God Is in Control of Man’s Life and Death

By Xinlan

Editor’s Note:

    Many people doubt whether God is in control of man’s life and death. Read this Christian’s perception of life and know God’s sovereignty from her husband’s experience of recovering from illness.

    “Ring ring….” The hasty sound of the telephone spoiled the tranquility of my room, and the telephone message made my heart in turmoil. What was to come gave me a deep understanding that God has the final say on the life and death of man.

    It was gone 5 a.m. on the morning of September 7, 2014, when my sister suddenly called and said, “Sister! Your husband is very sick now, he has been admitted to the hospital at one in the morning.” I didn’t believe her words and said, “He was totally fine when he phoned me just at eight last night. How is it possible that he got sick so suddenly?” My sister replied, “Just before he could finish the phone call last night, he was struck by the illness. It was his boss and workmates that rushed him to the hospital.” At her words, I recalled when my husband asked me to go to him over the phone but was refused by me, he didn’t say anything further. I had thought that he was angry at me, and it turned out that …

How to Keep Jealousy From Destroying a Friendship

By Xinling

    Editor’s Note: Ling Ran is a designer at an advertising agency. When her old friend outperformed her at work and gradually began to receive the approval and regard of co-workers, she was seized by a feeling of jealousy that coiled round her heart and devoured her happiness like a venomous snake. This jealousy left her in a state of agony out of which she was powerless to escape. So, how did Ling Ran free herself of jealousy and reestablish her old friendship by relying on God?

Competing With a Friend, A Miserable Existence

    Ling Ran and Zhang Ke are Christians and good friends who could talk about anything with each other. Recently, the two were both hired by the same advertising agency to work as designers. Ling Ran was delighted to hear that she would be working with one of her good friends. In the beginning, Zhang Ke and Ling Ran were always helping and encouraging each other, so despite neither of them being familiar with the work, they didn’t feel particularly pressured.

What Would You Do If the Person You Love Most Betrayed You?

By Zhaoyun

Editor’s Note:

    What would you do if the person you love most betrayed you? In “Silently Waiting,” Amy Cheung wrote, “When you have the feeling that the person you love is unfaithful to you, you may pretend not to know. Pretending not to know is avoidance and self-deception, but it is also waiting.”

    It’s true. As an abandoned woman who’s not going to make a terrible scene, the choice is to be silent and move him through love. This is giving yourself a way out, and it’s giving him an opportunity. This is how a lot of people handle betrayal by their other half. But how can you bear the bitter misery behind that silence? If your silence can’t get him to turn back, what do you do? I really understand the struggles and the suffering behind your silence and hope that today’s essay can help you.

The Key to Managing to Attend the Wedding Feast of the Lamb

The Parable of the Wise Virgins

    The Lord Jesus said, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I know you not” (Matthew 25:1–12).

Kidnapped When Seven Months Pregnant, She Relies on God to Escape Danger

By Li Ai, Italy

    “Don’t move and don’t scream! Do what I say, or this knife will end both you and your child!” said the vicious ruffian, threatening an unarmed pregnant woman with a sharp knife.

     This was something that happened to Li Ai over 10 years before, and she still felt a lingering fear when thinking about it even now. After it was over, however, what she felt most of all was gratitude to God, for at that time of danger, had it not been for God’s guidance and protection, she dreads to think what might have happened.

In What Way Will the Second Coming of Jesus Christ Happen?

By Gao Jie

    We Christians all know that when Jesus Christ descends for the second time, He will receive us so that we can be with Him. This is the promise that the Lord has made to us, and also is the greatest longing for all Christians. So welcoming the second coming of Jesus Christ is the most important matter of us believers’ lives. But to welcome the Lord, we must first know in what way His second coming will happen. If we are not clear about this, then we will be apt to miss the second coming of Jesus Christ and lose the opportunity to enter into the kingdom of heaven for all of eternity. Let’s fellowship about this topic today.

What Would You Do If the Person You Love Most Betrayed You?

By Zhaoyun

Editor’s Note:

    What would you do if the person you love most betrayed you? In “Silently Waiting,” Amy Cheung wrote, “When you have the feeling that the person you love is unfaithful to you, you may pretend not to know. Pretending not to know is avoidance and self-deception, but it is also waiting.”

    It’s true. As an abandoned woman who’s not going to make a terrible scene, the choice is to be silent and move him through love. This is giving yourself a way out, and it’s giving him an opportunity. This is how a lot of people handle betrayal by their other half. But how can you bear the bitter misery behind that silence? If your silence can’t get him to turn back, what do you do? I really understand the struggles and the suffering behind your silence and hope that today’s essay can help you.

She Finally Quit a Game Addiction That Had Been Ruining Her For 23 Years

By Yi Xin, Malaysia

    Once she got home after work, Yi Xin fell exhausted to the couch. She thought about how she had once again been unable to keep herself from playing games that day at work and had been scolded and given a warning by her boss. She felt so depressed. For 23 years, Yi Xin had been so addicted to online gaming that she could no longer tell fact from fiction. The characters she played in her games did not eat and did not sleep, nor did they need to study or work, and so when she played these games she did not eat or sleep either, and she came to hate both study and work. Living such an irregular life over a long period had caused her to have frequent health complications. The online games afflicted her with mental and physical exhaustion. She so wanted to quit them, but how could she rid herself of them? She rubbed her temples and frowned deeply.

What Does Praying Without Ceasing Refer to? Why Should We Pray Without Ceasing?

By Li Chen

Editor’s Note:

    Many people are confused about praying without ceasing and see it as a difficult thing to accomplish. In fact, as long as we understand the true meaning of it, we will think of it as a part of our spiritual life which is of great benefit to our life progression. So what does praying without ceasing refer to? Why should we pray without ceasing? Read the following article and you will find the answer.

God Saved Me From a Terrible Car Accident

By Wang Li

    In September, 2012, I was fortunate enough to accept God’s kingdom gospel. But at that time I didn’t have much understanding of the significance of believing in God and fulfilling duties, but always held that we couldn’t live without money in this society. I therefore put all my heart into making money rather than into practicing my faith. As a result, I didn’t have a normal church life and even didn’t make prayers regularly. It was not until I was caught in a terrible road accident that I finally came to realize what is most important in life.

How She Won Her Unfaithful Husband’s Heart Back

By Jiamei

Her Husband’s Online Entanglement Raises a Red Flag

    “Uncle, none of that online chatting stuff is real. There are lots of people now using that to cheat people, how could there be anyone there that really wants to meet you?”

    “I know where to draw the line. Mind your own business….”

    When Jiamei overheard that exchange between her husband and his niece, her face immediately fell. Why would she say that? Could it be that there was another woman…?

    After his niece left, Jiamei couldn’t hold herself back. She asked him: “Why did your niece say that? Is there someone else?”

    He paused for a moment, and then prevaricated: “I just invited an online friend to a couple of meals. There’s nothing between us—don’t let your mind run wild.”

When the Second Coming of Christ Arrives, Can We Enter the Heavenly Kingdom?

By Wang Zhen

    It is said in the Bible, “For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:10). Many of us therefore believe that by believing in the Lord Jesus, we are already saved and once saved always saved, so when the second coming of Christ arrives we will automatically be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. However, some brothers and sisters feel perplexed: We commit sins in the day and confess them at night, and often lose our tempers at people; we frequently tell lies and are capable of deceiving people and God, and haven’t become as a little child. God is holy, and absolutely no sinner is permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven. So, will the Lord rapture people like us when He returns?

Why Is God Called by Different Names in Different Ages

By Wang Xiao

    When it comes to God’s name, some brothers and sisters say that God’s name is Jehovah, for it is written in the Bible: “Jehovah … is My name for ever, and this is My memorial to all generations” (Exodus 3:15), and some say that God is called Jesus, because the Bible records: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Some, however, have recently seen a verse from the Book of Revelation, chapter 1, verse 8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, said the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty,” from which it can be seen that God will name Himself the Almighty. This confounds many people: Why does God’s name change? Why does God take these names? What’s the significance of God taking them?

    Actually, if we want to understand this aspect of the truth, we first have to know how God’s names are derived. In this way, the questions will be easily resolved.

What Does “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart” in Matthew 5:8 Mean?

By Xiaoming

Editor’s Note:

    Why did the Lord Jesus teach us to be people who are pure of heart? From the examples of a blind man and the Pharisees recorded in the Bible, Jack, a Christian, has gotten a new understanding of it. Read now!

    Jack, who had just returned from evangelizing London, arrived at the door of a coffee shop around the corner at 2 p.m. as usual.

    Perhaps because the owner of this coffee shop was a Christian, there were free copies of the Bible there for every Christian friend to read. For Jack, this place was of course his first choice, because the quiet environment there enabled him to have more closeness with the Lord.

    As soon as Jack walked in, a skillful barista saw him. This barista had known Jack for a long time, therefore he knew Jack’s habits—an espresso and a Bible would be quite enough.

What Do Three Successive Rare Supermoons in 2019 Signal?

    As predicted by relevant experts, two supermoons will appear successively on 19th February and 21st March 2019, being two fantastic astronomical sights that follow on from the “super blood wolf moon” which appeared on 21st January.

    Related information states that the term “supermoon” refers to when the full moon moves to its closest point to the earth, its perigee, at which point the moon’s diameter is 14% larger than normal and its brightness also increases by 30%—it is the largest, roundest moon visible to the naked eye. Three supermoons will appear in succession this year, which is a rarely seen astronomical sight. In actual fact, wonderful sights such as blood moons and supermoons have been making constant appearances over recent years, for example the blood moons of 2011 and 2013, the series of four blood moons that appeared through 2014 and 2015, the super blue blood moon of 2018, which also occurred 152 years ago, and the super blood wolf moon that appeared on 21st January 2019 which perfectly combined the three astronomical sights of a supermoon, a blood moon and a wolf moon, and it was hailed as the most dazzling astronomical wonder.

What Does the Overcomer in Revelation Mean?

By Xuezhi

    When they hear about “overcomers,” most Christians think those who labor and work for the Lord, who can keep the Lord’s name, who can sit in prison for years without denying the Lord, and who experience all kinds of persecutions and tribulations and yet can still stand witness, are the overcomers referred to in Revelation. Is that view correct? What, exactly, do the overcomers in the Bible refer to?

Guided by God’s Words I Stop Being Jealous

By Jianding

    Editor’s note: In daily life, we are often jealous of people who are better than us and even may dislike and contend with them. The author of this article once lived in jealousy because her classmate was superior to her. She felt extremely miserable and was desperate to free herself from such misery. Now she has successfully emerged from the mire of jealousy. How has she achieved that? This article will tell you.

Do You Know the Meaning of the Lord’s Prayer and How to Seek First the Kingdom of God

By Xiaocao

    The Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10). Nearly every believer in the Lord can recite this passage of the Lord’s Prayer, but most of the time we just recite it to conclude our worship services or to give thanks before meals while we all neglect to contemplate and understand the true meaning within it. As we get accustomed to this kind of practice, reciting the Lord’s Prayer has become a conventional religious ritual. So how should we interpret the Lord’s Prayer in a way that is in accordance with the Lord’s will?

Why Does God Test Us? What Exactly Is God’s Will in Trials?

By Jiangjing, China

    As Christians, none of us are strangers to trials. The Bible says, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, Jehovah is my God” (Zechariah 13:9). It also says in the Bible, “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). From this, we can see that God wants to give refinement and trials to His chosen people and, through this, to perfect our faith and our love for God, to resolve our corrupt dispositions or the taints in our belief, to remedy our wrong views and to enable us to be purified. We can therefore encounter all kinds of environments that are at odds with our own notions. Examples of these environments may include sometimes encountering the refinement of illness, and sometimes our families may encounter misfortune, such as the suffering of a relative or our homes being burgled; sometimes we may encounter difficulties in our jobs or things in our lives that are not as we would wish; another example is what we decide to do when the interests of our flesh clash with the interests of the church. All these examples are, without a doubt, trials to us. So what approach should we take to the trials God sets for us? And when trials befall us, what is God’s will?

Matthew 19 Commentary: Why Is It Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God?

By Xiaoliang

    When I got up early in the morning, I said a prayer, then opened up the Bible and read the following: “And, behold, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said to him, Why call you Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus to His disciples, Truly I say to you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:16–24). I had read these verses many times, but I didn’t know why it is hard for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom. What did the Lord mean when He told this parable to His disciples? A camel simply cannot go through the eye of a needle, which implies that the rich young man was entirely unable to enter into the kingdom of God. So, what does the Lord want us to understand through this parable?