was more familiar with my life in America…

Lee Min-gyu from Seongnam, Korea

Until the Morning Star Rises in Your Hearts

It was when I was in the first year of high school. The math teacher handed out papers with an interesting pattern and told us how to look at it. When I did as the teacher directed, after a good while, I could see a three-dimensional shape built on the flat picture. Excited, I took it home and showed it to my mom. My mom, who succeeded at the end of a longer challenge, was amazed, seeing the picture again and again. The picture was a Magic Eye. A few years later, I received the truth through my older sister. Then my mom came to mind first. Mom was always living a hard life, raising her eight children along with…

Lim Ji-yeon from Seongnam, Korea

True Filial Piety

There is no one who likes sinners in this world. If someone has committed a heinous crime against God and humanity and everyone points the finger of blame at him, saying, “He deserves to be put to death,” even his family may be unwilling to go near him. However, a mother is different. She always stands by the side of her child even though all people in the world turn their faces away from him. Sometimes she may rebuke and whip her child because she wants him to grow up to be an upright person, but she can never give up on her child. She is the only person who can say to her child, “I still love you,” and…

The Mind of Mother

This person became the originator of “shiyi” (an imperial official who supervised food for a king) in China. This person also did all the household chores as a slave in the family, and that person was a teacher of everyone in the family. There is a legend that when this person was alive, there were mountains all over the country, but when this person died, the whole land was covered by water. Who do you think this person is? This is a famous riddle, which was once asked by a heroine in a TV drama that was broadcast in Korea. Yes, the answer is a “mother.” Shiyi (a dietetic physician or a food doctor) cared about the health of the…

Tied with the Bond of Peace

I am rather hot-tempered. I’ve become somewhat patient after becoming a child of God, but I haven’t completely changed yet. One day, my impetuosity hurt a member’s feeling. Regretting it, I was reading the Bible to look for a solution. Then these verses caught my attention. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2–3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”—these words resounded in my heart. When things didn’t go my way, when somebody misunderstood my words or action, and when somebody thought the very opposite from what I thought,…

D.Tuvshinjargal from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

With a Sense of Ownership

“The one with a sense of responsibility is the owner, and the one without it is a guest.” In the semester opening worship service, the words of Ahn Chang-ho, a Korean independence activist, echoed in my mind. If I take the initiative in whatever for the gospel with a sense of responsibility, I will get a good result. At the thought, my heart all of a sudden became full of excitement and anticipation; actually, I was half full of worries and half full of excitement before I started my campus life. As the new semester began, I made many close friends, and so I had many opportunities to deliver the truth. Moreover, Zion was right in front of my college,…

Kim Min-tae from Seoul, Korea

Witnesses

When people purchase something, if it is a simple product, they buy it after considering just a couple of factors, without much thought. However, if it is an item of high value, they find it difficult to decide whether to buy it or not. They carefully examine every aspect of the product so that they will not suffer any loss or damage. For this, many of them refer to the customer comments or reviews on the product. When it comes to their health which is much more valuable, they become more cautious. They prick up their ears to hear from those who know well by experience which hospital diagnoses patients precisely and provides appropriate treatment for them. It is the…

Repentance

“Please forgive me for my lack of love for my brothers and sisters.” “Please forgive me for my disobedience to Your words.” There were many times when I could ask God for forgiveness—on the Sabbath day and Third day every week, and the Day of Atonement when we confess all of our sins committed throughout the year. However, I just repeated vague prayers without sincerity. I knew my wrongs, but I just thought God would forgive me and prayed for my wishes rather than for contrition. I really never knew how to repent. Then this one verse changed me: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for,…

Jang Min-gyeong from Seongnam, Korea

The Trap of Habit

Running water purifies itself, but stagnant water, although it may look calm and peaceful, is bound to go rotten sooner or later. It is the same with people. When they behave according to their habits, they may feel comfortable because they are accustomed to them. However, when they try to change their habits, they find it tiresome and difficult to do so. If they become so familiar with their habits and do not try to change themselves or attempt something new for a long time, they fall into lazy habits or routines. Indulging in indolence and lethargy, they just keep themselves from attempting to change their thoughts and behaviors, and eventually they end up confining themselves in their habitual routines,…