I

God’s essence is not just for man to believe in;

it’s, moreover, for man to love.

But many of those who believe in God

can’t discover this “secret.”

People don’t dare to love God, or try to love Him.

They have never discovered that

there is so much that is lovable about God;

they’ve never discovered God is the God who loves man,

that He is the God who is for man to love,

He’s for man to love.

The loveliness of God is expressed in His work:

Only when they experience His work

can people discover His loveliness,

discover His loveliness.

only in reality

can they appreciate the loveliness of God;

and without experiencing and observing it in real life,

no one can discover God’s loveliness.

There is so much to love about God,

but without engaging with Him,

people are unable to discover it.

II

If God did not become flesh,

people would be incapable of actually engaging with Him,

they also would not be able to experience His work.

So their love of God would be tainted with

much falsehood and imagination.

The love of the God in heaven is not

as real as the love of the God on earth,

for people’s knowledge of God in heaven

is built upon their imaginings,

rather than upon what they have seen with their eyes

and what they have experienced.

When God comes to earth, they can see

His practical deeds and loveliness,

they can see His practical and normal disposition;

this is thousands of times more real

than the knowledge of the God in heaven.

III

No matter how much people love the God in heaven,

there is nothing real,

it’s full of human ideas.

No matter how little their love for God on earth,

this love is real;

it is still real even if there’s only a little of it.

God causes people to know Him

through practical work He carried out;

He gains their love through this knowledge.

It is just like Peter:

If he had not lived with Jesus,

it would have been impossible for him to adore Jesus.

His loyalty toward Jesus

was built upon his engagement with Jesus.

To make man love Him,

God has come among man and lives with them.

All He makes man see and experience

is the practicality of God.

from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Those Who Love God Will Forever Live Within His Light