Liking Literature, Liking Technology, and So On

Let’s talk about another manifestation, liking literature. What kind of manifestation is this? (An innate condition.) That is, such people inherently like literature. Because they like literature, when it comes to topics, books, and matters related to literature, they manifest a special fondness and curiosity, or they manifest a special attitude—this is an innate condition. Then what about liking technology? (It’s an innate condition.) That is, in the absence of things from the external world interfering or intervening, people are very interested in certain kinds of things, they like reading those kinds of books, and they also like paying attention to and discussing those kinds of topics; at the same time, their aspiration is also to engage in an occupation or field related to those kinds of things. This is innate—it does not require others to intervene, nor does it need to be taught, and of course, it does not require others to intentionally influence or indoctrinate them during their life. They are born liking certain things. Liking technology is an innate condition, so what about liking plants and animals? (That’s also an innate condition.) Liking plants and animals—caring about trees, insects, and birds; particularly liking to interact with small animals, to have close contact with them, and being especially loving and tolerant toward them—is an innate condition. You see, these things included within innate conditions are very normal, aren’t they? (Yes.) They do not involve negative things within corrupt dispositions like arrogance and wickedness. Then, things such as liking aviation, liking history, liking astronomy and geography, liking nutrition science and medicine, liking law, liking agriculture—what kinds of manifestations are these? (Innate conditions.) Some people like agriculture; they like researching the grafting, improvement, and yield of various plants, they like researching the effects of climate and temperature on plants, they like planting vegetables, crops, trees, and flowers. Their hands are muddy every day and calloused from labor. These people would not like to be doctors, lawyers, or officials—they just like farming and dealing with plants, and feel very at ease living like this. Does what people like, what interests and hobbies they have, have any relation to their humanity? (No.) Does it affect their humanity? (No.) Basically, it does not affect that. Farmers cannot be called very noble; they also have corrupt dispositions. Likewise, those high-level intellectuals, such as people who are engaged in fields like technology, literature, medicine, or law, do not have greater humanity than farmers. After acquiring so much knowledge, reading so many books, and being educated for such a long time, in the end, they have no understanding of God at all—they have merely learned a bit more from books and gained a little more knowledge and insight. But when it comes to how to conduct themselves, what kind of life path they should follow, how they should believe in and worship God, and how to act so as to accord with the principles of self-conduct in all kinds of matters in life—they know nothing about any of these things. The common characteristic of people who have interests and hobbies in various fields is that whatever they like, they are willing to do, and they are willing to engage in the work of that field, and they then devote themselves to that field. No matter which field they devote themselves to, as long as they are within this society, they have been conditioned and corrupted by Satan. No person’s humanity becomes noble just because their interests and hobbies, or the field they engage in, are more noble or respectable than those of others. Likewise, no person becomes more lowly or more corrupt than others just because the occupation they are engaged in is low-ranking, lowly, or looked down upon by others. On the contrary, regardless of what a person’s interests and hobbies are, regardless of what kind of field they engage in using any strength or gift, ultimately, the thoughts and viewpoints they possess do not conform to the truth. People all have the same attitude toward the truth and toward God, and what they reveal are all corrupt dispositions. The commonality of people is that they live with corrupt dispositions as their life. Therefore, regardless of what interests and hobbies you have and regardless of what occupation you engage in, it does not mean that your humanity will be affected by it, nor does it mean that your humanity will be either elevated or eroded to a certain degree. From these facts, it can be seen that the innate conditions which God gives to people do not affect their criteria for their self-conduct and actions, or change the path and direction of their actions. At most, these interests and hobbies are merely tools or a kind of innate capital that they rely on to survive, so that, through the field that they engage in, they can earn an income and thereby sustain their livelihood. However, in the process of sustaining their livelihood, the various thoughts and viewpoints people accept among groups of people in various fields are the same. Therefore, ultimately, regardless of which field a person is in, which corner of society they are in, or which group of people or which race they belong to, the corruption they receive is the same. You do not become more noble or less deeply corrupt than others just because you engage in a slightly higher-level job or occupation, nor do you become more deeply corrupt than others just because the field you engage in is low-class. In short, regardless of what your innate interests and hobbies are, in the end, you are inevitably and irresistibly corrupted by Satan in this society and among people.

Liking Financial and Accounting Work

Next, let’s talk about another manifestation. Some people like financial and accounting work; they like dealing with numbers and spend their whole lives engaged in financial work. Every day, they are keeping accounts, settling accounts, handling payments and receipts of funds—their minds are filled with data all the time, yet they never find it tiresome. Liking financial and accounting work—what aspect does this fall under? (Innate conditions.) This is a strength that God gives to people. Since you are good at this, you naturally take up this occupation, and then you secure a livelihood for your whole life—this is how you sustain yourself. It is equivalent to God sending down manna or quail from heaven for you, so that you have something to eat. This interest and hobby is like a golden goose falling from the sky, landing in your hands, enabling you to have this interest and hobby. Then, you naturally engage in an occupation related to your interest and hobby, and with this as your livelihood, you sustain yourself until now. No matter whether you do it well or not, no matter how many years you have engaged in it, as long as it is something you were born with, then it is what God has ordained for you—it is an innate condition. In short, all of this comes from God—there is nothing here for people to boast about. Isn’t that right? (Yes.)

Being Skilled in Doing Business

Liking doing business, being skilled in doing business—what aspect does this fall under? (Innate conditions.) Being skilled in doing business means operating one’s business better than most people. Others might operate a business for two or three months and go bankrupt, losing even their initial capital, but they operate their business for two or three years and do increasingly better. Gradually, their lives become prosperous—their family eats and dresses better, their small house is replaced with a bigger one, their small car with a bigger one, and their life keeps improving; they become wealthy businesspeople. Being skilled in doing business—is this an innate condition? (Yes.) Being skilled in doing business, this innate condition, is their strength. They never specially studied how to do business, nor were they influenced by their parents, yet they easily succeed in running a small business and making money. You ask them, “Do you find doing business difficult?” They say, “Not at all. I just use my brain, and think about how to do things in a way that’s suitable and can make money, and then I go ahead and do it that way—and in the end, the money’s mine.” You say, “Doing business seems so effortless and easy for you. Why can’t I do it?” Why? Because God didn’t give you that strength, so you simply don’t have the knack for it. So, those who have a strength should not be proud, and those who do not have a strength should not be jealous. What God gives, no one can take away—even if you don’t want it, you can’t refuse it. God has simply made you skilled in this, and through this strength, He provides you with a means of livelihood or a trade to sustain your life. This is God’s grace. Others learn, are taught, and practice, yet no matter how they try, they cannot achieve good results. But you can do it without having learned it. No matter how they think, their mind doesn’t work as quickly as yours, and they cannot operate as well as you. So, where does this strength of yours come from? Isn’t it innate? And isn’t what is innate bestowed by God? You always say what you like, what you are skilled in—but is that something you asked for? Some people say it was inherited from their parents. Then why didn’t you inherit something else? Try to find a way to pass on this strength to your next generation—can you do it? Do you have a say in this matter? (No.) Definitely not. The strength you possess is given by God—no matter how much others may be jealous of you, they cannot remove it or take it away, and even if you don’t want it, God still gives it to you. Since God has shown you grace, you should accept it from Him. Do not be prideful, and do not boast. Pridefulness and boasting are manifestations of human ignorance.

So how should you correctly treat the strength God has given you? If God’s house needs you to do duty in this area, then you should use your strength in your duty, in the work of the church. Do not hold back—bring it into play, and do so to the fullest extent. In this way, the strength God has given you will not have been given in vain; the grace and special treatment you have enjoyed from God will be repaid to Him. In doing so, you are a person with conscience—you are not just seeking benefits for yourself but are repaying God. This is acting correctly. Even if you think, “I have this strength, this interest and hobby, and doing this is a piece of cake for me,” as long as you take it as your duty, then you cannot rely solely on your strength, interest, and hobby. You must do it according to the principles God has told you and the requirements of God’s house, and then combine that with your strength. In this way, your duty will be done properly, and you will have offered your loyalty. This is just like how God bestowed a son upon Abraham—when God gave him, Abraham was very joyful, and when God wanted to take him away, Abraham had to willingly and completely offer him up to God. He couldn’t hold back or try to set conditions, and even more so, he couldn’t complain about or insult God—he had to offer his son up wholeheartedly and sincerely. When God bestows grace upon you, you are very happy and content, feeling that you have gained an advantage and that God shows kindness to you. After you enjoy so much of God’s grace, what is your attitude when God asks that you offer something up? Can you bear to part with it? Can you offer it up to God and return it to Him without reservation? If you can return to God what He has given you without compromise, according to the principles He requires, without complaint, without reservation, and without keeping it for yourself, but rather offering it up to God, then you are up to standard as a created being; the duty you have done is also up to standard, and God will be satisfied. God’s demands of you are not high, because what God has given you exceeds what you can offer up by many times. Besides giving you life, God has also given you the capital and conditions you rely on for survival. Because you have this strength, interest and hobby, how much benefit have you gained? How much of God’s grace have you enjoyed? Up until now, how much have you repaid to God? If you are only beginning to repay God now, then you are a bit too slow. If you did not do well in the past, from now on, you should offer up to God without any reservation; use your strength and the professional skills and the various principles of professions that you’ve mastered in your duty, without holding anything back, because what you offer up was originally God’s—it was bestowed upon you by God. When you offer up these things and use them in your duty, for one thing, God will accept it, and for another, you will gain the truth, gain life, and gain God’s approval—you will gain tremendous benefits and not suffer a loss at all. At the same time, God has not taken away your right to enjoy your interest, hobby, and strength. Since God has bestowed this interest and hobby upon you, He will never take them away. No matter how much you offer up, you will still have them—God ensures that they will continue to be present within you without end; they are a part of your very being. If you do not offer up to God, then it can only be said that you have no conscience, that you are not up to standard as a created being, and that you have no sincerity toward God. If you do have sincerity, then you should repay to God what you have received from Him and what you possess. You should have this attitude. However much God has bestowed upon you, however much you understand, and however much you are capable of doing, you must then offer up to God without reservation. Do you think God would have you offer it up in vain? Look at Abraham—when God asked him for Isaac, he offered up Isaac on the altar. But after seeing Abraham’s sincerity, did God really take Isaac? God did not take him—God returned Isaac to him and prepared a lamb nearby. Not only did Abraham not have to return Isaac to God, but he also received a lamb that was already prepared. In the end, the blessing God gave him exceeded what he could ever imagine by countless times. Of course, this was not something Abraham could have imagined, nor was it something he asked for. But God does not treat people unfairly; He simply blesses people in this way—this is what God wills. Even when you have not yet repaid anything to God, He has already bestowed so much upon you. So if you truly repay God, do you think He will bestow less upon you? Absolutely not—the blessing God gives you will exceed all that you could ever imagine. So tell Me, is it easy to offer up all the strengths God has bestowed upon you and use them in your duty? Suppose you think: “These strengths, interests, and hobbies I inherently possess are something I was born with, I inherited them from my parents. They’re thanks to my good genes and favorable background. Whether they were bestowed by God, I don’t know. Anyway, I just have good fortune—it’s my own luck. As for whether I’ll return them to God, I’ll decide that later. Right now, I don’t have any plans to do so.” Tell Me, would that mean you have a conscience? (No.) Even if God did not take away the interests, hobbies, strengths, and other things He bestowed upon you, you would not gain God’s blessing. In God’s eyes, you would not be up to standard as a created being—at the very least, God does not like people such as this. God bestows upon people certain interests, hobbies, and strengths, and He also has specific requirements for them. As for how people treat these interests, hobbies, and strengths, they should also have principles that align with the truth. For one thing, do not take these as your capital; additionally, if the work of God’s house requires you to do duty related to your interests, hobbies, and strengths, then you should feel honor-bound to take this duty as your personal obligation. You should offer up what God has bestowed upon you completely and without reservation, so that God may enjoy the sincerity and submission of a created being toward Him. Isn’t this a dignified and glorious thing? (Yes.) If you cannot offer up to God the gifts and strengths that He has bestowed upon you, then you are indebted to God—that is a shameful thing. When God bestowed these gifts and strengths upon you, you were quite happy, but when God asks you to offer them up to Him, you become irritated, not wanting them to be used by God and only wanting them to be used for yourself. Does this show reason? Those are not your private possessions—they were bestowed by God. Since they were bestowed by God, when He requires them, you should offer them up. Being able to offer them up shows that you have submission and sincerity toward God. If you don’t want to offer them up, or you do so reluctantly and grudgingly, it proves that you have neither submission nor sincerity toward God. It can only be said that there is a problem with your humanity and character.

Alright, that’s all for our fellowship today. Goodbye!

December 23, 2023