I

Everyone who comes to believe in God is only ready to accept God’s grace, blessings, and promises, and only willing to accept His kindness and mercy. Yet no one is waiting or preparing to accept God’s chastisement and His judgment, trials and refinement, or His deprivation, and not a single person makes preparations to accept God’s judgment and chastisement, His deprivation, or His curses. This relationship between people and God is abnormal. In particular, people only believe in God for the sake of being blessed. They only want to strike a deal with God, and demand things from Him, but do not pursue the truth. This is very dangerous. As soon as they encounter something that is at odds with their notions, they immediately develop notions, grievances, and misunderstandings with respect to God, and can even go so far as to betray Him.

II

Though you may have listened to so many sermons and feel that you have come to understand quite a few truths, the fact is that you are still walking the path of believing in God only to eat your fill of loaves. If your mind is already prepared to accept judgment and chastisement, trials and refinement, and you have also mentally prepared yourself to suffer disaster, and no matter how much you expend for God and how much of a sacrifice you make in performing your duty, if you really did face the trials of Job, and God deprived you of all your property, even to the point that your life were about to end, then how should you deal with God’s sovereignty and arrangements? How should you deal with your duty? How should you deal with God’s commission to you? Do you have the correct understanding and the right attitude?

III

Supposing that, having believed in God for so many years, read so many of God’s words, listened to so many sermons, and understood so many truths, you’re already prepared to let God orchestrate everything, whether that be blessings or disaster. And supposing that, despite your forsaking and expending yourself, and the sacrifices you have made, and a lifetime of energy, all you get in return is God uttering curses at you, or depriving you. If, even then, you have no words of complaint, no desires or requirements of your own, but only seek to submit to God, and to put yourself at the mercy of His orchestrations, and you feel that being able to have even a little understanding of and a little submission to God’s sovereignty still makes your life worthwhile—if you have such a correct attitude, then it’s easy to resolve some of the difficulties.

from The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth I. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (11)