I

When people first believe in God, they all have a fervent heart. Although they can’t see their future destination or prospects, they always feel a kind of reliance on God. They aspire to beautiful and positive things. This strength comes from God. Precisely because you have this hope and expectation, you can do your duties steadfastly in God’s house. This is the most fundamental condition for a person to be able to attain salvation. It’s because of this expectation that you have an opportunity and a little bit of determination and willingness to expend for God, to do your duty as a created being and to be a good person, a saved person. The benefits this brings are just so great.

II

When God doesn’t want someone anymore, this thing is taken away. They no longer long for or expect beautiful things; they don’t place their hopes in them anymore. Their hearts darken and begin to sink: They lose the enthusiasm for pursuing anything beautiful or positive, as well as for pursuing God’s promises to man. They’ve become just like nonbelievers. When you lose this prerequisite of having the resolve to pursue, you turn into a walking corpse. For you, God’s words have become a high-level theory. You don’t strive toward them, and God no longer enlightens you. You can’t gain any truth from God’s words. Hasn’t the path of faith in God come to an end for you?

III

When you live under the Creator’s dominion, regardless of how the Creator orchestrates things for you, what He does to you and how He does it, how many trials and tribulations He brings, how much suffering you endure, or even if confusion, misunderstandings, and other things arise, at the very least, you’ll feel you are in God’s hands, God is your reliance, and your heart is at peace. The greatest peace and joy in a person’s belief in God come from relying on God, from believing that people’s destiny is in the hands of the Creator. A person’s sense of steadiness comes from having this genuine trust and reliance. When you feel that this trust and reliance is gone, and your heart empties out, do you have the strength to go on living? Such people are like walking corpses, just stuffing their faces while they wait for their end.

from The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers (19)