I. Introduction

Good morning! Today, I will be talking to you about: A hardship weighing heavily on people! This phrase: “There is a hardship which weighs heavily on people,” comes from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 6. I have previously spoken about living happily, but after listening, people remain unhappy, unable to find joy. Have you noticed this? Happiness is a difficult thing to achieve, while suffering comes easily. If you want to suffer, there are a thousand, ten thousand reasons – being displeased with this, displeased with that – and you suffer. This is a hardship!

So, if you look closely at this world, you will find that not many truly know how to live. In my own case, few can live as well as I do. Today’s topic may be a bit heavy – “A hardship weighing heavily on people” – but it is meant to awaken us. Can it awaken us even a little? People live in hardship, don’t they? If you want me to tell stories, I will share a few later.

Consider whether this is the reality. How many hardships are weighing on you? It is interesting to note that in Singapore, there are several groups of people, especially from Southeast Asia. In Southeast Asia, there are Chinese and local people. A Chinese person who catches a fish will take it to the market to sell. A Malay person who catches a fish will grill it by the river and eat it. I tell you, the Malay people truly know how to live; they live happily. When I take people to the beach, I often see groups of Malay people barbecuing, living life as it comes. Are they rich? Not necessarily, but they are happy. Malay people are interesting; they know how to live.

The Chinese person catches fish and sells them in the market, using the money to buy more hooks and weave larger nets, eventually building a larger business and opening a shop. The fish business grows bigger and bigger. Finally, at the age of sixty-something, with a deformed spine from bending over fish all day, he has worked hard his whole life. He says, “I can finally put down my labor and enjoy life,” but he is already old.

The Malay person sees the Chinese person and says, “I can finally put down my labor and enjoy life.” The Chinese person replies, “Weren’t you enjoying yourself when you caught your first fish?” That is how people live. They finally get to the point where they can live happily. Are they really happy? In reality, they have labored their whole lives. It doesn’t have to be this way. It is interesting because they could have been living happily from the beginning, without all the struggle.

Make money! Make money! Make money! How much money do you need to be happy? I will tell you, Jack Ma once said that he was happiest when he had a few million, maybe eight million. No need to invest, no need to manage finances, no need to worry about anything. The stock market goes up, the stock market goes down – it doesn’t matter to him. He lived like that, and he was happiest. Later, when he had more money, he had to invest and manage finances. Sometimes, ten billion would turn into five billion, and he would be upset. If five billion turned into ten billion, he didn’t feel much better. Do you hear? How much money do you need?

This is quite interesting. I feel that a hardship is weighing on people. This hardship causes people to live for money. In the end, they could have lived happily, but they live unhappily. When they finally have money and want to be happy, they no longer have the opportunity. It is truly uncanny. Is it uncanny? I used to have a good friend in church, and he was quite interesting. When I met him, he lived in a high-end residence. Why did I meet him? When I was young, I just got my driver’s license and bought a beat-up car on the third day. I didn’t want to drive a new car because I would worry about it. A beat-up car didn’t matter; I could scratch it and bump it. He knew how to fix cars, so I learned from him. He was quite good at it.

What happened? When I met him, he was doing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) because he wanted to have children. He failed once, which cost him 50,000 Singapore dollars. He tried twice, costing 100,000 Singapore dollars. He tried three times, costing 150,000 Singapore dollars, and finally succeeded. Everyone celebrated, and I celebrated with them. However, he ended up having two children with problems. These children had many issues, and he spent all his money taking them to the doctor. Eventually, he sold his house and moved to a small, run-down house, living a difficult life. He sold his car, sold his house, and moved to a smaller house. IVF, he finally went through with IVF. So, I have a deep impression of this.

Some of the mothers of the sisters in our group advised me, “Can you counsel her and encourage her to have a child?” I said I couldn’t interfere with this matter. I could help with other things, but not with this. Can you help with having a child? No, helping would cause trouble. Why? Thinking about it gave me a headache. Yet she continued with IVF. Didn't she create a hardship for herself? She didn't want to live a good life and insisted on living a life of hardship. Alas, I was very moved – wanting money, wanting children. What did she get? She got hardship.

Back in my hometown in the 80s and 90s, China was very chaotic and poor. There was a man in my hometown who sold building materials. He made a lot of money and was very popular. Everyone in my hometown knew him. They said he was rich, and people began to take notice of him. Some university students who had returned from their studies wanted to have a drink but had no money. People were poor back then. So, they decided to steal from his house. They observed his habits from the roof of the house opposite his. This is a true story.

After they organized themselves, the three young men went with knives. When they entered the house, they saw an old woman holding a child. The old woman was sensible. She said, “Take whatever you want, just don’t hurt me or the child. I won’t call the police. Everything in the house is yours to take.” So, they started carrying things out. In those days, stealing a television was a big deal. Today, who would steal a television? Refrigerators and televisions are no longer stolen. I find this quite interesting.

But they created a hardship. The son came home while they were there. The son didn’t understand the situation and rushed forward to fight them. He was stabbed to death. After he was stabbed to death, I tell you, there was trouble. The three young men were arrested, and their university education was over. The old man held a funeral for his son. That event was very big news then. It is said – and this is just hearsay; I didn’t see it – that he burned two million RMB , not paper money, but two million RMB . Actually, burning money is illegal, you know? But so far from the capital, he could do whatever he wanted. After burning the money, the old man was utterly despondent. He gathered his money and built a large temple at the foot of the North Mountain in my hometown.

Speaking of which, the last time I went back, I ministered to a cancer patient. Cancer patients suffer greatly. Her house was full of idols. So, to minister to her, I prepared to throw the idols in the trash. Some people suggested smashing them, but I didn’t have time for that. I just threw them in the trash. She was a little worried. “Is it okay to throw them in the trash? Can you help me out?” I asked, “What do you want me to do?” She said, “Take the idols back to the temple.” The temple I went to was the one built by the rich man. You are still going to the temple? I went to handle the procedures to return the idols. I would do anything for this living person. I drove in, and there were huge idols dozens of meters high. I handled the procedures there. I was quite bold. That was a temple with a history. This man was the richest man in our area, yet he lived a painful life!

Later, I observed that this world is full of hardships. This hardship is hard to understand. What is the reason? This hardship – I observed that people are not happy with houses, not happy with big houses, maybe happy for a day or two. They are not happy with cars, not happy with bigger cars. Alas, why are they not happy? They just like to create problems, like to create unhappiness. If you don’t create happiness, I can forgive you, but you have to create pain and hardship! Living in this world is simply a hardship.

How can we live happily? Is this a critical issue? It is a spiritual matter. Isn’t it? People’s brains don’t work well, and they are out of control. Why don’t people’s brains work well? They are infected with a virus. Then their brains are out of control, and they are not happy. Once, when I was praying, the demons were also having a meeting. When I was ministering, the demons told me that they were having a meeting, discussing how to corrupt people. Isn’t that uncanny?

I am telling you these things to give you a reminder. What kind of reminder? To let you know that the reason you are not happy is simple: it is a spiritual matter. The demons are constantly devising methods to make you unhappy. If you follow the demons, you are finished. So, to be carnally minded is death. If we are carnally minded and indulge our foolish thoughts, we will live in pain and suffering. Isn’t that foolish?

Some people say, “Teacher, you also have times when you are unhappy?” Yes, I also have times when I am unhappy, but it is not easy for anyone to make me unhappy. But what is the problem? The problem is that I see the people I shepherd creating problems and bringing them to me. Their unhappiness rubs off on me. I am saddened, not because I want something from them, but because I want to turn them around. I can’t just stand by and watch them walk into hardship. Watching them walk into hardship makes me feel helpless, like a fortune teller who knows what will happen next but is powerless to stop it. Isn’t that like enduring the pain of childbirth again?

Can you count how many hardships you have created for yourself, you foolish and ignorant people? Why won’t you walk the right path? Your eyes insist on seeing what is bad. Unless you are blind, you can always find fault. Alas, I wonder what will happen when the curse grows? My head hurts when I pray, and the prayer isn’t very effective. Why? Because you sowed the seeds yourself. Since you sowed them yourself, then bear the pain. I am helpless.

Your eyes are not clear, so you have to create more problems, right? Still creating problems? Then you will have to undergo bone-scraping surgery to change! Isn’t it so? My heart aches, because I am watching people live in disaster, live in hardship. Just when they are a little better, when their head feels better, their eyes feel better, their waist feels better, their buttocks feel better, their throat feels better, they start creating problems again, creating unhappy things. Isn’t that a mess? There are many things in this world that are hardships.

I have mentioned many times that there was a sister among us who was ministered to, and she was truly foolish! How foolish was she? She took a package of noodles home, intending to share them with her husband. When she got home, the door was locked. When the door finally opened, she saw her husband coming out with another woman. She flew into a rage and went blind. What did you gain from this? Now that you are blind, how will you live? I have seen the photos; both of her eyes were completely white. Was that scary? That was very scary. A few days ago, there was a woman in her twenties with cancer. She was in pain, and her parents were exhausted. Alas, she was in the terminal stages of cancer, blinded by this world.

Today, I am working hard on something. What is my job? It is to help you live happily. Do you know that? If you can understand that, it will be good. Making people happy is a difficult task. Without fighting and overcoming, you cannot be led to happiness. Some people are lazy, and I have to reform their laziness. Why? People should rejoice in their labor. There is no joy in laziness. Rejoicing in labor and enjoying the fruits of one's labor can bring happiness, health, and prosperity. People really need to know that they are human. There are not many things you can control. People really need to learn how to live!

If a person is left on their own, they naturally like to create problems. Think about it carefully. If some of you are married, don’t buy a large pot, because you never know when someone might boil someone else. Also, don’t buy a large refrigerator, because you never know when someone might put someone else in it. To be carnally minded is death, and death is miserable. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Who are you submitting to? Accumulating wealth will not bring happiness; it will accumulate hardships. There are countless such arguments and examples!

Every day, people are busy with money, busy, busy, and they are not happy. Having many children and grandchildren does not necessarily bring happiness; sometimes it brings many hardships. Isn’t that so? Think about it. You have a child, the child has a child, the child goes to elementary school. Does that give you a headache? Finding a place in school, buying a house in a good school district. Does middle school give you a headache? Finding tutors. Then, the government issues a policy banning tutoring, and you are dissatisfied. Then, there is the college entrance exam, and after that, college. Then, he brings home a girlfriend. Fortunately, the son doesn’t bring home a boy, so you should be thankful. He brings back a girl, thank God!

Some women even bring back a girl. What do you do? Oh, my god! It’s normal now, isn’t it? People in the village are used to it; everyone is used to it, and it is out in the open. Looking ahead, the parents at home are upset. How can they have children like that? Won't that end the family line? How can they have children? It's hard to imagine. What is the benefit of long life? Full of toil and sorrow! That is also a hardship. These are all things that people think will bring happiness, but they get hardship instead. Someone typed something interesting, saying that Canada now allows people to marry animals. Is that right? Is that true? If they are allowed to marry animals, one day someone will come home with a horse and say, “This is my wife.” Or get a dog and say, “This is my husband.” What if they get a big lizard? It would be too chaotic.

These are all things that people think will bring happiness, but they get hardship instead. People don’t know what the days ahead hold for them. They are trying had to live for themselves. Alas, it is interesting. In the end, it is still selfishness. They just want to live for themselves. It is like something called “The Besieged City,” isn’t it? People inside the city want to get out, and people outside the city want to get in. The mountain over there looks higher than this mountain. Every time, you see that someone else's garden is better, right? If you think someone else's wife is better, it might cause problems, right? Seeing that someone else’s garden is better is still okay, but seeing that someone else’s house and children are better is quite troublesome.

Actually, give these things a name: The Besieged City, coming in and getting out. Why is it called coming in and getting out? People keep coming in and getting out, coming in and getting out over there. Once, when I was driving out demons, I asked the demon for its name. It said its name was “Coming and Going,” and there was another demon whose name was Back and Forth, and another demon whose name was “Coming In and Getting Out.” Oh, my god, what kind of names are these? Oh, I understand, that is how these things work. Today, I hope that brothers and sisters can come out of hardship. There is only one way to come out of hardship, and that is to dedicate yourselves to God. The path that the Lord Jesus opened up was not to live well for oneself, but to live out a glorious appearance, to become a blessing to others, but to live out a glorious appearance. The path of the Lord Jesus is to give!

Living for oneself is selfish to the core, and extreme selfishness is cancer. Why has cancer increased as society has developed? You should know that cancer was very rare during Mao Zedong’s rule in China. Why was cancer rare during Mao Zedong’s rule? Why is there more cancer now? I will tell you a secret: it is not that cancer cells are more aggressive. In Mao Zedong’s era, although people were selfish, at most they just ate from the big pot. You did more work, and I did less. People all ate from the same big pot. Selfishness was not fully expressed.

Later, Deng Xiaoping launched the reform and opening up, and he used a very essential thing called selfishness, which is the private ownership system. The private ownership system means that this thing is mine, and that thing is mine. It is private property, which is sacred and inviolable. In the public ownership system, what private property was there? Even you belonged to the country, so forget it! So, cancer, because of the expansion of this selfishness, this cancerous personality began to gradually develop. Even science and medicine cannot cure this! People are unable to cure the selfishness at the core, unable to cure it.

Today, if someone still has selfish things, you need to know that this is called a cancerous personality. A cancerous personality is all for oneself. This is for me, and that is for me. In the end, people live a very painful life. What can you do if you live a very painful life? Nothing. Just wish you good luck. You sow well, sow what? Sow curses. When they grow, then you can enjoy your fruits. A shot of morphine on the left, a shot of morphine on the right, isn’t that so? Hardship!

So today, I want to tell you to work for eternity! If you are not working for eternity, then you are ruined. Let’s look at today’s scripture. The stories are over. There are no more stories below. You say, “I understand.” If you understand it, great. The part below can be omitted. Ecclesiastes, Chapter 6. Someone said, “Again with Ecclesiastes?” Ecclesiastes is good! Ecclesiastes awakens the brain! Let’s look at Ecclesiastes 6:1-7.

II. Scripture

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: God gives some people wealth, possessions, and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy these things, and strangers devour them. This is meaningless; it is a grievous evil. A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded; though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it finds more rest than this man, even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place? All a person’s labor is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied. (Ecclesiastes 6:1-7)

III. Prayer

O God! Today, let us open our spiritual eyes, so that we can see the glorious crown that You have prepared for us in eternity. O God! Today, let us no longer toil for our mouths, but let us begin to work for eternity, so that we may live in eternity during our days on this earth. O God! Do not let us act according to our own will, but according to Your word. O God! Take away our intentions today, so that we can completely surrender to You, so that we can completely belong to You. O God! Have mercy on us, so that we can come out of this habit of being carnally minded, come out of this shortsightedness, come out of this hardship, so that we can become a people who please You and are blessed by You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

IV. Scripture Background

The background of this passage is the Book of Ecclesiastes. The Book of Ecclesiastes is a very good book. Not many people can read and understand the Book of Ecclesiastes well. Not many people can read the Book of Ecclesiastes as clearly as I do. This is the truth! Maybe it has an element of boasting, but if you find someone who examines it better than me, I tell you, I will definitely listen attentively. Solomon's life was full of wisdom, and his scientific research results are concentrated in the Book of Ecclesiastes. In fact, Ecclesiastes seems more important than the Book of Proverbs. Why? Because what does Ecclesiastes talk about? It talks about the way of man, the way of God that man should believe in.

His scientific research results are interesting. What does he research? He researches a word called hardship. If someone can see through the hardships of this world in the future... “Alas, this is a hardship, let's avoid it. That is a hardship, let's avoid it. How good would that be! We could avoid a lot of hardship. The theme in Chapter 6 is hardship. If you are willing, you can listen to my explanation of Ecclesiastes from the first chapter to the last. After listening to it, you will really live a happier life.

How many hardships did he talk about? The first hardship is that God gives him wealth, and he lacks nothing, but he cannot enjoy it himself. What is he doing? Hardship! A man has a hundred sons. If you want to have a hundred sons, you need about twenty-five wives if you divide by four. Twenty-five wives are constantly making noise. Why? Because he has so much money, like the family of Stanley Ho. He is even more gambler than Stanley Ho, right? Such a powerful person who has a hundred sons should be able to manage at least ten or eight Stanley Hos, right? So he lived many years, injected chicken blood, injected pig blood, replaced his liver, and so on. Because he lived many years but could not enjoy his happiness, that is hardship.

The second woe, though a man live a thousand years and have a hundred sons, woe. You will not have joy. You think a hundred sons will bring joy? Actually, there is no joy, no happiness. Those who lived a thousand years, and then another thousand, did not enjoy blessings, and then woe, that is truly woe. A man's labor is for his mouth, he does not rejoice in his work. He labors to earn money, and once he has it, he goes out to play. He rejoices when he plays, but when he returns to work, he is gloomy, looking like a bitter gourd. If there were no beauty cameras now, it would be a disaster, a bunch of ugly people, isn't it? Fortunately, there are beauty cameras now, which make you look so much better, right? A square face becomes an oval face, a flat face becomes like an apple, all round.

Man lives to make money, to play, but his heart is not content, woe. The eyes see better than the heart imagines, but they are discussing meaningless things. They spend all day on these superficial things, and one day it suddenly ends. Even if you buy the most famous coffin in China, it is still a coffin, a coffin that marks the end. Even if you buy the most famous tomb in China, you are still buried, that's all. Man's life is spent in vain, like a passing shadow. Who knows what is beneficial to him? Today, before we reach that point, we must know what is beneficial to us. If you know what is beneficial to you, then you will know what happens after death, and you will become a wise person.

Today, my brothers and sisters, I long for you to become a blessed person, a person blessed by God. It is useless to wrestle with God. Even if you use your thigh to wrestle with God's hand, it is useless; your thigh is not strong enough. You must know that you are a human being, and never live in ignorance and foolishness again. Living in ignorance and foolishness is deadly. The background of this passage is a review of Solomon's research findings. What is beneficial to you? You must figure it out. If you don't figure it out, you will do a lot of foolish things, suffer, and then suffer for a lifetime.

V. Woe One: Accumulating Wealth But Not Being Able to Enjoy It

Last time I talked about how to be happy. This time I will talk about woe one, woe two, and woe three, which is very sobering. Accumulating wealth but not being able to enjoy it is a woe. I tell you, you can have money. But if having money leads to living for money and being unhappy, living in pain, with people constantly scheming against you. And you are afraid to use the money, hoarding a cubic meter of hundred-yuan bills at home, but afraid to spend it, feeling it is truly a woe. See, the Bible speaks so interestingly. God gives him what his heart desires, nothing is withheld from him. Huh? There is one thing that is withheld, not enjoying blessings, and not being able to eat.

Today I must tell everyone, delicious food is plentiful. Whenever I go to eat delicious food, I bring people to eat it. You say, Teacher, you also bring people to eat delicious food? Of course I will eat. Some people say, I don't know how to eat. That's easy. Open your upper and lower lips, put it in your mouth, and bite. I tell you, everything I eat tastes good. I just wish my stomach were bigger, but eating too much is easy to get sick. Alas, but eating is really delicious, and I like to eat. You say this, accumulating wealth but not being able to enjoy it is a woe, letting others use it, a tragedy! That God gives him, this passage says:

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: God gives some people wealth, possessions, and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy these things; instead, a stranger enjoys them. This is meaningless, a grievous evil. (Ecclesiastes 6:1-2)

Do you say it is a woe? You say this, people originally thought that having wealth, possessions, and honor, lacking nothing, would bring joy, but it is quite the opposite. Because he has to manage so many messy things, because those riches become his burden. If you don't invest or manage your money, it decreases. You are sad when it decreases, but there is no joy when it increases. When it increases, there is no joy; when it decreases, there is suffering. For example, investing in stocks. Crash, halved. Alas, ten billion becomes five billion, what does that feel like? Come on, let's all feel it. Suppose suddenly you have ten billion, and it becomes five billion. Actually, ten billion and five billion seem almost the same to us.

If you have a hundred thousand and it suddenly becomes fifty thousand, are you upset? Upset! You can't sleep because you are upset. Then your head hurts, your liver hurts, your lungs hurt, your stomach hurts, and your whole condition is bad. Isn't that a woe? Originally, those things were not yours anyway. Five billion and ten billion are really not that different. How much difference is there between five billion and ten billion? Not much difference. But once you have it, God gives it to you, and it becomes a woe. So, open your spiritual eyes, and don't be like the richest man in our hometown back then, who had a lot of money, but it became a woe.

I know how to live. At night, my mom and I would go to a small shop, buy two sausages, two bottles of beer, and make an omelet. How much money can you spend? Not much. My mom and I would drink and chat. Alas, we were so happy chatting. Drinking, drinking beer, it makes me happy just thinking about it. And peanuts, don't forget the peanuts, boiled peanuts, delicious.

In this life, people often live in confusion. They think having these things, having wealth, possessions, and honor, lacking nothing, will make them live well. Pure nonsense, pure nonsense. Joy is important, enjoying blessings is important, you must know how to live. If you don't know that these are vanity of vanities, what is the benefit? People are upset and sick all day for these things. Rejoicing in labor, enjoying the fruits of your labor, that is the most important thing. That thing, that matter, that money is not important. If you buy a property, just use it well.

Now in our country, houses are for living in, houses are not for others to live in, houses are for ourselves to live in. You say, many people buy houses, bare walls. They leave them for years, and they depreciate every year. I think, wait, wait for it to rise, to appreciate in value, but many things are very interesting. Woe, do you understand? Don't pursue that anymore. People pursue becoming a unicorn, pursue becoming the richest man. Ah, I want to be the richest man in Weihai, not even knowing which Weihai. I want to be the richest man in Yantai, but I never made it, upset. Actually, people don't need to catch so many fish, living happily is very important!

VI. Woe Two: Many Sons and Grandsons But No Joy in the Heart

This is a woe. I ask you, having a hundred sons. You don't need many, among a hundred sons, having two or three, one is enough to make you suffer. Just having one bad one is enough to make you suffer, isn't that so? Oh, my goodness, sometimes I see old people tormented by their children. Alas, how tragic.

Among us, there is a sister whose child is messing around outside, borrowing high-interest loans. Later, his parents, who actually didn't have much savings in their lives, were ruined by him, messed up. You say, what's the point of raising this thing? If it were me, I would kick him out. Raising such a son, what's the point? Many sons and grandsons, thinking they will receive blessings, is the same as accumulating wealth but not being able to enjoy it. Thinking that accumulating a lot of wealth will bring joy and happiness, but it is not, it will become your burden. Many sons and grandsons, they may become your burden. Isn't there a saying that children are born to collect debts, to demand debts? Then you pay the debt, not knowing which lifetime you owe it from? Some people say, do you also believe this? I just think many are debtors and creditors. Raising children is difficult.

If a person is not spiritual and cannot see through this, it is troublesome. So, today, being a spiritual person, not conceiving and not giving birth, has more children than those who conceive and give birth. Spiritual children are good! Spiritual children are good, spiritual children bring so much joy. Carnal children only add trouble, just add trouble. I have seen many, many parents upset about their children. Why? They always compare them with other people's children, making themselves upset, the children upset, the whole family upset.

You think, a hundred sons, each son having ten or eight children. We don't need many, each having five, then a hundred sons have five hundred. Goodness, that's a reinforced regiment, a reinforced battalion. You think, five hundred people eating, just cooking the rice is a big job, upsetting! You say, what's the point of having that thing? Not being able to rejoice, why? Because what people think is all based on carnal logic. What people think is all based on the flesh, and the flesh itself attracts demons! The attracted demons torment you, torment you to death.

In the end, a hundred sons, plus thirty or fifty wives, have no time to care about you, only care about your money. The first woe, accumulating a lot of wealth. The second woe, raising many sons. No one cares about you. You lie in bed, you might as well die sooner. Then we have no time to care about you, hurry up and divide the money, all divide the money. Alas, I just think this generation passes on to the next generation, just passes on like this. It is better to be a spiritual person. Spiritual people raise spiritual children! Alas, people are really tragic. The tragedy of this world, if you study it thoroughly enough, you will come to the same conclusion as Solomon.

VII. Woe Three: Living a Long Life But Not Enjoying Blessings

Living a thousand years, and then another thousand years, but not enjoying blessings. People think longevity is a blessing, but it is not. If you live a long life and are upset all day, long life is in vain. Living a long life, living a thousand years, and then another thousand years. Now we don't know how to count it anymore, sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, great-great-grandsons, what else? Great-great-great-grandsons, the people below don't even know what to call you anymore? If you live a thousand years, they will call you Melchizedek, you will become the Melchizedek ancestor. Living a thousand years, but not enjoying blessings, you say what is the meaning of that? No meaning at all. What are you looking at? Comparing with others, how long do you live? Many people say, how come he hasn't died yet? How come he is still alive? Listen slowly.

So, I think, today, longevity is a pursuit of living in the flesh, but eternal life is a pursuit of living in the spirit. A long life of a thousand years in eternity is like a day to God, what does that count for? You still think it's amazing. Some people say, ah, I wish you a long life of a hundred years. Don't curse me. Why am I cursing you? I wish you a long life of a hundred years. I am already one hundred and two years old. You wish him a long life of a hundred years, living over a hundred years old. So, sometimes, wishing a person who lives a thousand years a long life of a hundred years, isn't that cursing him? But today, we live in eternity.

VIII. Woe Four: Living for the Mouth and Stomach, But Not Satisfied in the Heart

All a person’s labor is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied. (Ecclesiastes 6:7)

What does the Bible say? This is also a woe. It is often said that contentment brings happiness. People live for their mouth, live for their stomach, live in the flesh. If you live in the flesh, you live for your mouth, for your stomach. Then living, living, living, you live according to the rules of the flesh, and the rules of the flesh are at enmity with God. The spirit is not satisfied. A person's true feeling of living well comes from the spirit. When a person's spirit rejoices, the whole person's heart rejoices. Whether there is anything to rejoice about or not, there is joy. Whether there is something to eat or not, there is joy. There is just joy, to death with those who cater to the flesh. Those who cater to the flesh are not satisfied in their hearts no matter what they eat. If they don't eat, they worry about it in their hearts. You say how can you live like this? That is truly a woe.

People don't understand this principle, that satisfaction in the heart is true satisfaction. What can fill our hearts? Only the Spirit of God and the Word of God can satisfy our hearts. If people often eat the Word of God, their hearts and spirits are satisfied. Even if the flesh eats less or eats more, it doesn't add much or subtract much.

Because we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. My heart rejoices, my spirit is satisfied. So, you ask me, what I treasure most is my Lord, my God. I want to rely on my God to live a blessed life in this world, I want to live according to the Word of God. Occasionally making a mistake, I sing this song, I Long to Touch Your Heart. My Lord, my God, please take my heart, let me completely belong to you.

IX. Woe Four: What the Eyes See and What the Heart Thinks Are All Superficial Things

What the eyes see and what the heart thinks are all superficial things, why? What your eyes see, oh, it's good! Then you think what the eyes see is better than what the heart thinks. Is that so? After the May Day epidemic, it finally opened up, and people are playing happily! The people of the whole country are having a great time playing. Why? They just want to let their eyes see, and after seeing it, it's just like that. Cities all over the world look like that, and villages all over the world look like that. After you see it, alas, what you see is better than what you think. Actually, I tell you, what you think is better.

Recently, there have been many deaths from going out to play, I don't know if there have been any stampedes. I think today we should all know that whether it is what the eyes see or what the heart thinks, if it is under the sun, that is, in this life we live in this world, it is all superficial things. Isn't it? Alas, look a little more, look a little more. Actually, I tell you, the best joy is to rejoice in labor! Recently, I have been working with people, and after finishing work, we eat very well and sleep very well. Sometimes my head is full of dust, so tired, and then I fall asleep in the chair. When I wake up, I take a cool shower. So good! Isn't it? Working is happy.

Later, one of our brothers told me, Teacher, I have been living a very fulfilling life recently. It is fulfilling, living so happily. Seeing with the eyes, thinking with the heart, all those thoughts are superficial things. But all of them cost money, and after spending the money, you see that there is less money in your pocket, upset. Originally it was a happy thing, but it became an unhappy thing, this is how people live their lives. Can increasing superficial things solve any problems? It can't solve anything. So I encourage everyone to come out of the woe.

X. Conclusion: Come Out of the Woe

Come out of the woe, never live for these things! You must know one thing, live happily! Unhappiness is a disease. If I am sick, don't affirm what is inside me. If my brain is sick, if my brain is not working well, then I have to start learning, to make my brain work well, to become smarter. Come out of the woe, see clearly what is beneficial to us. Wow! How well the Book of Ecclesiastes speaks!

Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. For who knows what is good for people in this life, while they spend their few and meaningless days like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone? (Ecclesiastes 6:1-7)

It is our God who tells us, never compete with our God again, he cannot contend with someone stronger than him. You only have the share of surrendering. You have to contend, you have to compete with God's words, what kind of **** will you compete out of it? Fortunately, the **** that is competed out is still dog ****. Isn't it? You say how can people compete out dog ****? They have turned themselves into animals, they are carnal. So I think, all that was before has already been named, today is the name that God gave to people, isn't it? God tells us that this is a person! He wants to create man according to his own image. So that people no longer live in vanity, but live in eternal glory.

Today, brothers and sisters, you may not understand this sentence, but it is beneficial to you. A person must have a pursuit in eternity, to be victorious in the spiritual world, to see clearly the essence of human life in the spiritual world, and to begin to receive destiny. Next, the church will once again promote the pastoral care of brothers and sisters, and the spiritual state of brothers and sisters must be constantly changed again. Because we may have been constantly talking about understanding, understanding, doing things, doing things. Doing things, doing things, made our heads dizzy. Not erasing spiritual things again, but putting spiritual things back into our hearts again, to become a person who rejoices in labor.

Be dexterous in doing things, okay? Come out of the woe, God's will is for us to prosper, God's will is for us to be healthy, God's will is for us to be able to rejoice. Only this road, the road that Jesus Christ has opened up for us, today let God take our hearts. No longer living according to our own ideas, no longer living in woe, we lack such wisdom and intelligence. If what you say is not the Word of God, then forget it. What's the point of insisting on it? If it's not the Word of God, what are you competing about? I think this is a reminder to everyone. Today's topic is a reminder to everyone. May God bless everyone!

Next, we will sing a song to prepare for today's offering. If you do not understand the meaning of offering, please do not offer. The church is a place where you are taught how to live, where you are taught how to live according to the Word of God. Okay, today, brothers and sisters, don't get it wrong, offering is a grace. In the days to come, we may push forward again on this artificial intelligence pastoral care. We once collected a church building offering, that church building offering was a few years ago. During this time, we are collecting church building offerings again, encouraging everyone to share the same vision and mission with us.

Offering, building God's glorious church, God's glory will be seen wherever there is internet! We are not satisfied with just broadcasting something online, we are not satisfied. We will establish artificial intelligence, we will improve the service of our church, and we will continue to shape the brothers and sisters of the church so that they can become intelligent people. Whether it is hands-on or speaking, we have been constantly investing in this over the past period of time. Today we have seen some results, and we will continue to invest in the church. May God's glory fill the whole earth!

Recently, have you all tried our GPT? We are not just a framework, we have a lot of content to develop, a lot of training to do, and hardware and software to constantly improve. So this time we are collecting another church building offering. I think in a while, in another two or three years, you will see how much we have pushed forward this time.

In the future, there will even be voice to lead you in prayer, a robot-synthesized voice, you really won't be able to tell who it is. Very good, I myself am full of confidence in the future. I think if the Apostle Paul lived to this day, he would definitely do what I am doing, this is God's will. A church like ours is a very unique church. But traditional churches should be left behind by several blocks, several cities. We have completely moved from a traditional church to a new era, with a new theological system and various hardware and software architectures. Very good indeed, God's glory will fill the whole earth!

Raise your hands and pray, in the name of Jesus Christ! I want to be a person who builds God's glorious church. God! May you accept my offering, may you be with me, let me be a vessel to manifest your glory in this world. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Our Father in heaven, may your name be sanctified, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen!