Archives for 9 月 2021
Bible Verse–Revelation 21:7
He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Bible Verse–Matthew 24:31
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Bible Verses–Matthew 25:31-36
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink? When saw we you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you? Or when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came to you? And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me. Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you? Then shall he answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Four Principles Essential for You to Get Along Well With Others
By Wang Jing
Interacting with others is a profound lesson for everyone, and Christians are no exception. We all want to handle interpersonal relationships well. So I would like to share with you four principles of practice.
First, in our interactions with others we shouldn’t follow our emotions or preferences, but should treat others in accordance with the principles of truth.
In our interactions, we always treat others based on our own individual preferences. When we meet someone whose character, temperament and lifestyle are in line with our own, we will be willing to interact with them, and we’ll think whatever they say or do is right. Even if they point out our deficiencies to us, we will be willing to accept it. However, when we meet those who are not like us in all aspects, we will discriminate against and shun them; we will be unwilling to accept or obey the suggestions they give us even when we know that they are right. These are all manifestations of acting on our own emotions and preferences. There are no principles of truth in our interacting with others this way, and so our relationships might fall apart at any moment because of our temporary displeasure. This shows that interacting with others based on emotions and preferences can only bring us constant distress, and that such relationships won’t last long. Moreover, it is at odds with the Lord’s will. Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life said, “Some people, when fulfilling their duties among the brothers and sisters, are incompatible with anyone else, their relationships with others are abnormal. There is no love in their relationship with others, there is only hate. They always get close to this person and distance that person, always fight with this person and beckon that person. They have no normal interpersonal relationship with others.” “A person who genuinely loves the truth has a hallmark: He or she likes all those who practice the truth. He or she not only respects them, but also is willing to maintain contact with them and communicate truths together with them in order to gain from it. … A person who genuinely loves the truth likes seeking the company of other people who are honest and love the truth. No matter what their character flaws are, they like fellowshiping with them because they can benefit a lot and gain something that they cannot get from those who don’t like truth.” These two passages of fellowshiping show that the most important thing in our interactions with a person is to first see whether or not the person sincerely believes in God and loves the truth, as opposed to seeing whether or not their temperament and character are like our own. When our interactions with others are established on the principles of truth, with regard to all those who are humane and love the truth, we can be honest with each other and love each other, and then we will naturally be light and liberated; with regard to those people who do not have good humanity and do not love the truth, we only need to maintain an ordinary relationship, instead of a deep relationship, with them so that much unnecessary vexation will naturally be avoided.
Second, treat the failings and corruptions of others correctly and don’t delineate or judge others arbitrarily.
The Lord Jesus said: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Mat 7:1-2). The Lord Jesus taught us that regardless of what transgressions others have or regardless of what corruptions they reveal, we shouldn’t judge or delineate them arbitrarily. We should be loving toward others, tolerate others, and help them. It is recorded in the Bible how the Lord Jesus treated transgressors: Pharisees brought an adulterous woman before Jesus to see how He would deal with her. In accordance with the law, this woman should have been stoned to death, but the Lord Jesus didn’t condemn her but just told her not to sin anymore. From this practical example, we can see that the Lord Jesus particularly sympathizes with our human weaknesses. Regardless of what transgressions we commit, as long as we truly want to repent, God will give us opportunities, and He will wait for us to repent and change. If we don’t view others with an eye for development, but treat others by relying on our satanic corrupt disposition by making harsh demands of them, trifling over minor matters, and arbitrarily judging and defining them when they reveal some corruption, then we simply won’t be able to get well along with them.
For example, there was a sister in our church who never attended meetings on time because of her passivity and weakness. I tried to help her many times, but she was still the same. I decided that she was not a sincere believer in God so I didn’t want to support her anymore or pay any more attention to her. Afterward, I saw that in the Bible it says: “Let not him that eats despise him that eats not; and let not him which eats not judge him that eats: for God has received him. Who are you that judge another man’s servant? to his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be held up: for God is able to make him stand” (Rom 14: 3-4). When I read this I felt quite ashamed. I thought back on how God moved some brothers and sisters to support me and fellowship God’s word with me when I was negative and weak and felt defeated. This helped me to understand God’s intentions and have faith and strength to feel myself renewed. The situation with the sister was the same as my previous situation. It was because she didn’t understand the truth and was bound by family entanglements that she couldn’t attend meetings on time. So when she needed our loving support, I should have continued to communicate God’s will with her so as to help her understand the truth, shake off the shackles of Satan’s dark influence, and return to God’s presence. However, not only did I not understand her difficulties, but I also gave her the cold shoulder and defined her as a believer who wasn’t sincere in her belief in God. How arrogant and conceited I was! After realizing all this, I prayed and repented to God, and was willing to change my wrong attitude. Then I fellowshiped with her based on love and patience, and shared my experience and knowledge with her. This way, after several times of fellowshiping, she understood God’s intentions, her situation changed, and she started to attend meetings regularly and even to perform her duties in the church. Through this experience, I understood that during the period that God works to save us, no matter what weaknesses and corruptions we have, as long as the essence of our nature is not bad and we truly believe in God and pursue the truth, God will give us opportunities to repent. Therefore, we should also tolerate and help others out of love, and treat everyone according to God’s attitude toward mankind. We must not arbitrarily define or judge others. Treating others like this is the truly fair way and conforms to the Lord’s will.
Third, when interacting with others, we should set aside our egos and learn from each other.
The Bible says, “But in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phi 2:3). When interacting with the brothers and sisters, we always see people and things according to our corrupt disposition of arrogance and self-importance. We feel we are better than other people. Especially when we have a certain level of ability and possess a little caliber and talent, we look down upon those who are not talented or gifted, or those who are foolish and of poor caliber, even more. This reveals our arrogance, which is the disposition of Satan, and it does not please God. The Lord Jesus said, “And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mat 23:12). We should take stock of ourselves, and examine ourselves often. When we realize that we are not much better than anyone else, we will not be so high and mighty and will put our egos aside and look for and humbly accept others’ strong points to make up for our own deficiencies. This way, we will keep growing in life and get along well with others.
For example, during a meeting, a sister said that my fellowshiping about the truth was unrealistic, and that it had nothing to do with my experience and knowledge of God’s words. She asked me to cite principles in my fellowshiping and then read a passage of God’s words for me. After hearing this, I didn’t say anything, yet, in my mind, I was very defiant and thought: “What do you understand? How many years have you believed in God? How much understanding do you have of the truth? I have been nurturing and shepherding the church for a long time. Don’t tell me how to fellowship!” I was unwilling to talk to her or listen more. At that time, the atmosphere was a little embarrassing, and the blame in my heart increased. So I prayed to God in my heart, and then thought of the words in the Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life, “Don’t think of yourself too highly or consider yourself much better than others. If someone else suggests something or gives you advice, look into it, accept it if it’s right, and don’t attack others if it’s wrong. Who doesn’t have times when they are wrong? Who sees everything the right way all the time? We fellowship to make up for each other’s shortcomings, so simply accept and use the correct fellowship. Nothing could be easier! …Why can’t you listen to someone else’s opinion? If someone else is wrong, you can stop listening, if they’re half correct, accept the correct half, and if they’re completely right, then accept all of it. That benefits both you and God’s house, and benefits God’s chosen people even more.” I realized that it was because of my arrogant disposition that I was unwilling to listen to the sister’s words, and so the relationship between us was abnormal. When I thought carefully about what she said, I found it was right and beneficial to the work of God’s family. I should have put my ego aside and accepted her opinions, and learned from those exemplary things in her fellowshiping to make up for my own deficiencies. After I put this into practice, we both gained something new. Through the experience, I appreciated that only when putting our egos aside to accept others’ opinions can we gain something and will our relationships with others be more harmonious.
Fourth, when seeing others doing things in a way not in keeping with our own ideas, we shouldn’t fixate on anyone else’s issues but should first learn to know ourselves.
The Lord Jesus said, “And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brother’s eye” (Mat 7:3-5). In our interactions with others it is impossible to avoid some minor friction. But we shouldn’t blindly fixate on others, be obsessed with right and wrong, or look to others for causes, thinking that others are wrong and at fault. We should learn to examine and recognize the problems that exist within us. When we gain knowledge of ourselves, we will not treat others based on our own corrupt disposition, and at the same time our corruptions will be resolved.
I have deep experience of this. Some time ago, a sister I was paired with raised the issue of my deficiencies with me many times, saying I didn’t shoulder enough of the burden of the work of church. Not only did I not see this as coming from God, but I thought that her manner of speaking was harsh, her opinions were too candid, and that she was picking on me purposely and making things difficult for me. So I developed preconceived ideas of the sister and didn’t want to coordinate with her for a while. Afterward, I reflected on myself. What was the reason that I was unwilling to accept her opinions? When she pointed out these problems that I had, I didn’t reflect on my own problems and instead focused my attention on the sister, thinking that it was because she picked on me purposely and her attitude and manner of speaking were bad that the relationship between us wasn’t harmonious. Actually, some things that I did were not correct either. When she pointed out my inadequacies, I directly rejected her suggestions before I understood them. That I wasn’t ready to accept the truth caused others to be unable to coordinate with me. At the thought of this, I asked her for suggestions and listened to her communication with patience. At that time, I came to understand that what she said was completely for the sake of safeguarding the interests of the church, which was not what I had imagined. Moreover, those suggestions she put forward were what I was lacking. Finally through communication, we were spiritually linked and became as harmonious as before.
Thank God! The above four principles are some gains and understanding based on my experiences. May every one of us find the principles of easily interacting with others according to the Lord’s word and achieve the result of glorifying and bearing witness to God through the way we live. Amen!
Bible Verse–John 17:14
I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Bible Verse–John 15:18
If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.
Bible Verses–Ezekiel 38:18-23
And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, said the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men that are on the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, said the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain on him, and on his bands, and on the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Looking for a Job Abroad: By Relying on God, I Gained More Than a Job
By Jiejing
In April, 2015, I came to Japan, a beautiful country which I had been longing for for a long time. Seeing the good environment and citizenship here, I was eager to find a job, so that I could reside here.
Later, a senior told me that it was difficult for foreigners to find jobs in Japan, but if they obtained the Real Estate Certificate, it would become much easier. So, after graduating from language school, I chose economics as my major without hesitation, for economic students you need systematic occupational training to obtain certificates. After a period of hard work, I finally passed the examination for the Real Estate Notary.
In order to make my resume impressive and improve my chances of employment, besides the Real Estate Certificate, I also obtained many other certificates. I thought, “Since I have so many certificates, not only the realty companies but also other companies would want me.” Thinking of this, I felt happy in my heart.
Later, full of confidence, I began to send my resume to some companies to apply for a job. Unexpectedly, all I got was rejections, which made me confused: Aren’t the realty companies hungry for people who have the Real Estate Certificate? I not only meet their requirement, but also have many other certificates and can speak Chinese, which is useful for overseas business; why can’t I even get an interview? To obtain these certificates, I’ve put in a lot of effort. But in spite of this, I still couldn’t find a job. Do I have another chance? At these thoughts, I felt so depressed and had less confidence in finding a job.
Soon, the hiring season had passed. Many companies no longer hired workers, let alone foreign ones. Then I sought help from my teacher in private, but still failed to find a job. Seeing others in my class all found jobs, except another foreign student and me, I felt more anxious, worrying whether I could find a job and stay in Japan.
For the next half a month, I constantly sent out my resume, but still didn’t find a job, during which I lived in worries and pain. I thought, “If I can’t find a job in the end, what should I do?” Realizing my condition was not right, I remembered God. Then I told my condition to the sister who read a passage of God’s words to me, “Some people choose a good major in college and end up finding a satisfactory job after graduation, making a triumphant first stride in the journey of their lives. Some people learn and master many different skills and yet never find a job that suits them or never find their position, much less have a career; at the outset of their life journey, they find themselves thwarted at every turn, beset by troubles, their prospects dismal and their lives uncertain. … Regardless of differences in ability, intelligence, and willpower, people are all equal before fate, which does not distinguish between the great and the small, the high and the low, the exalted and the mean. What occupation one pursues, what one does for a living, and how much wealth one amasses in life are not decided by one’s parents, one’s talents, one’s efforts or one’s ambitions, but are predetermined by the Creator.” The sister fellowshiped, “Our destiny is dictated and arranged by God. What jobs we will do is also already predetermined by God and isn’t based on our own efforts or other conditions. Besides, when we can find a job is also in God’s hands. What we need to do is believe that God’s arrangements always suit us most and experience them calmly.” After hearing the sister, I understood that what job I would do was predetermined by God. In the past, I didn’t know the sovereignty of God, so I wanted to rely on my own ability to obtain a good job, placing my hope on various certificates. When I couldn’t achieve my ideal, I was negative and complaining. My suffering was actually the result of my disobedience to God’s sovereignty. After understanding this, I felt much more relieved.
Later, I read another passage of God’s words, “People spend most of their time living in a state of unconsciousness. They do not know whether they should rely on God or on themselves. They then tend to choose to rely on themselves and the beneficial conditions and environments around them, as well as on any people, events, and things that are to their advantage. This is what people are best at. What they are worst at is relying on God and looking up to Him, because they feel looking up to God to be too much of a bother—they cannot see, they cannot touch—and they feel that doing so is vague and unrealistic. Thus, in this aspect of their lessons, people perform the worst, and their entry to it is the shallowest. If you do not learn how to look up to and rely on God, you will never see God work in you, guide you, or enlighten you. If you cannot see these things, then questions such as ‘whether God exists and whether He guides everything in the life of mankind’ will, in the depths of your heart, end with a question mark rather than a period or exclamation mark. ‘Does God guide everything in the life of mankind?’ ‘Does God observe the depths of man’s heart?’ For what reason do you make these into questions? If you do not truly rely on or look up to God, you will not be able to give rise to genuine faith in Him. If you cannot give rise to genuine faith in Him, then for you, those question marks will forever be there, accompanying everything God does, and there will be no periods.” After reading God’s words, I thought that though I believe in God, I didn’t have true understanding of God’s sovereignty or true faith in Him. In the matter of job hunting, I had never relied on or looked to God to experience His work but relied on my own ability, thinking that since I could speak both Chinese and Japanese and held so many certificates, it wouldn’t be difficult for me to find a job. However, in the end, I couldn’t even get an interview, which made me feel so negative and even deny myself. In fact, God arranging such an environment was for me to rely on Him and experience His work in reality, so that my faith in Him could increase. Knowing God’s intention, I felt gratitude to Him and was willing to entrust my job hunting to Him. Whether I could find a job or not, I was willing to obey God’s sovereignty and arrangements.
The next day, when I was searching for information of employment on the Internet as usual, I suddenly found that a realty company located in downtown Tokyo was hiring foreign students. This job seldom required extra work and provided regular vacations, which would not delay my belief in God or attending meetings. It is really an ideal job for me. Isn’t it prepared by God for me? Then I sent my resume to this company. To my surprise, after a few minutes, they gave me a call and made an appointment with me for an interview. After I hung up, I kept thanking God; when I relied on Him and entrusted my job to Him, He really made a way out for me.
Aside from the excitement, I was somewhat worried. As I was introverted and not good at communicating with others, in the past, every time before the interview, I would recite the answers to the questions which may be asked in the interview in advance. But during the interview, I would forget all I had prepared because of tension and lack of confidence. Since I didn’t make any preparation for this sudden interview, how could I pass it smoothly? Then I remembered these words of God, “The Lord Jesus also wanted people to know that they do not live alone in this world. Mankind has God’s care; God is with them. They can always lean on God, and He is family to every one of His followers. With God to lean on, mankind will no longer be lonely or helpless.” It’s true. Outwardly, I attended the interview alone. In fact, God is always by my side; God is the source of life for all things and He holds sovereignty over all people, events, and things; when I rely on Him, He would lead and guide me on the path ahead. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, he was not eloquent. However, because of his faith in Jehovah God, he completed God’s commission. At these thoughts, I had strength in my heart. God was my rear guard and reliance; I should learn how to rely on Him.
Before the interview, I prayed constantly to God, asking Him to lead me and guide me to walk the way ahead. Thank God! During the interview, I didn’t feel nervous and could communicate with the interviewer well. Satisfied with my performance, the interviewer told me that I passed and made an appointment with me for the second interview.
On my way home, I sang hymns all the way, happy and released. Thank God! Through this experience, I truly felt that God was right by my side; when I relied on and looked to Him, He practically led me by His words, which was not vague at all. Since then I had better faith in God.
The second interview was quickly followed by the third one in which there would be two department leaders interviewing me. Knowing this, I couldn’t help but feel afraid and thought, “These two interviewers are leaders who may be strict with me during the interview. If they aren’t satisfied with me and reject me, then I have to start over. Though I can rely on God, will they employ a person who is not proficient in Japanese and has a poor caliber?” The more I thought about it, the less confidence I had.
On the day of the interview, I still felt afraid. Knowing something was wrong with my situation, I told my difficulty to the sister. She read a passage of God’s word to me, “God is man’s only Lord, God is the only Master of human fate, and so it is impossible for man to dictate his own fate, impossible for him to step outside of it. No matter how great one’s abilities, one cannot influence—much less orchestrate, arrange, control, or change—the fates of others. Only God Himself, the unique, dictates all things for man, for only He possesses the unique authority that holds sovereignty over human fate, and so only the Creator is man’s unique Master.” Then the sister fellowshiped with me, “All things are dictated by God. Outwardly, whether you can pass the interview depends on the interviewer. But in fact, it is in God’s hands. Because you are bound by the influence of status and put the decisions made by man above all else, you don’t have God’s place in heart or know His authority. God is the Creator; as long as we rely on Him, He would lead us.” Hearing the sister’s fellowship, I no longer felt afraid. It’s true. Only God is the one who holds sovereignty over my fate. Whether I can pass the interview is based on the rule and preordination of God. I should submit to His orchestrations and arrangements with no individual choice. Thinking of this, I felt assured and relieved.
After adjusting my mentality, I attended the interview calmly. When I was asked the question which I couldn’t answer or when I couldn’t express my idea in Japanese freely, I no longer felt nervous or afraid. Because I knew that whether I could pass the interview was in God’s hands; I just needed to do all that I could. A few days later, I received an email from the company which said that I passed the third interview, and they made an appointment with me for the last round of interviews where the interviewer was the manager. I felt so happy. I truly appreciated the authority of God’s words, and that as long as I acted according to His words, I would see His wondrous deeds.
Though I still felt kind of nervous about the following interview, I knew God would lead me to the direction forward, because after experiencing His wondrous deeds, I knew that He is always by my side. Then I prayed to Him, “Oh God! You know that I lack the powers of expression, insights, and courage. May You give me faith and strength so that I can face and experience this environment.” After prayer, I felt calm in my heart. During the interview, I was released and was prompt at answering questions. To my surprise, a few minutes after the interview, the head of the personnel department gave me a notice and told me that I was accepted by the company with a salary higher than that of the others accepted. Seeing all these things, I was moved to tears and knew that it was God’s wondrous deeds.
Through this experience, I truly appreciated that God is always by my side, supplying me and leading me. I also saw that God is faithful and that His word has power and authority, and that it is actually not vague to rely on and look to Him. Thank God! I not only found a good job, but also gained a little true knowledge of His sovereignty and more faith in Him. I believe that with God’s company and the guidance of His words, I will become more brave and confident in the future. All glory be to God!
Bible Verses–Ezekiel 38:9-12
You shall ascend and come like a storm, you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you, and all your bands, and many people with you. Thus said the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into your mind, and you shall think an evil thought: And you shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn your hand on the desolate places that are now inhabited, and on the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the middle of the land.
Bible Verses–Ezekiel 38:1-2
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
What Inspiration Can Job’s Trials Bring to Us?
What was Job’s attitude when God’s trials befell him?
We all know about Job’s trials from the Bible. It records that after Satan’s first temptation, all of Job’s livestock was stolen away by robbers, his servants were killed and his children were all crushed to death by the collapsing house. When Job heard the news, though he did not understand God’s will, he never sinned with his lips or complained against God. Rather, he behaved with rationality and bent over and worshiped, saying: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21).
During Satan’s first temptation, though Job had stood firm in his testimony, Satan little believed his uprightness, nor did it believe that his holding fast to the way of revering God and shunning evil was true or done from his heart. Thereupon, Satan tempted Job again. After that, he had sore boils all over his body and used a potsherd to scrape himself sitting among ashes. Despite this, when his wife advised him to abandon God, he reprimanded her by saying: “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10).
These few short phrases demonstrated Job’s attitude when he faced the two trials. We can see from his words that he was willing to endure suffering and submitted to God’s orchestration and arrangements without any complaints. In the end, he bore strong and resounding witness to God before Satan. Just as God’s words say: “When Job first underwent his trials, he was stripped of all his property and all of his children, but he did not fall down or say anything that was a sin against God as a result. He had overcome the temptations of Satan, and he had overcome his material assets, his offspring and the trial of losing all his worldly possessions, which is to say he was able to obey God as He took things away from him and he was also able to offer thanks and praise to God because of what God did. Such was Job’s conduct during Satan’s first temptation, and such was also Job’s testimony during the first trial of God. In the second trial, Satan stretched forth its hand to afflict Job, and although Job experienced pain greater than he had ever felt before, still his testimony was enough to leave people astounded. He used his fortitude, conviction, and obedience to God, as well as his fear of God, to once more defeat Satan, and his conduct and his testimony were once more approved of and favored by God.”
Why did Jehovah God try Job?
God permitted Satan to tempt Job, and also used this to try him, in which there is actually great significance. God says: “In God’s eyes, although Job was still the same Job as before, Job’s faith, obedience, and fear of God had brought God complete satisfaction and enjoyment. At this time, Job had attained the perfection that God had expected him to attain; he had become someone truly worthy of being called ‘perfect and upright’ in God’s eyes. His righteous deeds allowed him to overcome Satan and to stand fast in his testimony to God. So, too, his righteous deeds made him perfect, and allowed the value of his life to be elevated and transcend more than ever, and they also made him the first person to no longer be attacked and tempted by Satan. Because Job was righteous, he was accused and tempted by Satan; because Job was righteous, he was handed over to Satan; and because Job was righteous, he overcame and defeated Satan, and stood firm in his testimony. Henceforth Job became the first man who would never again be handed over to Satan, he truly came before the throne of God and lived in the light, under the blessings of God without the spying or ruination of Satan…. He had become a true man in the eyes of God; he had been set free …” From these words, it can be seen that God tried Job in order that he could use his actual conduct to bear testimony before Satan and the people of the world. Indeed, through the examination of the facts, Job’s uprightness was proven and also God’s evaluation of him was proven 100% accurate. What’s more, through these two trials, God perfected Job’s faith and his reverence of Him. Surely, having undergone the trials, Job overcame the temptations of losing his children and wealth and the temptation of suffering physically, and thus his faith in God grew. Henceforth, Satan would no longer be able to wreck his relationship with God, snatch him away from God, or even accuse him. Therefore, Job completely became free and became a man who truly worshiped God.
What inspiration can Job’s experiences bring to us?
When Satan tempted Job, on the surface it appeared that all his livestock was stolen away by the robbers, that his children were killed by the collapsing house, and that he was covered in sore boils head-to-toe; but in the spiritual realm, it was actually Satan stretching out its hands to Job and abusing him, and even more so was Satan and God having a bet. However, afterward, seeing Job had never forsaken God’s name during his trials, and finding itself without schemes to carry out, Satan fled in panic and would no longer dare to tempt him. At this point, I cannot help thinking that each of us often comes across Satan’s temptations. For example, when we are living a quiet life, suddenly something unfortunate comes upon us, or we ourselves or our family fall ill all of a sudden. Faced with these situations, we will pray, but if we fail to obtain God’s response, then our faith may ebb away and we may even complain against and misunderstand God. In fact, behind this, it is Satan making a wager with God and inciting disharmony between us and God. For another example, when some brothers and sisters are determined to serve God or preach, their family begin to block them or their relatives or friends find them a paid job, thereby swaying their faith and making them lose the chance to serve God and be saved by Him. From the outside, we just contact the people around us, but in reality these occurrences are wars in the spiritual world and are Satan’s temptations of us. Meanwhile, God also uses these trials to test us.
God’s words say: “In every step of work that God does within people, externally it appears to be interactions between people, as if born of human arrangements or from human interference. But behind the scenes, every step of work, and everything that happens, is a wager made by Satan before God, and requires people to stand firm in their testimony to God. Take when Job was tried, for example: Behind the scenes, Satan was making a bet with God, and what happened to Job was the deeds of men and the interference of men. Behind every step of work that God does in you is Satan’s wager with God—behind it all is a battle.” We can see from these words that in the environments that we encounter every day, externally they appear to be the deeds or disruption of our relatives or friends, but behind the scenes, Satan uses these people to disturb us to make us distance ourselves from God, continue to live under its domain and thus be controlled and harmed by it. While we are being tempted by Satan, God and Satan are both seeing whether we follow Satan or rely on God’s words to overcome Satan and thus stand witness for God. If we follow Satan, then we will lose one chance to be saved by God; if we are like Job, who did not deny God but stood testimony regardless of what temptations befell him, then Satan will no longer tempt us. So from God’s words and Job’s trials, we can see that these environments that befall us all have God’s intentions behind them and even more His expectations of us. As long as we seek God’s will and rely on God during trials, we will surely stand witness and be saved and perfected by God. Accordingly, our faith will become ever stronger and our God-loving heart ever purer.
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