In the early days of establishing the church, I was surprised to find that my demands would become very high as time went on. Later, I realised that one Bible study a week was not enough, so we had Bible study twice or thrice a week. I struggled, struggling with the idea of delaying studies and work. Wouldn't it be fatal if studies and work were delayed! Later, I found that it didn't delay. Not only did it not delay, but these people became more and more prosperous. I slowly let go of this worry. When I pondered, I found that our God has a very simple requirement for us, which is to meditate on the word of Jehovah God day and night.

Meditating on the Word of God Day and Night

What does Psalm 1 say? It says, But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever he does prospers. When Joshua was about to enter Canaan, not long after Moses wrote Deuteronomy, it was recorded in Joshua that when Joshua was very afraid, God said to him, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

Later, I changed my mind. Would it delay work? Would it delay studies? I no longer said these things. To this day, I tell everyone very frankly, are you a person who meditates on the word of Jehovah God day and night? If you are, you will experience what Joshua experienced, do you understand? What did Joshua experience? It was that he meditated on all the words in this Book of the Law day and night, so that you may be careful to follow it, and then your way will be prosperous and successful in everything. How well said this is. Do we want to be a person who is prosperous and successful in everything in our life? If you are prosperous in everything, how do you feel? In fact, people in this world have a characteristic that they always want to protect themselves, but they can't always protect themselves. Some people even end up in prison for this. Prisons are full of corrupt officials. After hitting the tigers, the tigers are caught and put in prison.

Many people do not know that it is God who protects us, and many people do not know that it is God who makes us successful in everything. Therefore, brothers and sisters today, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go, because you are a person who meditates on God's word day and night. When Moses wrote this passage, God hoped that everyone would be like Joshua. Today, I also have a very strong desire in my heart, which is to desire that every brother and sister can meditate on God's word day and night, and then only delight in the law of the Lord, and you will surely be prosperous in everything.

There is a joke. This joke is very interesting. I will tell it to you. A child said to his mother, Mom, I'm hungry. The mother said, Didn't you eat your fill last year? Eating your fill last year has nothing to do with eating your fill today, that is to say, you will still be hungry today even if you ate your fill yesterday. Brothers and sisters, you must know that reading God's word is like eating food; our prayer is like breathing. Our survival depends on the word of God, and our breath depends on our connection with God. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must never ask again: Pastor, how can we live if we do this? Can we still pass the university entrance examination? Can we still do this job? In the end, it耽误s work and studies. But I have come through that difficulty. Whether you can come through that difficulty depends on your fortune.

Prospering in Spirit and Prospering in Everything

Today, brothers and sisters, we must know that after I practiced it, it proved one thing: our God is the God who created the universe. He is very powerful. If He wants to protect you, nothing will happen. I was thinking, it is so good to have God in this life. Now I can't live a day without God. How can I live without God? Reading God's word every day is like eating a meal. Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must look carefully. It is the spirit that prospers people. When a person prospers in spirit, his body will be healthy. If a person prospers in spirit, he will prosper in everything.

Today, I served a couple. This couple is the director and supervisor of a tumour hospital. They are both very powerful people. They have performed many cancer surgeries, but both of them have contracted a strange disease. The wife can't sleep well, and the husband is weak all over. Even a doctor needs God's word. No matter who you are, you need God's word. This is what Moses said, whether you sit at home, walk on the road, lie down, or get up, you must talk about the word of Jehovah God. This means that wherever you are, may God's word become yours in your life.

If a person wants to achieve this, he cannot do it without love. When I was a child, I loved to study. My family liked to watch TV, play mahjong, and chat. People in Northeast China especially like to chat. It's too cold to go out. I can only do my homework at home. Why can I do it? Because I love to study. If I don't love to study, it's too bad. If you love to study, no environment can stop you from studying. If you don't love to study, you will slip away when you have the opportunity and seize the opportunity to watch TV. It is great if children can be trained to love to study and love to work. My logic is very simple, which is to love whatever you do. It is too painful to do something you don't love. If you are a Christian and don't love God, it is too painful. Today, I encourage everyone to love your God. If you are a Christian, be a resounding Christian, be a person who loves the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. If you don't love God, you can't go on. If you don't love to study but still have to study, if you don't love to work but still have to work, this person will be very entangled in his life. So what did Moses say?

He said, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

Love God with your heart, not with your brain. What is the heart? It is where our spirit dwells. It is the spirit that gives life. Once the spirit leaves, the body will die. Therefore, today we must know to put God's word in our hearts, because that is where our spirit is. Why does our spirit need God's word? Our spirit will be satisfied when it eats God's word. A person's life has three components: spirit, soul, and body.

When a person eats God's word, his spirit is satisfied; when a person reads books, his soul is satisfied; when a person eats food, his body is satisfied. Our spirit needs to eat God's word. Today, people only care about the body and not the spirit. Once the spirit withers, the person cannot prosper; if a person's spirit prospers, their body will be healthy; if they don't eat food, they will starve and wither. If people want to live well, they must have spiritual food. Today, people only care about the body and not their spirit. If a person's spirit withers, his body will have problems.

Those who indulge in the flesh do not love God, those who indulge in the Holy Spirit love God. Reading God's word will prosper you. Either you indulge in your flesh, or you indulge in your spirit. Those who indulge in the flesh do not love God, those who indulge in the spirit must love God. A living person with a spirit must have read God's word, and the person will prosper. Therefore, brothers and sisters, don't be surprised that the flesh and the spirit of man contend. Either indulge in the flesh, or indulge in the spirit.

Indulging in the Flesh is Death, Indulging in the Holy Spirit Lacks Nothing

Today, brothers and sisters, don't be surprised that the flesh and the spirit of man contend. See how well said this is. Either you indulge in your flesh, or you indulge in your spirit. Either your flesh is in power over you and you live for your flesh. If you live for your flesh, then your flesh needs to see a doctor. If your flesh sees a doctor, then that's probably how you live. Some people die at thirty, forty, fifty, sixty. It's all the same no matter how old the flesh dies! Why? Because it's just flesh.

It is the spirit that gives life. Do you understand? Therefore, a person either lives in the spiritual realm or in the fleshly realm. The fleshly and the spiritual must contend. Although Esau and Jacob were twins, both were grandsons of Abraham and sons of Isaac, a carnal man will always contend with a spiritual man. That is to say, a carnal man will persecute a spiritual man. How can a carnal man love God? Last week I read Romans and it said: because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so （Romans 8:7）.

I am telling you that you must love God. How simple is it to be a person who loves God? It is to be a spiritual person. A spiritual person naturally loves God from birth. To be born loving God is to be born prosperous! To be a carnal person is to eat, drink, and do all day long! Get up in the morning and prepare breakfast, then prepare lunch, then prepare dinner, and then go to sleep. He is a carnal man! A carnal man cannot live well. A carnal man needs too many things, needs doctors, needs money, needs this, needs that.

But what does a spiritual man need? A spiritual man only needs the word of God. With the word of God, he lacks nothing, and we will always get benefits, do you understand? If you are a spiritual person, you will often receive benefits from God. Now to be a spiritual man, meditating on the word of God day and night, can you live like that? Can believing in the Lord be eaten as food? Look at what Moses said: houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied (Deuteronomy 6:11). That is to say, where did all these things come from? These all came from our God.

Don't get me wrong, if we trust God well, God will drive out our enemies before us, and then we will get these benefits. This is a spiritual principle. What is this spiritual principle? The spiritual principle is: if our God fights for us, these things that are won are not obtained by your labour, but given to you by God. If all these things are given to you by God, can believing in the Lord be eaten as food?

God Will Make Our Name Great

Pay attention to loving the Lord your God! I know that some brothers and sisters worry that believing in the Lord will affect their careers. Today I can tell you that many of these people who trust in God are high-ranking officials. In Genesis, Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt, and people who trust in God became prime ministers; Daniel went through the Babylonian Empire and the Persian Empire and served as the prime minister of several emperors. In such a difficult political struggle environment, how was Daniel? Daniel never fell; later this Mordecai, Mordecai opposed the prime minister of the dynasty, Haman, and as a result, Haman was sentenced to death, hung, and Mordecai became the prime minister.

That is to say, today we must carefully pay attention to the Bible. You can see that people who trust in God lack no benefit, do you believe it? If that is the case, what are you worried about, right? Do you think the Babylonian Empire believed in God? No! Do you think the Persian Empire believed in God? He didn't believe it very much either! Do you think the Egyptian Pharaoh believed in God? He didn't believe it either! But we who trust in God can actually be officials in this place, and the more we do, the better we do, and the bigger we do. So, brothers and sisters, don't worry.

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

Today, brothers and sisters, we must all know what we are doing. We are a group of people who serve the people, right? We really want to become a blessing of this era! Become a stable force in this society! We never cause trouble for the government. We just want to become a positive energy in this society, right? We must be good officials, and we brothers and sisters will become good officials if we become officials. If you think like this, then you will always get benefits!

Fear the Lord Our God, Meditate on His Word Day and Night

A Christian's life is full of stories. Sister HX just said that a Christian's life is full of stories, so she must have many stories! Why is it full of stories? Because we meditate on God's word day and night, we will experience many stories. Her stories are so interesting when you read them. Sister HX came among us around this time last year, and it was so miserable! Very miserable! In her thirties, with more than ten years of work experience, she was paid like a college graduate. That was tough! Now look at her, it's like taking an elevator. It's an elevator, not an escalator, she went up swoosh, and it's getting better and better, but she forgot that it was God who raised her up. Some time ago, she came to me, what for? There are partners in her law firm, and she is one of them. One of the lawyers kept messing with her, and she didn't know what to do. I said, Since God was able to raise you up, can't God help you solve these problems? You must overcome step by step. Later, she really trusted God more and more, and feared God.

Do you know why people need to read God's word every day and every month? If you don't know, I'll tell you, people's memory is very poor. There was a girl with stiff shoulders. I said, Let me pray for you. As soon as I prayed, her shoulders relaxed. Three days later, she saw me again and said, Pastor, I have never experienced God! I said, That's strange, I still remember what happened three days ago, how did you forget it? I tell you, Christians must not be like this! Being such a Christian is deadly!

So today, brothers and sisters, not only should you read God's word every day, but you should also tell God's stories every day. How to tell them? It says, In the future, when your son asks you, 'What is the meaning of these statutes, decrees, and laws that the Lord our God has commanded you?' you shall tell your son, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and performed great and awesome signs and wonders before our eyes, against Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. He brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to our fathers.' And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always. Look how well this is said, for our good always. When you receive good things, you tell the stories.

You know, our brothers and sisters in the church are so amazing. We buy real estate in a place, and the real estate prices rise. Do you believe it? Why? Because God makes it good for us! Look how well this is said! Houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied (Deuteronomy 6:11). But be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Today, I really want to remind everyone, don't forget when you receive good things. If you often forget, I tell you, that is a very dangerous thing, and then you won't get the good things! You will get bad things! You say, I don't want good things, and I don't want bad things. There is no such thing in this world. You either get good things or bad things. Moses said, If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Don't ask me why God is like this! God is like this. Like a high-voltage wire, you will die if you touch it. Don't say, Why is electricity like this? Isn't that how electricity is? What else could it be? If electricity were like you, would that work?

Fear the Lord Your God, Serve Him, and Do Not Follow Other Gods

Today, we must fear the Lord your God, serve Him, and not follow other gods! This sentence actually has a very deep meaning. Why is it so easy for people to follow other gods? I tell you, it's very simple, because the logic of the world is very logical. The logic of keeping and following God's words doesn't sound like logic at all, does it? Some people will think, Meditating on the words of the Lord your God day and night, talking about them when you lie down and get up, how can you live like that? I might as well go downstairs to play mahjong, that's more fun! Reading God's word is so boring. Once they play mahjong, they quickly forget the Lord your God. It's so nice to go out and travel, reading God's word is so boring, you see, that's how people are. If you eat and are full, it is a very dangerous thing, because people are not willing to call on the Lord their God.

Let's talk about the generation we are in today. Does everyone know? Today, everyone needs to know that Korea and Singapore were places where Christianity was very prosperous twenty or thirty years ago, or thirty or forty years ago, and God greatly blessed those places. But today, I tell you, the Christians in Singapore are really not that good. Why do I say they are not that good? They may not be convinced, but are they really willing to read God's word every day? No, they are really not willing. If you let them make money, do business, eat good food, drink good drinks, and go out and travel, they definitely have time. If you let them pray and worship their God well, then they don't have enough time.

So, brothers and sisters, do you know? This is how the world is. After you have eaten and are full, then you must be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. The Lord your God is a jealous God; lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. Korea is the same; so today, brothers and sisters, don't find it strange that the United States and Europe are all like this. The churches in Europe are extremely desolate, and then it is the United States' turn, and the churches in the United States are also beginning to be desolate. That is, people can spend time on anything, but when it comes to spending time on God, they are stingy.

Today, I can tell you that the brothers and sisters in our church are amazing. Because the brothers and sisters in our church gather every day. Let the Christians in the United States and Europe try it. I once knew a Christian from Australia who was studying for a doctorate in Australia. He said that he went to a very famous church there, and many of the hymns we sing today came from there. Their small group Bible study was once every two weeks. Why don't you eat a meal once every two weeks? If you let your spirit eat one meal every two weeks, it will be emaciated. So he followed our gatherings online, why? Because our spiritual food is sufficient, and everyone eats their fill.

So today, brothers and sisters, do you know, What does it mean not to follow other gods? Remember, I have pondered this sentence for a long time, what does it mean not to follow other gods? I finally realized it, and I thank God for giving me this revelation. What we live for, that is our god. If we live for this thing, this thing is our god. If we live for food, food is our god, and our stomach is our god; if we live for the Lord our God, loving the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength, then the Lord is our god; if we live for travel, travel is our god; if we live for entertainment, entertainment is our god; if we live for eating, drinking, playing, and being merry, eating, drinking, playing, and being merry are our gods. What exactly do you live for today? Today, I will challenge everyone, what exactly do you live for?

Living for God

Today, I tell everyone without reservation that I live for our God, so I serve Him with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength, and I have no complaints at all. Not for any other reason, but because I love the Lord my God, because He brought me out of the land of slavery. I often talk about what the Lord God has done in our lives. So today, brothers and sisters, why don't you try it? Of course, if I say it and don't deliver, don't blame me. Sometimes it's not that I deliberately don't deliver. What I want to say is, if you call me at two in the morning, I guarantee I will answer. If you call me at three in the morning, I will also guarantee I will answer. I will never say that I can't sleep well, how will I live tomorrow? Why? Because I live for my God, and serving my God is serving this generation, and the brothers and sisters of this generation are the objects of my service, and I will never back down.

So the team I built, these small pastors among us, from group leaders to district pastors, everyone emulates me in this way. Do you think I am only like this today? No. When I was working, when I was not a pastor, I was also like this. Brothers and sisters, don't think that I have nothing to do. When I have something to do, I am also like this. So, brothers and sisters, can you start to recognize one thing today, my destiny, the reason I live is because of God. If serving God is the reason I live, I was born for this, I live for this, and I came into this world for this, I feel it is only natural. I sit down, I lie down, I get up, I talk about God's word, I talk wherever I go. Some of my classmates don't like to talk to me because I joined Christianity.

They don't even think about whether they have obtained the benefits that I have obtained. They have all kinds of messy things. Today, brothers and sisters, What exactly do you live for? Have you ever thought about this question? If you live for your father, will you still live after your father dies? If you live for your mother, you can't live without your mother. Because that is the purpose of your life. Today, in any case, nothing can become the goal of our life. If anything becomes the goal of our life, that thing becomes our god. If we live for money, money becomes my god. So, brothers and sisters, you need to know that if we live for anything else, you are offending this jealous God, and His anger will be kindled against you, and then He will destroy you from off the face of the earth.

Do Not Forget God's Grace

Pastor, why do you say that? The Bible says so, what do you want me to say? I feel that I have a characteristic, I don't have many hobbies, I don't have any hobbies, I only have one hobby, which is to love God. So you see how prosperous those who love God are. I have no interest in playing mahjong. Do I know how to play? Yes, I do. But it's very boring, what's the point? Playing golf, I don't think it's very interesting, getting all dark under the sun, wearing a small hat, golf shirt, golf shoes, and carrying a bag of golf clubs on your back, playing with great interest. I'm not talking about others, I'm talking about ourselves, I don't think it's interesting.

Today, brothers and sisters, please remember, when you have eaten and are satisfied, do not forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. This sentence is very profound for me, do you know why it is very profound? At that time, I was a person who could not survive, but God saved me, and I am grateful to this day. When I am grateful, I say to God, I dedicate my life to God. Have I suffered a loss? I always receive good things. This is in verse 24: And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. This is especially well said.

So, brothers and sisters, do you know whether you are willing to read the word of the Lord your God well and keep and follow it? It's not about reading the Bible once a year at Christmas, but reading it every day. Because we eat our fill, and then we want to travel, we want this and that, and then God's word is put last. It's not like that. So today, brothers and sisters, do you know that you cannot test the Lord your God, do not test the Lord your God. What does it mean not to test our God? Is it okay to touch a high-voltage wire? Is it okay to violate it a little? Should our God be like Santa Claus? Then don't blame God for being a high-voltage wire. Don't test whether this high-voltage wire is okay to touch? Zap, you die. What is testing? Standing upstairs, is it okay to jump down? Then try jumping down, you will melt into the blue sky. So, brothers and sisters, don't be silly, know that the word of the Lord your God is very deadly.

The previous chapter talked about the Ten Commandments, do not violate any of them, do not try to violate any of them. So that we may live long in the land. You see at the beginning of the first chapter: Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.

Conclusion

I think the most tragic thing in a person's life is not knowing why they live. Living for God is called Mingding Destiny. Our church has been talking about Mingding Destiny because that is the key to why we live. If you live for money, money will kill your life; if you live for anything other than living for God, it will cause you to lose your life. That's why I tell everyone, because God says so, we must live for God. The most tragic thing for a person is not knowing that the Lord my God is the purpose of our life.

I have said it again and again, but if you read Moses' words carefully, he also repeats them over and over again, talking back and forth in a disorganized way. Today, I once again call to heaven and earth with brothers and sisters, and once again bear witness with brothers and sisters, to let our brothers and sisters make a choice between blessing and disaster, life and death, to keep and follow the words of the Lord your God. Fear Him! Live for Him alone, so that we may always receive good things, Amen!