By Victor, South Korea

Last October we finished producing a video. We put a lot of work into it, and devoted lots of time and energy, but surprisingly, when the leader was examining it, he pointed out problems with many details. He said this video wasn’t done well, that it wasn’t an improvement on the previous videos, and that it had to be redone. Upon hearing this, I was taken aback. I’d never imagined there would be such major issues. Wouldn’t that mean that all our effort and resources had been for nothing? It seemed like a huge waste.

I was somewhat at a loss. I didn’t know how to get through that situation, or what lesson I needed to learn. I was thinking that the video had gone through several rounds of editing, during which time the leader had watched it, but never mentioned those issues. I felt that I lacked caliber, so it was normal for me to overlook such problems. But I kept thinking about it, and something about it felt off. Were such major problems only because I lacked caliber? I was doing so poorly in my duty; what was the cause of this problem? Then I remembered something the leader had said before, that he’d just checked the video for its concepts and continuity, but that didn’t mean there weren’t issues. He’d told us to think it over in detail, check it thoroughly, and fix any problems we found. But that’s not what I did. I figured that since the leader had seen the video, it should be fine, so during production I didn’t carefully review it or give it much thought. My attitude was completely careless and perfunctory. Then when problems cropped up, I said the leader had already reviewed it. Wasn’t I fobbing off responsibility? That was so unreasonable of me. Then I thought that there was definitely a lesson in that for me, so I prayed and sought, asking God to guide me in knowing myself.

A few days later, the sister I worked with asked me to review a completed video with her. I spoke up about some problems I had noticed in my review, but she said that the leader had watched it, and he mentioned that he liked the concept, and that we should finish it right away. I had some suggestions for revising it, but didn’t dare mention them after hearing that the leader had watched it and said he liked it. I was afraid that my judgment was off, and we made some changes that turned out to be wrong. Then I’d just be getting in the way. But I saw there really were some issues in the video, so I asked another brother to watch it, and he agreed with how I felt. I thought that I should bring it up again. But then I thought, if we revised it and the edits I suggested were problematic, then when the leader asked who had done it, wouldn’t it be my responsibility? Wouldn’t I be dealt with? If we went ahead and asked the leader, and he said it was fine, it wouldn’t need any more editing. That would save trouble, and we wouldn’t have to dwell on it. So I suggested to the sister I was partnered with that we ask the leader, so we could put our minds at ease. But as soon as those words left my mouth, I felt like something wasn’t right. This situation was so familiar to me, namely I only ever had one response to hearing a different opinion: ask the leader and get him to decide. If the leader gave his approval, then we wouldn’t need to worry about it and we could move on; otherwise, if he said there were problems, then we made edits. That was what we did every time. In fact, it wasn’t that we were unfamiliar with the principles and requirements for videos. We could seek the truth and act on the principles for those sorts of problems, and the leader had been clear that his review was just a broader look at the video, while we needed to check for and fix any smaller issues. That was the responsibility I should fulfill, and it was my job. So why wasn’t I putting my heart into it at all? In the face of issues or differences of opinion, I wasn’t seeking the principles with brothers and sisters to reach a consensus and being responsible, instead I was handing it off to the leader, and not doing my duty. Then I remembered some of God’s words: “Some people are always very passive in their duties, always sitting and waiting and relying on others. What sort of attitude is that? It is irresponsibility. … You only talk about words and doctrines, and you only say pleasant-sounding things, but you do not do any practical work. If you do not wish to perform your duty, you should resign. Do not hold your position and not do anything there. Is doing so not inflicting harm on God’s chosen people and compromising the work of the church? In the way you talk, you seem to understand all manner of doctrine, but when asked to perform a duty, you are careless and perfunctory, and not conscientious in the least. Is that expending yourself sincerely for God? You are not sincere when it comes to God, yet you feign sincerity. Are you capable of deceiving Him? In the way you usually talk, there seems to be such great faith; you would like to be the pillar of the church and its rock. But when you perform a duty, you are less useful than a matchstick. Is this not deceiving God with your eyes wide open? Do you know what will come of you trying to deceive God? He will detest and reject you and cast you out! All people are revealed in performing their duties—just set a person to a duty, and it will not take long before it is revealed whether they are an honest person or a deceitful person, and whether or not they are a lover of the truth. Those who love the truth can perform their duties sincerely and uphold the work of God’s house; those who do not love the truth do not uphold the work of God’s house in the least, and they are irresponsible in performing their duties. This is immediately clear to those who are clear-sighted. No one who performs their duty poorly is a lover of the truth or an honest person; such people will all be revealed and cast out” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only an Honest Person Can Live Out True Human Likeness). God says we must have responsibility in our duty and do practical work. That’s the only way to do our duty well. If we don’t put our heart into our duty, and instead just muddle through it, without being serious about problems or taking responsibility, always wanting to push it off on someone else, and doing only superficial work, then we can’t do our duty well, and God will be dissatisfied. In God’s eyes, such people are useless, and not worthy of fulfilling a duty. I saw I was just like what God exposed. When I ran into problems in my duty, if I put my heart into it, praying, seeking and fellowshiping on principles with the other brothers and sisters, then we’d reach a consensus and find a solution. But I thought that was a hassle, and didn’t want to make the effort. So I wanted to go straight to the leader, thinking that it would be less of a hassle if he just called the shots. That would save so much trouble. Otherwise, we’d just be there yammering away for ages, and still might not find an answer. So I handed plenty of problems over to the leader. As the team leader, I wasn’t taking on my responsibilities or paying the price I should have. In addition, in our work discussions, sometimes I spotted issues or had some of the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, but once I explained it, if a brother or sister expressed a different opinion, then I would just clam up. I was afraid the others would say I was arrogant, and even more frightening to me was that if there were problems, then I’d have to take responsibility. I just felt like, since I’d shared my opinion, it was up to them to consider it, and if we couldn’t reach a consensus, then we could ask the leader. That way, if a problem cropped up, at least it wouldn’t all come back on me. I wasn’t seeking how to act according to truth principles, much less was I thinking of what would benefit the church. I didn’t want to pay the slightest price, and was being irresponsible. On the surface I was detecting and raising issues, but I wasn’t resolving them. I was always letting others have the final say, and I wouldn’t make decisions. Wasn’t I playing tricks, being selfish and despicable? I wasn’t upholding the interests of the church. Previously, whenever we encountered a problem, I would always ask the leader, thinking that it was reasonable to ask when I didn’t understand, rather than blindly trusting myself. With the revelation of God’s words, I could see I was being irresponsible, careless in my duty, and not devoted. Now that I’ve realized that, I saw that I’d been really obtuse and numb. In the face of these situations, I never sought the truth or learned a lesson. I was always just skating by in my duty, not taking it responsibly. That was such a dangerous way to do my duty. Now I found problems and my partner had different ideas. If I didn’t seek truth principles with her to reach agreement or seek a solution, but just ran to ask the leader, that was clearly muddling through. I realized that I had to change my state, that if I kept taking the middle road and being irresponsible, I was knowingly committing an error. So I suggested to my partner that we create another version and compare the two, then ask the leader to review the one that we think is better. She expressed her agreement at this arrangement. After putting it into practice, I really felt at ease.

Later I read this passage of God’s words: “Is someone who fears taking on responsibility in performing their duty cowardly, or is there a problem with their disposition? You must be able to tell the difference. The fact is that this is not an issue of cowardice. If that person were after wealth, or they were doing something in their own interest, how could they be so brave? They would take on any risk. But when they do things for the church, for God’s house, they take on no risk at all. Such people are selfish and vile, the most treacherous of all. Anyone who does not take on responsibility in performing a duty is not the least bit sincere to God, to say nothing of their loyalty. What sort of person dares to take on responsibility? What sort of person has the courage to bear a heavy burden? Someone who takes the lead and goes bravely forth at the most crucial moment in the work of God’s house, who is not afraid to bear a heavy responsibility and endure great hardship when they see the work that is most important and crucial. That is someone loyal to God, a good soldier of Christ. Is it the case that everyone who fears taking on responsibility in their duty does so because they do not understand the truth? No; it is a problem in their humanity. They have no sense of justice or responsibility, they are selfish and vile people, not true-hearted believers in God, and they do not accept the truth in the least. For this reason, they cannot be saved. Believers in God must pay a great price in order to gain the truth, and they will encounter many obstacles to practicing it. They must forsake things, abandon their fleshly interests, and endure some suffering. Only then will they be able to put the truth into practice. So, can one who fears taking on responsibility practice the truth? They certainly cannot practice the truth, let alone gain it. They are afraid of practicing the truth, of incurring a loss to their interests; they are afraid of being humiliated, of disparagement, and of judgment, and they do not dare to practice the truth. Consequently, they cannot gain it, and no matter how many years they believe in God, they cannot attain His salvation. Those who can perform a duty in God’s house must be people whose burden is the work of the church, who take responsibility, who uphold the truth principles, and who can suffer and pay the price. If one is lacking in these areas, they are unfit to perform a duty, and they do not possess the conditions for the performance of duty. There are many people who are afraid of taking on responsibility in performing a duty. Their fear manifests in three main ways. The first is that they choose duties that do not require taking on responsibility. If a church leader arranges for them to perform a duty, they first ask whether they must take on responsibility for it: If so, they do not accept it. If it does not require them to take on responsibility and to be responsible for it, they accept it reluctantly, but still must see whether the work is tiring or bothersome, and despite their reluctant acceptance of the duty, they are unmotivated to perform it well, preferring still to be careless and perfunctory. Leisure, no labor, and no bodily hardship—this is their principle. The second is that when a difficulty befalls them or they encounter a problem, their first resort is to report it to a leader and have the leader handle and resolve it, in hope that they may keep their ease. They do not care how the leader handles the issue and pay this no mind—so long as they are not responsible themselves, then all is well to them. Is such performance of duty loyal to God? This is called passing the buck, dereliction of duty, playing tricks. It is all talk; they are not doing anything real. They say to themselves, ‘If this thing is mine to sort out, what if I end up making a mistake? When they look into who’s to blame, won’t they handle me? Won’t the responsibility for it fall first to me?’ This is what they worry about. But do you believe that God scrutinizes all? Everyone makes mistakes. If a person whose intention is correct lacks experience and has not handled some sort of matter before, but they have done their best, that is visible to God. You must believe that God scrutinizes all things and the heart of man. If one does not even believe this, are they not a nonbeliever? What significance could there be in such a person performing a duty? … There is one more way in which a person’s fear of taking on responsibility manifests. When they perform their duty, some people do just a bit of superficial, simple work, work that does not entail taking on responsibility. Work that entails difficulties and taking on responsibility, they dump onto others, and if something should go wrong, they shift the blame onto those people and keep their own noses clean. … If they have no sense of responsibility in performing their duty, how can they perform their duty well? Those who don’t genuinely expend themselves for God can’t perform any duty well, and those who fear taking responsibility will only delay things when they perform their duties. Such people are not trustworthy or dependable; they only perform their duty to get food in their mouths” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Eight: They Would Have Others Obey Only Them, Not the Truth or God (Part One)). God’s word really struck a chord in me, and I felt like this was God describing my exact state at that time. In doing the work entrusted by the church, I wasn’t working on truth principles or leaning on God to do my best. Instead, I was escaping problems and shirking responsibility, putting things on the leader’s shoulders so he could handle them. I’d do whatever the leader said, thinking that if in the end it wasn’t done well, I wouldn’t be responsible for it, and I wouldn’t be dealt with. Was that not playing tricks? I even believed that this was a clever way to do things. But in God’s words, I saw that was divesting myself of responsibility, neglecting my duty, and being crafty. I was being cunning and deceitful toward God in my duty. I always left an out for myself, so I could avoid responsibility. I wasn’t being genuine or paying a true price, nor was I trying to do everything I possibly could. I was just skating by and being dishonest, and even if I was doing service, I was not devoted. I wasn’t worthy of a duty. I realized that, whenever we had finished making a video, as long as the leader said it was okay in the preliminary review, I didn’t seriously review it or really think it over. Even if others made suggestions during the production process, I didn’t pay much mind to them. I’d just give it a quick look and say it was fine. I was really irresponsible. As a result, some of the finished videos had problems and had to come back for revisions. Sometimes the team didn’t reach a consensus on a video, while I saw the problem, yet didn’t say anything decisive, instead I just brought it to the leader for him to make the call. Sometimes we really didn’t have a grasp on the principles of a problem, couldn’t ensure things were done up to standard, and needed the leader’s guidance to help us correct the errors. But some of the problems were clearly within our grasp, yet I just found a loophole, not doing something I was capable of. I didn’t pay the price or give the thought to it that I should have, and instead just took the easy way out. I wasn’t seeking truth principles or really considering issues I saw. Nor was I trying to summarize or learn lessons from deviations and failures. It became a habit to do things this way. I was even thinking that everyone made mistakes in their duty, so if I did overlook some problems, it was because I lacked caliber. Putting aside whether I could see problems or not, I didn’t even feel the sense of responsibility that I should have. In order to protect myself, I was being careless and irresponsible in performing my duty, and I even placed responsibility on the leader when problems cropped up. I was twisting the truth, making everything someone else’s problem. Now I saw that it wasn’t a matter of caliber, but a problem with my humanity.

Then I read another passage of God’s words: “If you protect yourself whenever something befalls you and leave yourself an escape route, a back door, are you putting the truth into practice? This is not practicing the truth—it is being sneaky. You are performing your duty in the house of God now. What is the first principle of performing a duty? It is that you must first perform that duty with your whole heart, sparing no effort, and protect the interests of God’s house. This is a truth principle, one that you should put into practice. Protecting oneself by leaving oneself an escape route, a back door, is the principle of practice followed by unbelievers, and their most elevated philosophy. Considering oneself first in all things and placing one’s own interests before all else, not thinking of others, having no connection with the interests of God’s house and the interests of others, thinking of one’s own interests first and then thinking of an escape route—is that not what an unbeliever is? This is precisely what an unbeliever is. This sort of person is not fit to perform a duty” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Eight: They Would Have Others Obey Only Them, Not the Truth or God (Part One)). God’s words were really poignant for me. I’d never imagined that the perspective with which I performed my duty was that of an unbeliever. When facing problems, I’d always considered my own interests first, afraid that any problems would just come back on me. So I appeared to be carrying out my duty, but in fact I never put my all into it, sought the truth, or acted according to the principles, nor did I consider the interests of the church. In addition, I was happy to just do some labor in my duty, going through the motions every day. Was that not just like an unbeliever working for a boss? When my partner and I had different opinions, why did I want to leave it to the leader to decide? It was a matter of not wanting to take responsibility. So even though I clearly spotted some real issues, I left them to the leader to decide, and I even felt like that was alright. I saw not taking responsibility had become a natural revelation of my nature. I was really cunning and selfish, and totally unreliable. I was playing games, being crafty, and lacked any semblance of genuineness. People like that really aren’t worthy of fulfilling a duty. God’s words say: “Some people don’t take any responsibility when they perform their duty, they are always careless and perfunctory. Although they can see the problem, they are unwilling to seek a resolution and are scared of offending people, and so they just rush through things, with the result that the work has to be redone. Since you are performing this duty, you should take responsibility for it. Why do you not take it seriously? Why are you perfunctory and careless? And are you remiss in your responsibilities when you perform your duty in this way? No matter who takes primary responsibility, everyone else is responsible for keeping an eye on things, everyone must have this burden and this sense of responsibility—but none of you pay any attention, you really are perfunctory, you have no loyalty, you are remiss in your duties! It’s not that you can’t see the problem, but that you are not willing to take responsibility—nor, when you do see the problem, do you wish to pay any heed to this matter, you settle for ‘good enough.’ Is being careless and perfunctory in this way not an attempt to deceive God? If, when I worked and fellowshiped about the truth to you, I felt that ‘good enough’ was acceptable, then as befits each of your calibers and pursuits, what could you gain from that? If I had the same attitude as you, you could gain nothing. Why do I say this? Part of it is that you do nothing earnestly, and part is that you are of quite poor caliber, quite numb. It is because I see all of you numb and without love for the truth, and not pursuing the truth, along with your poor calibers, that I must speak in detail. I must spell everything out, and break things down and fragment them in My speech, and speak of things from every angle, in every which way. Only then do you understand a bit. If I were perfunctory with you, and spoke a bit on whatever topic, whenever I felt like it, neither putting thought into it nor taking pains, without My heart in it, not speaking when I did not feel like it, what could you gain? With calibers like yours, you would not understand the truth. You would gain nothing, much less attain salvation. But I cannot do that, instead I must speak in detail. I must go into detail and give examples regarding the states of each sort of person, the attitudes people have toward the truth, and each sort of corrupt disposition; only then will you comprehend what I’m saying, and understand what you hear. No matter what aspect of the truth is fellowshiped, I speak through various means, with styles of fellowship for adults and for children, and also in the form of rationales and stories, using theory and practice, and talking of experiences, in order that people may understand the truth and enter the reality. In this way, those who have caliber and possess hearts will have a chance to understand and accept the truth and be saved. But your attitude toward your duty has always been one of carelessness and perfunctoriness, of dragging your feet, and you are unconcerned with how long a delay you cause. You do not reflect on how to seek the truth in order to solve problems, you give no thought to how to perform your duty properly in order to be able to testify to God. This is neglecting your duty. So your life grows very slowly, but you are not upset by how much time you have wasted. In fact, if you performed your duty conscientiously and responsibly, it wouldn’t even take five or six years before you were able to talk of your experiences and bear testimony to God, and the various work would be carried out to great effect—but you are not willing to be mindful of God’s will, nor do you strive toward the truth. There are some things you do not know how to do, so I give you exact instructions. You do not have to think, you just have to listen and get on with it. That is the only bit of responsibility you must take on—but even that is beyond you. Where is your loyalty? It is nowhere to be seen! All you do is say pleasant-sounding things. In your hearts, you know what you should do, but you simply do not practice the truth. This is rebellion against God, and at root, it is a lack of love for the truth. You know full well in your hearts how to act in accordance with the truth—you just don’t put it into practice. This is a serious problem; you are staring at the truth without putting it into practice. You are not someone who obeys God at all. To perform a duty in God’s house, the least you must do is seek and practice the truth and act according to the principles. If you cannot practice the truth in your performance of your duty, then where can you practice it? And if you do not practice any of the truth, then you are a nonbeliever. What is your purpose, really, if you do not accept the truth—much less practice the truth—and simply muddle along in the house of God? Do you wish to make God’s house your retirement home, or an almshouse? If so, you are mistaken—God’s house does not take care of freeloaders, of wastrels. Anyone of poor humanity, who does not perform their duty gladly, who is unfit to perform a duty, must all be cleared out; all nonbelievers who do not accept the truth at all must be cast out. Some people understand the truth but cannot put it into practice in performing their duties. When they see a problem, they do not solve it, and even though they know it is their responsibility, they do not give it their all. If you do not even carry out responsibilities that you are capable of, then what value or effect could performing your duty possibly have? Is it meaningful to believe in God in this way? Someone who understands the truth but cannot practice it, who cannot bear the hardships they ought to—such a person is unfit to perform a duty” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. To Perform One’s Duty Well, One Must at Least Be Possessed of a Conscience and Reason). I felt so ashamed after reading God’s words. God is perfectly genuine in His treatment of people. To save us, He uses all sorts of ways to fellowship with us, giving us highly detailed fellowship on various aspects of the truth, and He is very patient while doing so. He gives us many examples to guide us in case we don’t understand, and is always fellowshiping truths to water and provide for us, and has paid the greatest possible price. I reflected on my attitude in fulfilling my duty, and realized that the church was entrusting me with such an important duty, but I wasn’t taking responsibility. I was approaching it carelessly, slacking off wherever I could, playing tricks, and being crafty. Where was my humanity? God was genuine with us, but all I gave back to Him was deception. Previously I’d read in God’s words about some people with poor humanity, but I didn’t make the connection to myself. Then I saw that I indeed had poor humanity, and no conscience. It looked like I was doing my duty every day and was paying a bit of a price, and I went through all the motions. But my heart wasn’t facing toward God. I wasn’t trying to do everything I could in my duty, to put my all into it, to be thoughtful and conscientious. Instead I was being perfunctory and just going through the motions. I wasn’t doing a duty—I wasn’t even up to the standard of doing service. I knew I couldn’t compensate for the losses caused to the work due to my irresponsibility. I prayed to God, asking Him to give me a chance to repent, and from that point on I resolved to change my attitude in my duty. I could not go on being so careless.

Then I read a passage of God’s words: “Since people have corrupt dispositions, they are often perfunctory and careless when they perform their duties. This is one of the most serious problems of all. If people are to perform their duties properly, they must first address this problem of perfunctoriness and carelessness. As long as they have such a perfunctory and careless attitude, they will not be able to perform their duties properly, which means that solving the problem of perfunctoriness and carelessness is extremely important. So how should they practice? Firstly, they must solve the problem of their state of mind; they must approach their duties correctly, and do things with seriousness and a sense of responsibility. They should not intend to be deceitful or perfunctory. One’s duty is performed for God, not any one person; if people are able to accept God’s scrutiny, they will have the correct state of mind. What’s more, after doing something, people must examine it, and reflect on it, and if they feel a bit uneasy in their hearts, and after detailed inspection, they discover there really is a problem, then they must make changes; once these changes have been made, they will feel at ease in their hearts. When people feel uneasy, this proves there is a problem, and they must diligently examine what they have done, especially at key stages. This is a responsible attitude toward performing one’s duty. When one can be serious, take responsibility, and give all their heart and strength, the work will be done properly. Sometimes you are in the wrong state of mind, and cannot find or discover a mistake that is clear as day. If you were in the right state of mind, then, with the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit, you would be able to identify the issue. If the Holy Spirit guided you and gave you an awareness, allowing you to feel clarity at heart and to know where the error lies, you would then be able to correct the deviation and strive for the truth principles. If you were in the wrong state of mind, and were absent-minded and careless, would you be able to notice the mistake? You would not. What is seen from this? This shows that to perform their duties well, it is very important that people cooperate; their frames of mind are very important, and where they direct their thoughts and ideas is very important. God scrutinizes and can see what state of mind people are in, and how much energy they exert as they perform their duties. It is crucial that people put all their hearts and strength into what they do. Their cooperation is a crucial component. Only if people strive to have no regrets about the duties they have completed and the things they have done, and not to be in debt to God, will they be acting with all their hearts and strength. If you consistently fail to put all your heart and strength into performing your duty, if you are perennially careless and perfunctory, and cause tremendous harm to the work, and fall far short of the effects required by God, then only one thing can happen to you: You will be cast out. And will there still be time for regrets, then? There will not. These actions will become an eternal lament, a stain! To be perennially careless and perfunctory is a stain, it is a serious transgression—yes or no? (Yes.) You must strive to carry out your obligations, and everything you ought to do, with all your heart and strength, you must not be careless and perfunctory, or leave any regrets. If you can do that, the duty you perform shall be commemorated by God. Those things commemorated by God are good deeds. What, then, are the things that are not commemorated by God? (They are transgressions and evil deeds.) You might not accept that they are evil deeds if they were described thus presently, but, if a day comes when there are serious consequences to these things, and they give rise to a negative influence, then you will sense that these things are not mere behavioral transgressions, but evil deeds. When you realize this, you will be regretful, and think to yourself: ‘I should have chosen an ounce of prevention! With a little more thought and effort at the start, this consequence could have been avoided.’ Nothing will wipe this eternal stain from your heart, and if it should leave you in permanent debt, then you’ll be in trouble. So today you must strive to put all your heart and strength into the commission given to you by God, to perform every duty with a clear conscience, without any regrets, and in a fashion that is commemorated by God. Whatever you do, do not be careless and perfunctory. If you make a mistake on an impulse and it is a serious transgression, this will become an eternal stain. Once you have regrets, you will not be able to make up for them, and they will be permanent regrets. Both of these paths should be seen clearly. Which is the one you should choose, in order to meet with God’s praise? Performing your duty with all your heart and strength, and preparing and accumulating good deeds, without any regrets. Whatever you do, do not do evil that will disturb others’ performance of their duties, do not do anything that goes against the truth and is in resistance against God, and do not incur lifelong regrets. What happens when a person has committed too many transgressions? They are accruing God’s anger at them in His presence! If you transgress ever more, and God’s wrath toward you grows ever greater, then, ultimately, you shall be punished” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). Prior to that, I had admitted that I was being perfunctory in my duty, but I’d never realized the consequences that could have on me, or how God would see and define someone like that. Now I’ve seen from God’s word that outwardly such people seem not to do great evil, but their attitude toward their duty is loathsome to God, and if they don’t repent, then in the end they’ll lose their chance at salvation. Being exposed in this situation, I saw how serious my problem of muddling through my duty and being irresponsible was. It was because of my irresponsibility that the video had to undergo further editing, resulting in all our work being held up. That was a transgression. If I didn’t correct my state right away, and went on being careless and irresponsible, then I could offend God’s disposition and be cast out at any point, at which point it would be too late to regret. From God’s words, we found a path of practice to resolve our carelessness in our duty. First, we must have the proper mindset, shoulder responsibility, and accept God’s scrutiny. Then we have to carefully review things and not gloss over problems we come across.

Later, we put God’s words into practice. We summed up the reasons for our failures, and diligently went over the videos based on principles, not letting a single detail slip by. We sought the truth principles together and worked out how to perform the edits. This fellowship and discussion with the brothers and sisters helped us to better understand the principles, and we realized that even though we’d reviewed some videos multiple times, now that we were being more aware, we discovered more issues involving details. This showed more clearly how serious our problem of skating through our duty had been in the past. Then we analyzed how we should edit these videos based on those principles, complete all the edits that we were capable of, and then give them to the leader for review once we couldn’t see any issues. Everyone felt so much more at ease after we put that into practice. After editing those videos, we passed them on to the leader to review. He said, “These are pretty good, and I don’t see any issues. You did well this time.” When the leader said that, I couldn’t help but thank God from my heart. I knew it wasn’t that we’d done a good job. Instead, God led and enlightened us when we were slightly willing to turn around and repent, and stopped being so careless. This experience really showed me that only if you really put your heart into a duty will it be meaningful and will you feel at peace. Thank God!