Two Friends’ Death Completely Changed His Life’s Pursuit | The Church of Almighty God
By Xiaoxu
He Got Lost in the Dense Fog
Haoqi had many rich friends. For example, Mr. Zhao was a private company boss and Mr. Li was a bank leader. They both had superior material life and exalted social positions, which were the envy of Haoqi. In order to catch up with their high living standards, he rushed and busied about like hell.
Haoqi’s wife is a Christian. She had preached the gospel to him many times, hoping that he could believe in God, learn to obey God’s sovereignty and arrangements, and know that whether one was poor or rich in his whole life, it was not controlled by oneself, but depended on God’s sovereignty and predestination. But Haoqi did not agree with her. He always said: “One’s fate is in one’s own hands. Money can buy everything.” So he put his whole heart into raising fortunes, falling into the whirlpool of money.
His wife saw it with eyes and felt anxious in her heart. She thought: The man with a cast-iron constitution can even hardly endure laboring in mind and body like this, let alone my husband. Thus she always prayed for him and read God’s words to him, hoping that he could come before God as soon as possible. But Haoqi was hard-hearted. Especially when he saw that his friends enjoyed the luxury of owing mansions and limousines, and wearing watches worth over one or several hundred thousand yuan, he was more eager to own money and fame. So he made a commitment to himself to become an outstanding person in high society like them.
Storms Gather Without Warning and Misfortune Befalls Men Overnight
In the late fall of 2008, a friend of Haoqi, Mr. Zhao, fell on the ground in a dead faint at a dinner party. Some insider present said that Mr. Zhao had long since been seriously ill. But to maintain his business, he kept on working and attending all kinds of social engagements. As a result, his illness through overwork made him fall at table. During his illness, his families rushed around taking him to big hospitals. His brother who was also rich and powerful, said that as long as Mr. Zhao could be healed, no matter how much it cost, he would not hesitate. He even spent a great deal of money inviting foreign therapists to cure Mr. Zhao. However, no matter how much money they had, it could do nothing to save his life. After four months of treatment, Mr. Zhao departed from this world with regrets.
Mr. Zhao’s sudden death made Haoqi feel very heavy. He told his wife gloomily, “Alas, Old Zhao has died.” Then his wife enlightened him, saying: “Who of us can control our own destiny? Whether being rich or poor, having status or not, no one wants to die early, but no one is capable of controlling it except God, the Creator of the heavens and earth and all things. Both our life and death are in the hands of God; do you still not believe this truth?”
After listening to his wife’s word, Haoqi had a great sigh and did not speak. He leaned against the bedside, as if in thought or in memory …
His Transformation Began in That Twilight
In a serene twilight, Haoqi, still gloomy and depressed about his friend’s death, was sitting at the window and staring blankly. He was in an anxious state of mind. His wife went up to him and sat by his side. Seeing his gloomy expression, she opened up the book of God’s word and read the following passage: “The fate of man is controlled by the hands of God. You are incapable of controlling yourself: Despite always rushing and busying about for himself, man remains incapable of controlling himself. If you could know your own prospects, if you could control your own fate, would you still be a creature? In short, regardless of how God works, all His work is for the sake of man. Take, for example, the heavens and earth and all things that God created to serve man: The moon, the sun, and the stars that He made for man, the animals and plants, spring, summer, autumn and winter, and so on — all are for the sake of man’s existence. … The destination of man is in the hands of the Creator, so how could man control himself?” (“Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination”).
After reading God’s word, his wife gently said to him, “From God’s words, we see that the destiny of every one of us is not in our own hands. During our whole life, whether we are rich or poor, what kind of misfortunes we will encounter, and what kind of ending we will have, all these are in God’s hands. None of us can control or rule over them. Take old Zhao for example. Even though he was powerful and rich, yet when he faced disease, what could he do about it? His family spent a big deal of money inviting top foreign therapists to cure him, but what was the result? Do you still believe that as long as one owns money, one will be able to control one’s destiny by oneself?” Instead of being stubborn and haughty as before, Haoqi said reflectively, “Right, if old Zhao could control his own fate, then why was he incapable of saving himself when he was so rich? He was still young. Wealth, status, and glory of the world, he owned them all and had need of nothing. Far be it from him to die!” Listening to his word, his wife nodded her head silently. During the following days, she always read God’s word to him as long as he was free. Haoqi was no longer unconcerned about belief in God, but quieted his heart, listened to God’s word, and prayed to God together with his wife.
Understanding the True Meaning of Life
Not long after that, Haoqi’s another friend, Mr. Li, suddenly died from cerebral hemorrhage. He newly bought a limousine just before his death, which is worth multimillion yuan, but he barely had time to enjoy a ride in it. Haoqi told this news to his wife, and she read some daze and helplessness in his eyes. As if asking his wife, or asking himself, he said: “They were so rich and powerful, but they died so quickly and early. What’s the matter?” His wife said to him: “Our fates are in God’s command. But almost all people, who have been corrupted by Satan, believe that ‘one’s fate is in one’s own hands and money can buy everything.’ So they all fight hand, tooth and nail to make money, frittering away their life for the sake of satisfying their endless desire. Actually, they all have fallen into Satan’s scheme. When they have money, they think they can control their own fate, so that they no longer believe in the existence of God or acknowledge God’s sovereignty for their fates. As a result, they continue their painstaking effort to seek money, fame, and gain, and fall into the vicious circle, ending up utterly under the control of Satan, and losing God’s care and protection. Then, will they have a good fate?” Listening to his wife’s word, Haoqi could not agree more with her.
Haoqi’s wife read him another passage of God’s word: “Many people go their whole lives without having their wishes fulfilled. Is this really because of a fault in their thinking? Many people’s lives are filled with unexpected happiness and satisfaction. Is this really because they expect too little? Who of the whole of mankind is not cared for in the eyes of the Almighty? Who does not live in the midst of the Almighty’s predestination? Whose birth and death come from their own choices? Does man control his own fate? Many people cry out for death, yet it is far away from them; many people want to be those who are strong in life and fear death, yet unbeknownst to them, the day of their demise draws near, plunging them into the abyss of death; many people look to the skies and sigh deeply; many people cry great, wailing sobs” (“The Eleventh Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe).
God’s words have utterly convinced Haoqi. He said to his wife, “From the death of our two friends, I acknowledge that if we human beings can control our own fate, then according to their financial ability, they could have bought life. But in fact, no matter how much money they had, it could not lengthen their life by a single minute, a single second. We really cannot grasp hold of our destiny ourselves.”
Haoqi’s wife continued to read God’s word to him: “How many creatures are there living and reproducing in the vast expanse of the universe, following the law of life over and over, adhering to one constant rule. Those who die take with them the stories of the living, and those who are living repeat the same tragic history of those who have died. And so mankind can’t help but ask itself: Why do we live? And why do we have to die? Who is in command of this world? And who created this mankind? Was mankind really created by Mother Nature? Is mankind really in control of its own fate? … Regardless of whether you are able to recognize the deed of God, and irrespective of whether you believe in the existence of God, there is no doubt that your fate lies within the ordination of God, and there is no doubt that God will always hold sovereignty over all things. His existence and authority are not predicated upon whether or not they can be recognized and comprehended by man. Only He knows man’s past, present and future, and only He can determine the fate of mankind” (“Man Can Only Be Saved Amidst the Management of God” ).
After she finished reading these words, Haoqi said thoughtfully: “God’s word is really good! I understand that in the major aspects, it’s the creation and change of the universe, and in the minor aspects, it’s the birth, death, blessing and disaster of the created beings; all of these are ruled over and arranged by God. From the moment when we were born to the end of our life, God has long since predestined and arranged them. No one can escape from God’s arrangement, no one can escape from His control.” While listening, Haoqi’s wife was offering thanks to God silently.
Changing the Way of His Living, He Saw the Light
Under the guidance and lead of God’s word, Haoqi’s heart was awakened bit by bit. The satanic perspectives that he had clung to before — “One’s fate is in one’s own hands and money can buy everything” — had collapsed and crumbled through and through. Gradually, he came to know the significance of believing in God. So he made a new choice of the direction for his life pursuit: Coming out of fame and gain, doing his best to believe in God, and changing the way of his living. In the summer of 2009, Haoqi had arrived at a major turning point of his life, where he began to see the light. He started to live the church life formally and became a real Christian.
Later, Haoqi read the following passage of God’s word: “If one’s attitude toward God’s sovereignty over human fate is active, then when one looks back upon one’s journey, when one truly comes to grips with God’s sovereignty, one will more earnestly desire to submit to everything that God has arranged, will have more of the determination and confidence to let God orchestrate one’s fate, to stop rebelling against God. For one sees that when one does not comprehend fate, when one does not understand God’s sovereignty, when one gropes forward willfully, staggering and tottering, through the fog, the journey is too difficult, too heartbreaking. So when people recognize God’s sovereignty over human fate, the smart ones choose to know it and accept it, to bid farewell to the painful days when they tried to build a good life with their own two hands, instead of continuing to struggle against fate and pursue their so-called life goals in their own manner. When one has no God, when one cannot see Him, when one cannot clearly recognize God’s sovereignty, every day is meaningless, worthless, miserable. Wherever one is, whatever one’s job is, one’s means of living and the pursuit of one’s goals bring one nothing but endless heartbreak and irrelievable suffering, such that one cannot bear to look back. Only when one accepts the Creator’s sovereignty, submits to His orchestrations and arrangements, and seeks true human life, will one gradually break free from all heartbreak and suffering, shake off all the emptiness of life” (“God Himself, the Unique III”).
When Haoqi was reading God’s words, he repeatedly said: “Amen!” And he thought back to those days that he did not believe in God. In order to compare with his friends, to pursue a luxurious life of materialistic enjoyment and a high status, he really labored in his body and mind and lived in unbearable pain, and still failed in changing his fate through his own efforts. After believing in God, he was completely awakened by God’s word. In the past, he fell into Satan’s scheme, living in the evil whirlpool of seeking fame and gain, and passing too much precious days in emptiness which he could have spent in pursuing the truth. Now by recalling the painful past, he knew that if he continued walking the old way, he would end up just like his two friends who died early. He also understood that living under Satan’s domain could absolutely not make a meaningful life and would lead to his being devoured by Satan; only following God and obeying God’s sovereignty and arrangement is the right path for human beings.
Living Before God, He Feels Safe and Peaceful
Now Haoqi still does not live the life as a successful and rich man. Every day he goes to work as usual, and gets the salary which can feed his family, but he feels unprecedented peace. In the past, he spent all his spare time on stock, lottery ticket, money management, investment, and social engagements in all kinds of places of debauchery … But now all these are replaced by a colorful church life. He always gathers with the brothers and sisters to fellowship about God’s words, and ponders how to have, from God’s word, a knowledge of God’s almightiness, authority, and all His true love and genuine affection in saving mankind. He feels all the more that, only by seeking to know God and living according to God’s words, can one have a meaningful and valuable life. By living before God, he no longer needs to struggle desperately for his endless desire for money, fame, and status; to wear a mask to join in the fun on occasion every day in the hypocritical world; and much less to be confused about the unknown future and destiny. Because he has submitted everything about him to God, and he believes that as long as the people who believe in God with true hearts worship God wholeheartedly and pursues the truth, God will care for and protect them, making them spend each day safely and fully.
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