By Daisy, Greece

I used to have this notion in my duty: I thought as long as I had good intentions, and wanted to fulfill my duty, then I’d meet with God’s approval and acceptance because of my good intentions, and that He’d bless my duty with good results. But when I was criticized, reproved, and even pruned despite my efforts, I felt wronged. I wondered, “Doesn’t God scrutinize people’s innermost hearts? Why are my good intentions being met with cold water?” Afterward, I would become negative, passive, and overcautious in my duty. I often accepted such situations with frustration, and I was never clear about where I was going wrong in doing my duty this way. It became a knot in my heart. It wasn’t until I prayed and sought in recent experiences that I gained some understanding of this issue.

I’ve been supervising the video work in the church for the past two years, and in May 2024, the leader discovered that the footage used in a hymn video didn’t match its theme, and that it needed to be remade. Later, I watched the video. I found that some of the footage the production team used was quite novel, but it didn’t match the mood the song was trying to convey. I thought they might have wanted to innovate but that they’d failed to grasp the principles. The next day, the leader fellowshipped the problems with the video in detail, and he also pruned the video production team. A key point he mentioned really struck me. The leader said that they lacked any principles in their duties, that they didn’t understand the truth, couldn’t discern things clearly, and didn’t seek. They just acted on their notions, imaginings, and good intentions, and as a result, they caused disruptions and disturbances. When I heard this, I wondered, “Isn’t this the mistake I often make in my duty?” The videos we produced recently had been quite monotonous in terms of presentation format, and many brothers and sisters suggested that we needed to innovate. I thought, “That’s true, we do have this problem in our videos. So, let’s learn and make a bold breakthrough. Let’s show everyone that we’re creative and not stuck in the past.” So, I looked for some reference videos, thinking we could innovate in terms of format. When we showed the drafts to a few brothers and sisters, they said that it was quite innovative. Given that we’d used some new formats this time, I thought, “Maybe we should let the leader take a look and check it.” But then I worried, “What if the leader finds some issues of principle and rejects these formats? Maybe we shouldn’t show it to the leader and just upload it if we think it’s okay.” But I didn’t feel at ease about this, so I nervously submitted the video to the leader for review. The leader ended up pointing out loads of issues. He said some of the formats didn’t match the theme, and he also said our ideas were too simplistic and that we were devoid of discernment. I felt pretty dejected. I knew there were still problems with the video, but our intentions were good and we wanted to innovate. With a heart full of zeal, I wanted to do the work well. Why couldn’t the leader have said a few words of encouragement so we’d feel better about it?

Afterward, I pondered, “Why is it that when I was reproached and pruned by the leader in my duty, I felt wronged and even thought the leader didn’t understand me?” I prayed to God, seeking to understand where I’d gone wrong in my duty. During my devotionals, I read God’s words: “In performing your duty, you absolutely cannot go by your personal preferences, doing whatever you would like to do, whatever you would be happy doing, or whatever would make you look good. This is acting in accordance with one’s own will. If you rely on your own personal preferences in the performance of your duty, thinking this is what God demands, and that this is what will make God happy, and if you forcibly impose your personal preferences on God or practice them as though they were the truth, observing them as if they were the truth principles, then is this not a mistake? This is not performing your duty, and performing your duty in this way will not be remembered by God. Some people do not understand the truth, and they do not know what it means to fulfill their duties well. They feel that they have made effort and put their heart into it, rebelled against their flesh and suffered, so why then can they never fulfill their duty satisfactorily? Why is God always dissatisfied? Where have these people gone wrong? Their mistake was to not seek out God’s requirements, and instead act according to their own ideas—this is the reason. They treated their own desires, preferences, and selfish motives as the truth, and they treated them as though they were what God loved, as though they were His standards and requirements. They saw what they believed to be correct, good, and beautiful to be the truth; this is wrong. In fact, even though people might sometimes think something is right and that it accords with the truth, that does not necessarily mean that it accords with God’s intentions. The more people think something is right, the more cautious they should be and the more they should seek the truth to see whether what they are thinking meets God’s requirements. If it precisely runs counter to His requirements and counter to His words, then it is unacceptable even if you think it is right, it is but a human thought, and it will not accord with the truth no matter how right you think it is. Whether something is right or wrong must be determined based on God’s words. No matter how right you think something is, unless there is a basis for it in God’s words, it is wrong and you must discard it. It is acceptable only when it accords with the truth, and only by upholding the truth principles in this way can your performance of your duty be up to standard. Just what is duty? It is a commission entrusted by God to people, it is part of the work of God’s house, and it is a responsibility and obligation that should be borne by every one of God’s chosen people. Is duty your career? Is it a personal family matter? Is it fair to say that once you have been given a duty, this duty becomes your personal business? That is absolutely not the case. So how should you fulfill your duty? By acting in accordance with God’s requirements, words, and standards, and by basing your behavior on the truth principles rather than on human subjective desires. Some people say, ‘Once a duty has been given to me, is it not my own business? My duty is my charge, and is what I am charged with not my own business? If I handle my duty as my own business, doesn’t that mean I will do it properly? Would I do it well if I didn’t treat it like my own business?’ Are these words right or wrong? They are wrong; they are at odds with the truth. Duty is not your own personal business, it is God’s business, it is part of God’s work, and you must do as God asks; only by performing your duty with a heart of submission to God can you be up to standard. If you always perform your duty according to your own notions and imaginings, and according to your own inclinations, then you will never meet the standard. Only ever performing your duty as you wish is not performing your duty, because what you are doing is not within the scope of God’s management, it is not the work of the house of God; you are, instead, running your own operation, carrying out your own tasks, and so this is not remembered by God” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Seeking the Truth Principles Can One Perform One’s Duty Well). After reading God’s words, I understood that my mindset was exactly what God exposed. I thought that as long as I put in effort and thought, and paid a price to try and figure things out, I would be fulfilling my duty and God should then be satisfied. But I didn’t consider whether my “good intentions” conformed to principles. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, I’d think something was suitable or good and just go ahead and do it, without earnestly seeking principles or calming down to look up information, study, or summarize. So as a result, the work I produced often didn’t conform to principles. For example, when making hymn videos, nonbelievers focus on grabbing people’s attention and on increasing click-through rates, and they use rich scene transitions and advanced editing techniques to make the videos flashier. But our primary purpose in making videos is to help people quiet themselves and listen to God’s words. This is to propagate God’s words and bear witness to Him. If we take personal preferences or the criteria of nonbelievers as the principles by which to do our duties, deviations often occur, and the result fails to bear witness to God. Also, my caliber is limited, and I lack the capacity for discerning judgment. Though I wish to fulfill my duty, and I want to follow principles in doing things, and I want to innovate and avoid repetition, because I don’t understand the truth and can’t see things clearly, I often have deviations in my understanding of principles, and the results of my work aren’t good. For instance, on this occasion, we wanted to innovate on the format of the video, so I hurried to use new elements that I’d learned in the video, but in reality, I only grasped the basics of what I’d learned, and I didn’t consider whether the visual presentation format matched the theme of the video or whether some techniques were used in line with principles. As a result, the video’s effectiveness was poor, and there were even basic mistakes. The leader pointed out my problems, saying that I was simple-minded and lacking in discernment. I even felt wronged, and that the leader was being inconsiderate. I felt that my motives were good, so even if there were deviations or issues, the leader should offer me a few words of comfort for my good intentions. At this point, I thought to myself, “Is such a demand of mine in line with principles?” In God’s house, things need to be done with careful attention to principles, and right is right, and wrong is wrong. If the works I produce conform to principles and achieve good results, the church will naturally adopt them. But if they violate principles and cannot bear witness to God, then the leader won’t use them, and he will also clearly point out my issues. Such a direct pointer isn’t to expose my weaknesses or attack me, but to help me see my deficiencies and shortcomings clearly, so that I can seek principles more and put more effort into improving my professional skills in the future. In this way, I’ll be able to make better videos. Such pointers and prunings are the best ways to help people do their duty. But I was unable to tell right from wrong, and I liked to hear comforting and understanding words, and when the leader spoke to me even slightly sternly, I’d feel resistant. It was as if, as long as my intentions were good, then even if I made a mistake, I shouldn’t be criticized, and I should be allowed to save face. Isn’t this Satan’s philosophy for worldly dealings? Thinking about it, such demands are truly lacking in reason, and it isn’t the behavior of someone who accepts the truth. Our duties aren’t private matters. Every duty concerns the work of God’s house and bearing witness to God, so we must handle it with caution and care, and with a God-fearing heart, and we should seek more, and consult others more so that we can avoid making works that shame God based on our notions or imaginings. Relying solely on good intentions and enthusiasm without seeking principles can make a person liable to create disruptions and disturbances in their duties.

Later, I pondered, “I’ve known that I should seek principles when faced with matters in my duties, but sometimes, I think something is pretty good and then just immediately do it without wanting to seek principles. Why am I so willful?” I read a passage of God’s words and gained some understanding of my intentions in my duties. Almighty God says: “Is constantly wanting to display one’s expertise and show off one’s abilities in God’s house the correct starting point? (No, it is not.) In what way is it incorrect? Please explain the reason. (Their intention is to show off and distinguish themselves—they are pursuing their own careers. They are not thinking about how they can perform their duties well or how to act in a way that benefits the work of God’s house. Instead, they want to act according to their own preferences, without safeguarding the interests of God’s house or seeking the truth principles.) How do others view this matter? (Always showing off whenever something happens is a satanic disposition. They do not think about how to do their duties and bear witness to God; they always want to bear witness to themselves, and this path is inherently wrong.) This starting point is inherently incorrect, that is certain. So, in what way is it incorrect? This is an issue that you are all unable to refute. It seems that all of you are feeling repressed, and that you all want to display your expertise in order to showcase your abilities—isn’t that right? Among the nonbelievers there is a saying, what is it? ‘An old lady puts on lipstick—to give you something to look at.’ Isn’t this what ‘showcasing your abilities’ means? (Yes.) Showcasing your abilities means wanting to display your capabilities and show off, to gain prestige and status among others, and to be highly regarded. At the very least, it is about wanting to use the opportunity of showcasing one’s abilities to inform and notify others that: ‘I have some real skills, I am not an ordinary person, do not look down on me, I am a talented individual.’ At the very least, that is the meaning behind it. So, when someone has such intentions and always wants to showcase their abilities, what is the nature of this? They want to pursue their own career, to manage their own status, to gain a foothold and prestige among other people. It’s as simple as that. They are not doing it to perform their duty, or for the sake of God’s house, and they are not seeking the truth and acting according to the principles and requirements of God’s house. They are doing it for themselves, to make themselves more widely recognized, to elevate their worth and reputation; they are doing it so that people will elect them as a supervisor or as a leader. Once they are elected as a leader or a worker, won’t they then have status? Won’t they then be in the spotlight? This is their pursuit, their starting point is as simple as that—it is nothing more than the pursuit of status. They are purposefully chasing status, and they are not protecting the work of God’s house or its interests” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (6)). From God’s words, I saw that a person’s intentions and motives in their duties are very important. If a person uses their duty as a means to show off, displaying their talents to gain admiration and elevate their reputation, then they are likely to act rashly, and their thoughts will be focused on their own reputation and status. Doing one’s duty in such a way is essentially engaging in one’s own enterprises. I also reflected, “Why do so many problems arise when I do my duty?” It was because my intentions were problematic. In my duty, I wasn’t thinking about how to bear witness to God or achieve better results. Instead, I wanted to use my work to prove that I was someone with ideas and creativity, and that I wasn’t stuck in the same old ideas. This was all to earn others’ praise. For example, a few brothers and sisters had recently given us some suggestions, saying the format of the videos we were producing lacked variety. I thought to myself, “If I still don’t innovate, will they think I’m not creative?” To avoid leaving them with that impression, I started studying videos, picking up styles that seemed popular and had high click rates, and I thought about trying to make breakthroughs in the next video I produced so people would see me in a new light. When we showed the video samples to a few brothers and sisters, they said it was quite innovative, so I felt pretty pleased with myself, and I was keen for more people to see the video as soon as possible. I didn’t even want to submit it to the leader for review, as I feared he might point out some issues of principle after watching it, preventing the video from being uploaded. I simply didn’t want to seek from him. Reflecting on all this, I felt a sense of dread. I realized my intentions in my duty were wrong, and that I was too willful. I almost uploaded a problematic video, and this wouldn’t have just not borne witness to God but instead would have shamed Him. The consequences of this would have been unimaginable.

Later, I thought of God’s words: “Do you know what is the greatest taboo in man’s service of God? Some leaders and workers always want to be different, to be head and shoulders above the rest, to show off, and to figure out some new tricks, in order to make God see just how capable they really are. However, they do not focus on understanding the truth and entering the reality of God’s words. This is the most foolish way to act. Is this not precisely the revelation of an arrogant disposition? … As such, never ever impulsively do whatever you want. How can you not consider the outcome? When you offend God’s disposition and violate His administrative decrees, and are subsequently eliminated, there will be nothing left for you to say” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). God says that the most taboo thing a person can do in their duty is always wanting to be different and show off. To display how capable and skilled they are, people often act in a blind and impulsive way based on their own will. This is the revelation of an arrogant disposition. Just like this time when we made the video, I didn’t understand the truth and only had a superficial knowledge of the professional skills involved, I didn’t thoroughly research many of the program formats and presentation methods, and I just borrowed ideas based on what felt good to me. Especially when I had some ideas for the video that I thought were creative or inspired, I felt quite pleased with myself and had great confidence in myself, and I thought this video production would be sure to make people see me in a new light. If I’d been more reasonable, and had recognized my lack of understanding of the truth and inability to see things clearly, then before trying a new format, I would have carefully researched and consulted others, and would have repeatedly reviewed the video and sought more after making it to ensure there were no issues before uploading it. But I had blind confidence in myself, which is a sign of foolishness and ignorance. I was truly arrogant and ignorant! I didn’t understand my own capabilities and didn’t seek when I did things. By doing my duty based on my preferences, I was liable to cause disruptions. Doing my duty this way was really dangerous!

During my devotionals, I read two passages of God’s words that made the path of practice clearer to me. Almighty God says: “If you fail to act based on the truth principles and instead lean toward the incorrect thoughts and viewpoints of nonbelievers, basing your actions on these things, then your efforts will be in vain. Even if you paid a high price and invested a lot of effort, your final result will still be in vain. How does God view this matter? How does He characterize it? How does He deal with it? At the very least, your deeds are not good, they do not bear testimony to God or bring glory to Him, and the price you paid and the mental effort you put in will not be remembered; it is all in vain. Do you understand? (Yes.) Before you do anything, take the time to think carefully, fellowship with others more, seek clarity on principles before acting, and don’t act hotheadedly or impulsively, driven by your own selfishness and desires. Regardless of the outcome, in the end you’ll have to bear it by yourself, and no matter the result, there will be a verdict from God. If you hope that your actions will not be in vain, that they will be remembered by God, or even better, that they will become good deeds that God is pleased with, then you should seek the principles more often. If you don’t care about these things, if it doesn’t matter to you whether your deeds are good or whether God is pleased with them, and you don’t even care about whether you’ll be punished, but you think, ‘It doesn’t matter, I won’t be able to see or feel it now anyway,’ if you have these thoughts and viewpoints, then when you act you will not have a God-fearing heart. You’ll be bold, unrestrained, and reckless, with no concern or restraint with anything. Without a God-fearing heart, the direction you take when you act is very likely to deviate. According to human nature and instincts, the final result is likely to be that your actions not only fail to gain God’s pleasure or remembrance, but they also become disruptions, disturbances, and evil deeds. So, it is quite evident what your ultimate outcome will be, and how it will be treated and handled by God. Therefore, before you do anything, before you handle any matter, you should first reflect on what you want, consider thoroughly what the ultimate result of this matter will be, and only then proceed. So, what does this issue involve? It involves your attitude and the principles you follow when you do anything. The best attitude is to seek the principles more often and not base your judgment on your own senses, preferences, intentions, desires, or immediate interests; instead, you must seek the principles, pray and seek before God more often, bringing matters before the brothers and sisters more often, and fellowshipping with and seeking those brothers and sisters who are working together with you to do duties. Get the principles right before you act; don’t act impulsively, don’t be muddled. Why do you believe in God? You do not do it to score a meal, pass the time, keep up with the fashion, or satisfy your spiritual needs. You do it in order to be saved. So, how can you be saved? When you do anything, it should be connected to salvation, to God’s requirements, and to the truth, shouldn’t it?” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (15)). “Because this is the house of God, it is only right and proper for people to perform the duties they ought to perform here. But people aren’t doing this for themselves, for their day-to-day existence, lives, families, or careers. Then what are they doing it for? For God’s work, and for God’s management. Regardless of which specific profession or kind of work it involves, whether it’s as small as a punctuation mark or a formatting style, or as significant as a specific item of work, it all falls within the scope of God’s work. Therefore, if you possess reason, you should first ask yourself, ‘How should I carry out this work? What are God’s requirements? What principles has God’s house set forth?’ Then, list out the relevant principles one by one and act in strict accordance with each rule and principle. As long as it aligns with the principles and doesn’t extend beyond their scope, everything you do will be appropriate, and God will treat and classify it as you performing your duty. Isn’t this something that people should understand? (Yes.) If you understand this, you shouldn’t always be pondering on how you wish to do things or what you wish to do. Thinking and acting in this way lacks reason. Should things that lack reason be done? No, they shouldn’t. If you wish to do them, what should you do about it? (Rebel against myself.) You should rebel against and let go of yourself, and put your duty and the requirements and principles of God’s house first” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (6)). After reading God’s words, my heart brightened, and I came to understand what constitutes a good deed. Namely, doing things in accordance with principles and God’s requirements, thereby bearing witness to and glorifying God. Only when these positive results are achieved can an act be called a good deed, and only then will God approve of and accept it. If we act blindly based on our own will or passions without seeking the truth principles, then no matter how much effort is made, and how much of a price we pay, it’s all in vain and doesn’t align with God’s intentions at all. It might even go against principles and cause disturbances and disruptions. I realized that one’s intentions in doing things are crucial, and that the path one walks is also of great importance. Also, doing my duty in God’s house is not a matter of handling my private affairs, and I can’t just act as I wish. Just as God says, even for something as minor as a punctuation mark or format, one must seek the relevant principles. This relates to a person’s attitude toward their duty and whether they have a God-fearing heart. Therefore, before doing anything, we must first reflect on what principles are involved in this, what God requires, how the work can be done to satisfy God, and how positive results can be attained. By reflecting more on these issues, we can act carefully with a stronger desire to pray and seek, and we will also consciously seek related principles. Even if no clear principles are found for the time being, we can seek more fellowship from those who understand the truth or have expertise with these skills, and seek a relatively suitable path by which to act. If most people cannot see a matter clearly, then we can seek from the Above, and we should do our best within the limits of our caliber, and if deviations are found later, we should summarize and correct them. This way, the performance of our duty will be relatively accurate. Later, when doing my duty, I consciously prayed to God, and I sought how to achieve positive results. Especially regarding things I felt pretty satisfied and good about, I became less confident in myself, and I would seek out several other people for confirmation. If most people agreed something was appropriate, I would proceed accordingly. By doing my duty this way, I came to feel more at ease. For instance, recently we tried a new poster format, and we incorporated some new elements. I talked things through with the brothers and sisters to first create several plans. We weren’t sure if the direction we were headed was suitable, so we sought from the leader. During the production process, some people raised questions, and we continued seeking for the issues we were unclear on. In our seeking, the leader pointed out some problems in our posters, and so we studied relevant professional skills and knowledge relating to this area, and finally, the posters we created became somewhat more suitable.

Through this experience, I realized that the process of doing one’s duty is one of seeking the truth principles, and that one should have a God-fearing heart and find the right principles when doing their duty. Only by doing so can they act in line with God’s intentions. Not only does this bring peace of mind, but it also allows one to progress in their professional skills. Most importantly, through seeking, one spends more time quieted before God, focuses more on their proper work, and their relationship with God also grows closer. These are the fruits of acting according to principles. Thank God!