Archives for 8 月 2023
Bible Verses–Luke 13:10-17
And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said to her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said to the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, You hypocrite, does not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, see, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
Bible Verses–Mark 2:23-28
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said to him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said to them, Have you never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the show bread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Bible Verse–Matthew 12:12
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Why it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
After I Conducted My Business With Integrity, I Enjoyed God’s Blessings (I)
By Lin Qiang
I was born in a poor family. Since I could remember things, I had led a life of being discriminated against. So, I promised myself: In the future, I must make a lot of money and live a rich life above others, to let people look at me with new eyes.
After my marriage, I set up a barbershop. At that time, I charged three yuan for a haircut. Every day, I worked so hard that I had a sore back but could only earn tens of yuan at the very most, which could just maintain my family’s expenses. By the end of the year, I couldn’t save any money. I got anxious: If this continues, when can I live a good life above others? As the times progressed, people began to pay attention to food, drink, clothes, and beauty, especially women who sought fashion. Therefore, my eyes were fixed upon perming or straightening or dyeing the hair. I learned that a bottle of hair dye which only cost several or over ten yuan could be used to do the hair for five or six persons, and the price of perming and straightening the hair was from eighty to one hundred yuan at a time. When I saw the fraternity were all making money in this way, I was quite excited. Soon, I hung a sign with the words “Hair Perming, Hair Straightening, and Hair Dyeing.” As might be expected, not a few image-conscious people were attracted to my shop. I seized people’s psychology of liking to hear the flattery, and soon mastered an ability—speaking from both sides of my mouth. I also learned how to observe speech and behavior and size people up. As long as customers entered my shop, I could determine whether they were rich or not just by looking them up and down. And as long as I had a short conversation with them, I could determine whether they were yes-men or difficult ones. Then, I immediately did my own calculation in my heart: The rich care about their tastes but don’t care about the price, so I will try my best to recommend the high-priced service; to the image-conscious people who are not quite rich, I will recommend the low-priced service in order not to let them get away; the yes-men are easy targets, while the difficult people need to be dealt with carefully so as to avoid future trouble.
Once a customer arrived. I took a glance, finding that she was a lady in her fifties who dressed in fashion. By my experience, I knew she was a wealthy woman. So, I came up at once with a big smile and said: “Madam, have a seat, please. How would you like to do your hair?” “I just want to have it cut.” She replied. Hearing that, I thought: Though the charge for a haircut has increased, it only is seven yuan; why don’t I try to make more money from her? So, I pretended to stroke her hair, and then looked at her face and said with a smile: “Sister, you look so refined, but your hair is too soft; if you just have it cut, it will lie flat on your scalp, which looks neither beautiful nor matches for your face. If you have a perm, it will be fluffy and look more beautiful.” “Really? I have never permed my hair. I have no idea whether it will look nice.” She said. “I have seen and made many hairstyles. It must be beautiful….” I replied, and soon I convinced her. After everything was done, she happily paid eighty yuan and then left. I thought: It’s so easy to make money. Just speaking some more words, I can make more money. If I just do according to her original intention, I can only make seven yuan, while now I make eighty yuan at a time, ten times more than it.
Just like this, whoever came to my shop, I would try every possible means to earn money from them. Sometimes, some people just came accompanying their partners who have a haircut, but by my glib tongue I would persuade them to consume willingly. One day, a young girl and her elder sister came to my shop. But only her sister would have straight hair. I thought: Though two sisters come here, only one does her hair and I can only make one hundred yuan. If they two do their hair, won’t I make one hundred more? Then, I tried to persuade the girl: “Beauty, would you like to have your hair set?” “No, Thanks.” The sister refused at once. Seeing that she had no intention at all, I used a psychological tactic, saying, “Beauty, you are not quite high, and have a round face. If you have your hair straightened and dyed, you will be more charming and must look more beautiful.” But she still had no response. I knew women have a weakness that they don’t like others to say they are not beautiful, so I intentionally said to her: “Ah! Beauty, how nice your skin is! Your face is so fair and tender. But the only pity is that your hair is too messy. It really doesn’t look nice unless you have it set. As we all know, people first judge someone by the hair. So long as their hairstyles look good, they are sure to be beautiful.” “I don’t want to do it today. If my sister’s hair looks good after being done, I’ll come tomorrow.” She seemed a little swayed. Seeing the time is coming, I said: “It takes two hours to do your sister’s hair, and you have to wait in vain. Why don’t you do it together with your sister?” Finally, she also had her hair done. At the time, I just thought: “All businessmen are like this; as the saying goes, ‘None of the businessmen is honest.’ A businessman who doesn’t know to make money is a fool. This is the consistent law of the businessmen.”
Afterward, I was fortunate to accept the gospel of the kingdom of God. Once, I saw some God’s words in my spiritual devotion: “You ought to know that God likes those who are honest. In essence, God is faithful, and so His words can always be trusted; His actions, furthermore, are faultless and unquestionable, which is why God likes those who are absolutely honest with Him. Honesty means giving your heart to God, being genuine with God in all things, being open with Him in all things, never hiding the facts, not trying to deceive those above and below you, and not doing things only to curry favor with God. In short, to be honest is to be pure in your actions and words, and to deceive neither God nor man.” God’s word is clear: God is faithful, so God’s words and actions are unquestionable, and He likes honest men. Honest men’s speeches and actions are conscientious; they act straightforwardly and don’t cheat others before or behind them. However, when I did my business, I made money by fair speeches and playing politics, and all I did couldn’t be laid bare. This was obviously not an honest person’s deeds, but was displaying the treachery; this was despised by God. From God’s word, I knew that God wants us to be honest men. But I thought: Now, the business field is like the battlefield. In such a competitive society, if I practice to be an honest person and don’t play tricks, I must make little money, and my shop will be shut down sooner or later. I was on the horns of a dilemma.
One day, a customer said to me the moment she came in: “I have thin hair. I have no idea how to make it look better.” “To firm the roots of your hair up. If it is fluffy, it will look beautiful.” I said. “OK, do it as you said.” She agreed readily. During the process of doing her hair, I thought: To firm the roots of her hair up can only bring me tens of yuan. If I persuade her to have her hair straightened, won’t I make some more? At that time, I clearly knew her hair was unsuitable for straightening, but in the face of interest, I still persuaded her: “If you just have your root firmed, the ends will be too light and messy. You’d better have it straightened.” She agreed. Two hours later, when I excitedly watched my work, I was dumbfounded instantly: The customer’s hair seemed to scorch, becoming curly and completely burnt. I was terribly afraid, thinking: What should I do? In order to make several tens of yuan, I ruined her hair. Alas! I might be scolded and asked for reparation. What should I do? I began to shuffle off my responsibility and said: “Ah, your hair is really not good. It becomes curly when being soaked in the hair dye. Well, I won’t charge you. How about cutting it off?” I had thought that she would complain against me, but unexpectedly, she agreed. Though this matter was a false alarm, I didn’t feel secure and peaceful in a long period, living in reproach and repentance. I knew it was a silent judgment from God. As a believer in God, I went against God’s demand, how could I feel secure?
Later on, I saw God’s words say: “You will be able to obey all that comes from God, and all of your actions, whether done in public or in private, will be presentable to God. If you are an honest person, and practice the truth in all things, then you will be perfected. Those deceitful people who act one way in front of others and another way behind their backs are not willing to be perfected. They are all sons of perdition and destruction; they belong not to God but to Satan. They are not the kind of people chosen by God! If your actions and behavior cannot be presented before God or looked upon by the Spirit of God, this is proof that there is something wrong with you. Only if you accept the judgment and chastisement of God, and care about the transformation of your disposition, will you be able to set foot upon the path to being perfected.” “Many people would rather be condemned to hell than speak and act honestly. Little wonder that I have other treatment in store for those who are dishonest.” From God’s word, I saw God’s righteous and majestic disposition: God likes and saves the honest men, while God hates the deceitful people, whose final ends will be destruction. Thinking about my words and actions, I was a true deceitful person who acts one way in public and another in private. In order to make more money, I didn’t consider whether the customer’s hair was suitable for straightening or perming, just trying my utmost to persuade her to straighten or perm it. And in order to get more money from them, I damaged the customer’s hair, profiting at others’ expense, without any humanity. Facing God’s judgment and dealing, I sank into the reproach and refinement, and felt that I was unworthy to be called a Christian, and that if I didn’t change myself, I would certainly be punished by God. This time, God reminded me by the matter that I damaged the customer’s hair; this is God’s salvation for me. After knowing God’s will, I determined my will before God to be an honest person.
To Be Continued …
Part Two: After I Conducted My Business With Integrity, I Enjoyed God’s Blessings (II)
Bible Verses–Deuteronomy 5:12-14
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you.
Bible Verse–Genesis 2:3
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Bible Verses–Psalm 84:11-12
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in you.
In Times of Illness, How Should Christians Pray in a Way That Aligns With God’s Will?
By Su Yu
The sky was particularly quiet at night, filled with stars, which decorated the sky and made the sky warm and full of magical feeling. But a Christian named Liu Xin was in no mood to enjoy this night scene. Instead, she showed a painful and sad expression. At the moment, she knelt down and prayed to the Lord Jesus in tears, “Jesus, the merciful Savior, recently I’ve gotten a bad headache and often feel dizzy. I can’t see anything clearly and often vomit when I feel a little bit funny. The doctor said I have hydrocephalus. My Lord, please show mercy on me and cure my sickness. Now I am really in great pain and I can only rely on you …” Liu Xin had prayed many times. The sickness hit her once in a while, and she dared not to leave the Lord for a single moment. She had been praying earnestly to the Lord, hoping the Lord would cure her illness. The brothers and sisters prayed for her in the morning, and even a prestigious preacher prayed for her. However, the illness still attacked her frequently. Liu Xin felt very confused: The Lord Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them” (Mark 11:24). The Lord told us that no matter what difficulties we encounter, as long as we pray to Him, He will bestow on us what we need. I have a sickness and pray to the Lord, but why doesn’t He cure me? Has the Lord abandoned me? Thinking of this, Liu Xin felt even worse, and then her headache began again. She could not stand it, so she prayed to the Lord for curing her, and even said she would rather die than live. The more she prayed, the more annoyed she became. She began to waste away and was reluctant to talk to others. She even lost faith in life, feeling that she was a liability. She felt so miserable.
One day after lunch, Liu Xin had a headache again, and she had to rest in bed. At this time, her good friend, Zhou Li, visited her. When Zhou Li asked about her recent physical condition, Liu Xin’s tears could not help but flow down. She told Zhou Li about her pain and confusion these days. The more she said, the more upset she felt. She constantly asked Zhou Li, “The Lord didn’t listen to my prayers. Does the Lord not want me?”
Zhou Li took out two sheets of paper towels and handed them to Liu Xin, telling her something in a serious tone, “In the past, I, like you, thought that the Lord Jesus promised us whatever we pray to the Lord for, He will bestow on us, so whenever I encountered difficulties, I immediately prayed to the Lord and asked Him to make a path for me. After praying, I was filled with joy and gratitude to the Lord when I got the blessings, but when I couldn’t see God’s blessing, I would become passive and weak. I misunderstood the Lord and complained about why He did not listen to my prayers. I did not find it wrong to do so in the past, but when I read a book recently, I noticed that such prayers were unreasonable and not in accordance with God’s will.”
Liu Xin was very surprised to hear these words, and couldn’t accept Zhou Li’s fellowship immediately. She frowned in deep thought. She thought of what the preacher always said, “Living in the world, what we need is the Lord’s protection and blessings. The Lord’s love is greater than all, and His power surpasses all. The Lord promised us that we can receive whatever we pray.” Moreover, many people in the church prayed in this way and received the blessings of the Lord. How can we say such prayers are not in accordance with the Lord’s will? Noticing Liu Xin’s confused expression, Zhou Li asked about her thoughts. After knowing her point of view, Zhou Li said with a smile: “The reason why you can have such confusion is mainly because you don’t know the real meaning of the Lord Jesus’ words, ‘Therefore I say to you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them’ (Mark 11:24). In fact, there are different backgrounds to the Lord’s work and words. When the Lord Jesus started to work, although the disciples who followed Him, did not have a real understanding of the Lord, nor did they know the Lord Jesus is the incarnate God. They had no true faith in the Lord. So the Lord told them they would receive whatever they prayed for, as long as they had faith. The Lord said this in the hope that the disciples could rely on Him more, see His mighty power, have true faith in Him, and know that the Lord is the Messiah to come, not hoping that man would regard Him as a physician who heals the sick and grants all pleas. Since God is the Creator, while we are small creatures, our prayers before God should be reasonable. We should keep in our hearts obedience to God and reverence for Him, and entrust the illness into God’s hands. No matter what God does, it is proper for us not to complain about Him and make demands on Him. A few days ago I extracted some words in this regard, let me read it to you!”
Seeing Liu Xin nod her head gently, Zhou Li took out a small notebook from her bag and read, “When one comes before God to pray, they must give consideration to how they might do so sensibly, and to how they might adjust their inner state to achieve piety and be capable of submission. Having done so, it is then fine for you to go ahead and pray…. Look at Jesus’ prayers (although His prayers are not mentioned here to make people assume His place or position): In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, ‘If it be possible….’ That is, ‘If it can be done.’ This was said in discussion; He did not say, ‘I implore You.’ With a submissive heart and in a submissive state, He prayed, ‘If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will’ (Mat 26:39). He still prayed like this the second time, and the third time He prayed, ‘May Your will be done.’ Having grasped the intentions of God the Father, He said, ‘May Your will be done.’ He was able to completely submit without making any personal choices at all. He asked if it were possible for God to take this cup from Him. What did that mean? He prayed that way because He thought of the great suffering of bleeding on the cross to His last dying breath—and this touched upon the matter of death—and because He had not yet completely grasped the intentions of God the Father. Given that He was able to pray like that despite the thought of such suffering, He was very submissive indeed. His manner of prayer was normal; He did not propose any conditions in His prayer, nor did He say the cup had to be removed. Rather, His purpose was to seek God’s will in a situation that He did not comprehend. The first time He prayed, He did not understand, and He said, ‘If it be possible … but as You will.’ He prayed to God in a state of submissiveness. The second time, He prayed in the same manner. In total, He prayed three times (of course, these three prayers did not happen over a mere three days), and in His final prayer, He completely came to understand God’s will, after which He no longer implored for anything. In His first two prayers, He was just seeking, and He sought in a state of submissiveness. However, people simply do not pray like that. In their prayers, people say, ‘God, I beg You to do this and that, and I beg You to guide me in this and that, and I beg You to make ready conditions for me….’ Perhaps He will not prepare suitable conditions for you and will let you suffer hardships. It is so unreasonable for people to always pray, saying, ‘God, I ask You to make preparations for me and give me strength.’ You must be reasonable when you pray, and you must do so under the premise that you are submitting. Do not set the terms before you pray. Before you even begin to pray, you are already setting the terms, thinking: I must implore God and get Him to do such and such. This way of praying is so unreasonable. Oftentimes, God does not listen to people’s prayers at all, so when people pray, they feel nothing at all” “Praying and seeking in God’s presence is not about forcing God to do this and that. What is a reasonable prayer? What is an unreasonable prayer? You will know after gaining experience for some time. For example, after you pray this time, you feel that the Holy Spirit doesn’t do it that way and doesn’t lead you that way. When you pray the next time, you won’t pray like that, won’t force God like you tried to last time, and won’t ask God for things according to your own will. You will say: ‘Oh God! Everything is done according to Your will.’ As long as you focus on this approach, and grope about for a while, then you will know what ‘unreasonable’ is” (“The Significance of Prayer and Its Practice”).
After reading these words, Zhou Li went on fellowshiping, “It shows that before the crucifixion, although He had human weaknesses, He didn’t ask the heavenly Father to remove the pain. When we suffer illness or disasters, we never seek the will of the Lord and what we should do to meet the requirements of God, just blindly demanding grace and mercy from the Lord. In essence, we are forcing the Lord to do this and that as we demand. Our behavior is so unreasonable. How can the Lord fulfill our prayers? Therefore, no matter what illnesses, disasters or bad things befall us, we must pray standing in the right position. We cannot blindly ask the Lord to follow our will. Instead, we should obey and seek the will of the Lord. Just as Job went through the trials, a mountain of sheep and cattle were taken away by robbers and his sons and daughters were killed by the collapsed houses. In an instant, Job lost priceless family possessions and all his children. This sudden disaster was unbearable for anyone. But when Job heard the news, he didn’t pray to God that the disasters should be removed promptly, but instead sought God’s will. Finally, when he understood that all disasters were not from man, not by chance but the trails of God, he rent his mantle and fell on the ground, 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). And when Peter was arrested and put into prison, brothers and sisters shielded him out of the city. Just when he escaped from the city, the Lord Jesus appeared to Peter and told him that He would be crucified for him. On hearing this, Peter understood the will of the Lord Jesus. At that moment, instead of making unreasonable demands on the Lord Jesus, Peter returned to Rome to take the initiative to ask for a crucifixion upside down. Through the way Peter and Job behaved in the trials, we can see that they are particularly sensible before God, not blindly asking God to satisfy his own flesh, but seeking how to satisfy God’s will. When they knew, they submitted to God’s orchestrations and arrangements. People like them are reasonable before God. In the same way, today when the trial of illness befalls us, we shouldn’t keep asking God for a quick cure for our illness. Instead, we should pray to God wisely and hand over our illness to the hands of God. We should live before God and learn to obey Him, not always live in illness.”
After listening to the fellowship, Liu Xin came to understand when the Lord Jesus said, “What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them” (Mark 11:24), He was to give people confidence in their experience, not to let us make unreasonable demands on God. Thinking back on her prayers, she always prayed to God to cure her illness as soon as possible, never seeking the Lord’s will. Her prayers were so unreasonable, how would the Lord listen to them? Liu Xin knew she should be reasonable and learn to seek the Lord’s will when in illness. Only in this way, will the Lord listen to her prayers.
A few days later, when Liu Xin was cleaning her room, she had a sudden headache and felt dizzy. She held on the wall and slowly sat on the sofa, beginning to pray as before, “Lord! Please cure my sickness, Oh Lord …” After praying, a passage of words hit her, “One should pray with a seeking, submissive heart. When something has befallen you, for instance, and you are not sure how to handle it, you might say, ‘God! I do not know what to do about this. I wish to satisfy You in this matter, and to seek Your will. May Your will be done. I wish only to do as You will, not as I will. You know that all human will is contrary to Yours, and resists You, and does not accord with the truth. I ask that You enlighten me, give me guidance in this matter, and let me not offend You….’ That is the appropriate tone for a prayer” (“The Significance of Prayer and Its Practice”).
Thinking of this, Liu Xin realized she shouldn’t make unreasonable demands on the Lord any more but seek the Lord’s will on her illness. So she prayed, “Lord! When Job’s body was covered in boils, neither did he complain about you, nor did he ask you to remove the sickness. Instead, he obeyed Your orchestrations and arrangements and held faith in You. But when illness came upon me, I kept asking You to cure me. When not cured, I often complain about You, misunderstand You and live in weakness and negativity. Lord! I realize today that I am too unreasonable and disobedient. Now I am willing to entrust this disease into Your hands. Like Job, I will hold faith in You and thoroughly shame Satan. Everything is in Your hands and I will obey You.” After praying, although Liu Xin still felt a bit dizzy, she was steadfast and bright in her heart.
Later, whenever she felt dizzy, she would pray like this: “Lord, whether You love me or not, whether You give me grace or not, whether my illness is cured or not, I will follow You, pursue to love You, and no longer strike bargains with You …” Liu Xin did not expect that when she truly obeyed God, her dizziness gradually decreased, and she also learned how to pray to God reasonably in disease and seek God’s will. This made Liu Xin think: “I once lived in pain caused by my illness and even the pastor and elder were not able to help me. But the words that Zhou Li read to me solved my difficulty. From which book do those words originate?” Thinking of this, Liu Xin hurried to contact Zhou Li, hoping to get the answer …
Bible Verse–Psalm 40:4
Blessed is that man that makes the LORD his trust, and respects not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Bible Verses–Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and truly you shall be fed. Delight yourself also in the LORD: and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Gamaliel’s Merits and Shortcomings – Bible Character Study
According to Acts 5: 34-39 in the Bible, “Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; And said to them, You men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nothing. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nothing: But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it; lest haply you be found even to fight against God.”
What kind of inspiration does the attitude and practice of Gamaliel toward the work of the Lord Jesus bring to us, who wait to welcome the Lord’s second coming in the last days? And what lessons can we draw from it?
When the Jewish leaders, scribes and Pharisees furiously resisted and condemned the Lord Jesus, Gamaliel, a doctor of the Jewish law, did not stand on the side of the Pharisees but stood up and said some words to warn the Pharisees when the apostles of the Lord Jesus were captured, which made the apostles survive from the capture. The message here is that Gamaliel has the sense of a created being. He didn’t hold onto the doctrines of the Old Testament laws to condemn the Lord Jesus like the Pharisees, nor did he arbitrarily judge or blindly condemn on the matter he couldn’t see through. Moreover, Gamaliel thought, if it was the work of men, it would come to nothing as the time went by without being restrained by anyone. If the work was from God, no force could stop it. The work of God will prosper more and more no matter what the obstacle is, and be accepted by more and more people.
Gamaliel’s shortcomings: he lacked the desire of yearning for and seeking the truth in the face of the appearance and work of the Lord Jesus. He only kept cautious and didn’t condemn and resist the work of the Lord Jesus. However, he had never sought and investigated it with initiative. He never knew beyond all doubt that the Lord Jesus is the appearance of God, the incarnate Christ. Therefore, he didn’t gain the promise of the Lord like those who heard the voice of the Lord and unswervingly follow the Lord. Gamaliel was born in the age of the appearance of the Lord’s incarnation, but failed to meet God and the redemptive work of God. This is the greatest regret of Gameliel of his whole life.
Gamaliel did not know that believing in God is far from enough only not to follow the evil and resist God. The true faith approved by God is to listen to God’s voice carefully and follow the footsteps of the work of the Holy Spirit. God is faithful; only when we take the initiative to seek the voice of God and the work of the Holy Spirit piously, God will guide us. The Lord Jesus told us, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”（Matthew 5:6). When the Lord Jesus expressed words and worked, Peter the fisherman, the tax collector who didn’t know the Bible, and the woman of Samaria who rose from humble beginnings, all had a yearning, seeking heart for the truth, so they could recognize God’s voice from the words of the Lord, know the expression of the truth, and witness that the Lord Jesus is the appearance of God, the coming Messiah. They timely followed the footsteps of God and gained the watering and shepherding of the Christ in the flesh, so that they could repent and confess before the Lord, and got the huge blessing and grace from the Lord.
The main reason why Gamaliel never came before the Lord Jesus was that, he never knew that to know God and the work of God through identifying His voice is a crucial principle to seek the appearance of God and recognize God’s work. Today, in the last days, we should also keep and practice this principle. The Revelation 2:7 said, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” If we have the chance to hear the news of the second coming of the Lord Jesus, in order not to miss the Lord’s return, will we sit passively and await death like Gamaliel? If there are someone testifying to the utterances of God to churches in the last days, we should actively investigate and seek with humility. Wherever we heard the voice of God, then we pray and seek God. We believe that God’s sheep can recognize His voice, and we believe that God will lead the true believers in God to keep up with His footprints, so as to gain His salvation in the last days.
Bible Verse–Isaiah 26:4
Trust you in the LORD for ever, for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.
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