Introduction

Good day to all, today we continue with the series The Words of the Preacher. What do the words of the Preacher have to do with me? It has a great deal to do with you. You must know that this is all wisdom. If you lack wisdom, it is difficult to live well; a person's entire life depends on wisdom. The righteous and the wise are in God's hands, which is the theme of Ecclesiastes chapter nine.

If the righteous and the wise are in God's hands, then who are the wicked and the foolish in the hands of? In the hands of the devil. So either your life is directed by God, or it is directed by the devil. Can something directed by the devil be good? You must carefully observe; have you understood this? Solomon understood upon seeing that the righteous and the wise are in God's hands.

In my life, though there has been love and hate, I have been protected by God throughout. And it's no ordinary protection; whatever bad things happen, God turns them into good. So my life has been filled with good things. Having lived so long, there are some things I still don't quite understand. Even today, I am still puzzled. Some things I don't understand are that people like to make trouble for themselves. They lack nothing, yet they create a lot of entanglement.

I have a friend who is nearing retirement age, a bit younger than me. Her life has been a complete soap opera. She got married after college, and her husband began having affairs as soon as they were married, leading to a divorce while she was pursuing her master's degree. Thankfully, there wasn't too much entanglement. Then, she remarried while studying for her doctorate, and later divorced again. The first husband had affairs, the second loved money like his life, not even giving her pocket money. What you earn is mine, and what I earn is still mine, one person earned money, the other spent it.

My goodness! How can one live like that? This is not like Taobao where you can return goods. How can you return this kind of thing? He holds your bank card and your bank account. Oh my, I wonder how there are such people in the world. Her husband is from a certain province, and since then, she has had an inexplicable hatred for that province. The moment that province is mentioned, she's got shadows. A few days ago, when I visited her again, she was still in a depression, not fully recovered.

I just find it incomprehensible; why is happiness so difficult? What happened? Marriage, hurting each other, and then divorce, oh heavens, a soap opera. Without wisdom, you can't live happily! Otherwise, living a life accompanied by the devil is doing a disservice to oneself.

I thank God that I found myself to be so wise. Don't think I am showing off after listening to this; I want you to obtain what I have obtained. The reason is simple: there is one amazing thing about my life—no one can take away the joy within me. Ever since I knew my Lord Jesus, it has been good.

So I read the Bible and then act according to it. I thank God that my life is in His hands. I hope that these next few decades will still be in God's hands. Understand clearly, this is an immeasurably good thing. You see, it's not easy for people to live joyfully; it's really not easy.

There is a sister who owed six hundred thousand and was distressed to the point of death. Others owe six hundred million and are not distressed to the point of death. They even appear on TV, telling stand-up comedy, and joke about owing six hundred million. Later, it was found that the six hundred million was paid back. After paying back six hundred million, they owed seven hundred million again. They are quite impressive.

You say that some people owe six hundred million and live well, plump and happy every day like immortals. They make those who lent them the money angry to the point of death. Restrictions on high consumption, we just enjoy low consumption. Anyway, if I can't have high consumption happiness, I'll have low consumption happiness; I'm happy too. Sitting in a coffee shop, a bowl of noodles for ten or twenty bucks, OK. Add some chili, pour some soy sauce, eating it is so delightful. Then, in the middle of summer, eating until covered in sweat, how great, truly wise.

Among us, there is a sister who owed three million. Later, I saw on her social media that she was living like an immortal. You wouldn't say I admired her. How wise, looking at her, it doesn't seem like she owes three million; she looks like someone who has three million in hand.

I looked and looked, and I found this world to be so interesting. This person believes in the Lord, and he owes money. Others don't believe, and they don't owe money; it's confusing. Later, I found that what the righteous and the wicked experience is not so different, and what the wise and the foolish experience is also not so different. Does it seem confusing?

You'll be even more confused when you look at Joseph. Later, many people didn't understand and said Joseph was cursed. All nonsense. The righteous/wise and the wicked/foolish experience more or less the same thing. But the lives of the righteous and wise are in God's hands, directed by God. What does the Bible say?

I applied my heart to know all this, to search out and examine all things that are done under heaven: God has given this vexatious occupation to the children of man to be busy with. (Ecclesiastes 9:1)

For example, Joseph, what did he do? His father just loved him, and his brothers just hated him. Whether it was love or hate, he didn't know and it was unprovoked. Then his brothers hated him so much that they gnashed their teeth, and he was happily going to visit his brothers wearing a colorful robe, not knowing they hated him so much that they gnashed their teeth. From a distance, they saw: Oh, this brat is coming, wearing a colorful robe.

Joseph also didn't know. Dad told me to visit you, Dad. Dad? That's your dad! That's not our dad! I found that people from Liaoning are very good; they call their own dad their “our dad”; this “our dad” means our shared dad. Others say Joseph is cursed, all nonsense. Among us, are there people call their dads our dad?

His brothers said, Whose dad? That's your dad, not my dad. As a result, his brothers hated him so much that they wanted to kill him, but he didn't know. Then he went happily to find his brothers, and his brothers wanted to kill him, eventually deciding to sell him to Egypt. Joseph was confused. He said, I came to visit you; what did I do to be sold to Egypt as a slave?

I tell you, luckily he had wisdom in his heart, knowing: My life is in God's hands. When Joseph was sold, his hands were tied, tied behind the camel, following the camel clattering. Actually, there was more than one slave, maybe there were other people, the two chatted well.

What happened to you? I was wearing a colorful robe, my dad loved me very much. My brothers were herding sheep, and my father was worried about them, so he sent me to see them, and they sold me here. Then another said, It's the same for me; my dad also sent me to see them, my dad also found a colorful robe for me, and my brothers also sold me, we're the same. The two of them were in the same graduating class like they were in college together, and the two fellows chatted well.

As a result, thirteen years later, Joseph graduated and became Prime Minister. Then this guy swiped his phone: Isn't this the guy who was tied behind the camel with me! We were in the same graduating class, but our fates are different. Some people owe debts and their fates are also different. Some are in God's hands, some are in the devil's hands. Why? Because Joseph believed that God was directing his life. The other hated his brothers and hated them till death, turning this slave's life into an urn.

Some people’s lives are directed by God; some people’s lives are directed by the devil; it's truly a soap opera. I ask you, is this drama, where Joseph is a slave and then goes to jail, a soap opera? It's a soap opera. His brothers sold him, isn't this a very soapy drama? Oh, in the end, it actually turned into a comedy; this ending is really good, isn't it? Comedy can evolve into a soap opera, and a soap opera can evolve into a comedy, all in a thought.

I must tell you today that since knowing the Lord Jesus, I have placed my life in His hands, and I have found that God directs well. Some people feel, What's so good about it? Of course it's good; there are no bad things in my life. Although many things in my life I don't understand, and I don't need to understand. I only need to understand one thing, and that is that my life must be in God's hands. Believe in God, and you will ultimately receive blessings and joy.

So, until today, I don't understand how those who don't have God live their lives. I will not live a life without God; I will only live a life with God, because a life with God is good. No matter what soapy script it is, it can be made into a comedy; people who watch are dumbfounded. So believing in God and receiving destiny, making serving God my destiny in life, will ultimately bring blessings and joy. There are many things we don't understand. Solomon gave an example, I will read it to you.

There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Then I said: Wisdom is better than might; nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. (Ecclesiastes 9:14-16)

You definitely shouldn't understand; how can this wise man be poor? And he saved that city with his wisdom, but the people in that city didn't remember that poor boy, and they still looked down on him, and no one listened to what he said, can’t understand it? Now I teach you to understand. This young man, a wise young man, he eats whatever he should eat, and drinks whatever he should drink, and is not affected. Do you comprehend this time? This is called wisdom.

If it were you who saved that city, you would have to run for office. If you are not elected, you will be sad if you are despised. How great is this boy because his heart is so big? No one cares, OK, is there a problem if no one cares? In those days we all ate organic food, those things would never have taken away his joy, and would not add any joy to him, what great wisdom.

If you saved the city, wouldn’t you have ran for the election already and want an official seat? What does it matter to me whether people listed or didn’t listen. Not listening cannot deprive the joy and if people listen, it cannot deprive the joy.

I am poor, so what? I don't need to be so rich; what do I need to be so rich for? I don't want to be famous either. As for whether he owes money, we don't know, this is very wise anyway. Confused? Not confused. I live in God's hands; this is God's work. Happy? Very happy. Nothing affects happiness. I ask you, how great is must it be to be in God's hands.

You see, a foolish person does something and feels very great, and then wants to run for an official position. If he is not elected, he is discouraged; if he is elected, he is triumphant, creating many soap opera stories. Later, he entered the Blue House, and coming out of the Blue House, he doesn't know where to go next. We can't distinguish whether this is an opportunity or a snare. And God's chosen people have a peace that passes all understanding.

This wise young man does not jump into it. God does not set a trap. I'm telling you, I don't want to be famous, I don't want to earn a lot of money, and I don't want to get an official position; I just want to live happily. I want to say: God, my life is in your hands, my whole life is in the hands of the Lord.

Opportunities and snares are often indistinguishable. If you are this young man, you feel that the opportunity has come, and this person feels the need for a screen. So the Bible says:

I returned and saw under the sun that— The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

Do you know what an opportunity is and what a snare is? An opportunity may become a snare, and a snare may look like an opportunity. Some people think it is an opportunity and grab it, owing six hundred thousand. Grab it again, owing three million. Grab it again, owing six hundred million. They are all the same graduating class.

Why do people live like this? Why do people have to make themselves uncomfortable? So I tell you, although our title is not great, it is very wise. The words of the preacher allow you to obtain the way of life, and let you know how to live wisely. Solomon studied this and found:

All things come alike to all. One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all; truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:2-3)

Turns out to be the same. Then there is one thing that is different and the God is in charge of the divine hand or if the God is in the devil's hand. Later, I noticed that when people are alive, aren't we alive? The dead cannot listen to my teaching, the dead can't brush their phones, and the dead cannot participate in Sunday service. We are alive, so what should the living do? Just eat your food happily, drink your wine happily, it becomes simple all of a sudden.

Potatoes and cabbage, eat happily. Fine wine and delicacies can also be eaten happily. Without fine wine and delicacies, just eating potatoes and cabbage is fine. They were organic when we were little. Can lacking delicacies deprive us of joy? No. Having more delicacies will not add more joy. Drink your wine with joy in your heart. As for whether it is Maotai or Erguotou, whether it is real Maotai or fake Maotai, or Erguotou, three-pot-head, it doesn't affect my joy. Because God has accepted our deeds.

Believe in God, and God is in charge of your life. If you don't believe in God, the devil is in charge of your life. The God of Mingding Destiny or the destiny of the destiny in Chinese Mingding Destiny, with a Mingding Destiny theology with God must direct your life, becoming a wonderful life. But some people don't believe. So when we leave the world, there is no need to be entangled. My life has been a happy one, not entangled in this or that.

I have finished the road I should walk, I have won the battle I should fight, and I have kept the way I should keep. In the empty days under the sun, I have lived happily all my life, I am contented, this is the moment to pass away peacefully. I think how important it is to live. Living, living, living, some people die, and some people live, live, live and pass away peacefully, returning completely to tranquility, very complete.

In the days on earth, I have happily eaten my meals, I have drunk my wine with joy in my heart, I have happily done my work in this empty world, it's all over, I have attained the Tao, and ascended to heaven, how good! God is the God of the living. Believe in God when you are alive, let God direct our lives, no matter how dramatic the script, we can still perform a comedic result. That kind of person is a comedic actor, how good! Read today's scripture, the first verse of Ecclesiastes chapter nine.

Scripture

For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. (Ecclesiastes 9:1)

Prayer

God, today I place my life in your hands. No matter what, I must be a person who trusts in you, and I must revere you. My life is in your hands. May you create a wonderful script for me, so that I can live out your glory, and please you all my life.

Have mercy on me, let nothing deprive me of the joy in my heart. Let me be able to spend my days happily on earth, and let me be a people after your own heart, gaining wisdom and understanding. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Background of Scripture

Many people feel Solomon's life was too good. I ask, why do you think Solomon's life was good? The three thousand concubines, is that really good? If you have that heart, you may not have that physical strength. Solomon only realized that people have to die when he was old, so he summarized the book of Ecclesiastes. He only understood when he wrote Ecclesiastes, after suffering a lot of sin. You think it's good, but he may not think it's good.

So later scriptures all said to imitate his ancestor David. No one says to imitate Solomon; they all imitate his ancestor David. David had so much wisdom. Although David did not write Ecclesiastes, David lived out the feeling of Ecclesiastes.

Solomon only summarized when he was old that the righteous and the wicked are the same. Have you heard me say that everyone is the same? Wealthy and not wealthy, you cannot use this to judge whether he is a righteous person or a sinner. You cannot use his money or his career to judge; because is very hard to judge.

Some people say: “Teacher, didn’t you say that poverty is definitely not good?” This poverty, financial lack, I can tell you, is definitely not good. We must say, this wealthy or not cannot be determined, but healthy or not can be judged. This is why Jesus came to earth, healed these patients, healed diseases, and cast out demons.

We should know how the righteous die, so do the wicked. Like Paul being beheaded, Jesus being crucified. We must know that being wealthy or not is about whether our hearts are wealthy or not. This is the heart on a Mingding Destiny theology with the righteous and the wise are in God's hands, but the wicked and those foolish people are in the hands of the devil, and you cannot understand what they experience.

But there is something you can understand: Solomon summarized that when you are alive, live joyfully. You see those who live their lives very entangled, it's bad, it must be the devil directing as a way to undermine their Mingding Destiny, with is not in the Chinese Mingding Destiny theolgy. See those people who are all of a sudden, and the are so much like ordinary people, but they are full of joy and live happily.

So I tell you, how can there be wisdom if you are not joyful when you are alive? When you are alive, you must have the wisdom of living. Being joyful when alive can only happen when you entrust yourself to God's hands. Joseph was sold to Egypt, and others in the same class went to be slaves. It's a lie to say that Joseph and his Mingding Destiny were not also sad, but he said: God made me forget all the pain. He named his first son Manasseh, meaning God has made me forget the pain.

How does God make him forget? When he thinks that God is directing it, he does not feel pain. But when he thinks that he is truly unlucky, he feels pain. If he thinks that God is directing it, then there is hope that God will write his script into a comedy ending. Do you know how many things in the world can deprive us of joy? Solomon wrote it this way:

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

What is this about? It is about how people often see something as an opportunity and then exhaust all their strength to run, tiring themselves out, only to fail to seize the opportunity. Later, they use all their strength to fight, but they are defeated again. Then he says that having a lot of wisdom does not necessarily bring food—it is all for nothing. Being intelligent does not necessarily bring wealth, and being clever does not necessarily bring joy. In other words, it has nothing to do with your efforts; do not bother trying too hard.

When did you see Joseph, as the Prime Minister of Egypt, or Daniel, as the Prime Minister of Babylon, living every day thinking, Oh, I still have a lot of work to do; this project has not been completed yet. What should I do? What should I do? They did not have that neurotic look, did they? Oh, what if the emperor does not like me? Oh, what if someone wants to snatch my seat? Oh, what should I do? I must fight with them, engage in intrigue, and play a perfect palace drama.

They did not do that. They happily ate their food and joyfully drank their wine. They did as much work as they could and did it well, and that was it, because it was in God's hands. So you must know that your love and your hatred will both pass away and are meaningless. If you love something to the point of losing your joy, or hate something to the point of losing your joy, many of us are like that. When you see that your child is not doing well in school, you become so entangled that your child ruins half of your life.

Recently, one of our brothers has been interacting with me quite frequently. Why? Because his son started showing intellectual and learning disabilities in the first, second, and third grades of elementary school. When it was time to take the high school entrance exam, he prayed, God, please let my son not pass the high school entrance exam. As a result, he did not pass the high school entrance exam, and he graduated, having completed his nine years of compulsory education. This way, he does not have to go to high school, does not have to spend money, and does not have to be sent to the United States to study at university.

Then he took his son to do renovations. After some renovations to their house, he filmed a few videos. When I saw them, I thought, This young man is not bad. Originally, this young man was a source of worry for their family, but now this young man has brought him a lot of joy. Sometimes, you love your son too deeply, which results in entanglement. Some people hate their sons for not living up to their expectations, hating them very sincerely, but in the end, it all vanishes.

But I tell you, these things cannot rob you of your joy. Whether people love you or hate you, you can have joy. Whether you love others or hate others, you can have joy. Someone asks, How can you have joy when you hate others? Then do not hate them. So it is important to live joyfully, and only wise people can find it. Later, Solomon wrote another passage, which I mentioned earlier:

There was a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heard. (Ecclesiastes 9:14-16)

Even if you experience such things, you must still hold on to wisdom. Nothing can deprive us of the joy within us. This wise young man still happily eats his food, joyfully drinks his wine, and honestly does his work in his heart. His life is in God's hands. I tell you, his future will definitely not be trapped by snares, and he will not be like a fish caught in a net or a bird caught in a snare. Today, when we look back ten years, do you still think that HNA was great or Evergrande was great?

Why can't you understand what Solomon concluded? Because your views are different from Solomon's views. But today, the opportunities of ten years ago have become today's snares, and the opportunities of three years ago have become today's snares. Why do people jump into snares? Why ruin a good life?

This is what Solomon said: righteous people and wise people and their deeds are all in God’s hands. Unless you have this wisdom. So I tell you, you cannot believe in Jesus if you are not a clever person. So Solomon often talked about death, just like I do. Solomon often says that you live and then you die; you live and then you die. You must keep this in mind.

Death is the End of Everyone

If you do not understand that death is the end of everyone, you cannot have wisdom, because all of this is the end of everyone. Your love and your hatred will both vanish into the blue sky. People cannot know what they experience. You cannot know when you will be born and when you will die. No matter what, you must know that death is the end of everyone. In this world, people always want to live a little longer, but they often become evil people because of this.

There was a couple in Shanghai. Suddenly, the husband got cancer, and this became a problem because it required a lot of money. The husband said, Sell the house to pay for my treatment. The wife said, If you sell the house, how will we live? They both wanted to live. When people think about living, they become unwise. When people think about death being the end of everyone, they should know these things and not get entangled. There is a time to be born and a time to die. You will not live longer by selling your house. People who want to live will become evil people.

This couple was entangled, one with cancer and the other without, because of this house. One wanted to live, and the other wanted him to die quickly, thinking, Why should we spend all our money on your treatment? How will we live? Why should we go bankrupt for you? The things in this world are very interesting.

There were also two old people who lived together, agreeing that if I got sick, you would take care of me, and if you got sick, I would take care of you. But one day, when one of them really got sick, the healthy person left. People are not here to take care of you for nothing; they ran away. So if people cannot see through the word death while they are alive, it is a problem.

I have made a decision: once I become a worthless person who cannot bless anyone, I will choose Nirvana. He said, Are you going to commit suicide? No, we call it Nirvana. I will fast and pray. I am not fasting like those great monks do. I will fast and pray for eighty days, and I will reach Nirvana. If I am cremated, maybe there will be a relic. So love and hate are meaningless. Do not be disturbed by these things. If you are still disturbed by these things, it is a problem. In the end, it is all death.

Be Happy While You Are Alive

Be happy while you are alive, and keep that in mind. No matter what, be happy while you are alive. Can you be happy without wisdom? You cannot be happy without wisdom. Why am I happy? Why do I live happily? Because I have seen through living. I understand it. I understood it when I was young.

When I was young, when I was studying, my mom would say, Child, stop studying. Do not wear yourself out. Then my classmates' parents would ask my mom, How do you train your child? My mom would say, My child studies until midnight, with a small lamp on. I tell him to stop studying and not to wear himself out. The other parents were so angry. They said, I have to force my child to study every day.

Why? Since I am a student, why shouldn't I study happily? Whether I study happily or study with entanglement, it is still studying. So why shouldn't I study happily? Do not say that living is a joy. I have maintained this belief from a young age until old age. Whatever I do, I do it happily. Anyway, in the end, I will kick my legs, close my eyes, and this life of mine will be a happy life.

Being bullied, OK, it is normal to be bullied. Being taken advantage of, it is normal to be taken advantage of. Suffering losses, it is normal to suffer losses. But they cannot take away my happiness. You cannot earn this from me. Failing an exam, so what if I failed an exam? I am still happy. Getting first place is very happy, and getting last place is also quite happy. You say, Really? I am not joking.

Being happy while you are alive is a wisdom. Working, do it well. Eating and drinking, do it well. Some people see me eating that radish and say, Why do you eat it so deliciously? Eating that cabbage, Why do you eat it so deliciously? I only eat cabbage, boiled cabbage, but it cannot rob me of my joy. I have finally come into this world.

You must have this wisdom. Since I believed in the Lord, I have finally found my God. It is not that I found God, but that God may have been waiting for me there for a long time. I found Him, and I trust Him. I want to dedicate my life to His hands, so that I can live out wisdom in my life. Very good. Do you understand?

A person should know how wonderful it is to live for God. A person who lives for himself will definitely be in pain. Later, when I observed the things in this world, I suddenly realized that selfish people are very painful. Selfish people are very painful when they cannot get what they want, and they are not happy even when they get it. So, a person cannot be a selfish person in this life.

I thought to myself that I would give out, keep giving until the end of my life. Some people say that Nirvana is a Buddhist term. I do not care. I happily take a term and use it as long as it can express my meaning. That is, while you are alive, give out your whole life. I also hope that the brothers and sisters can know how wonderful this choice is.

Do not get a body full of illnesses. It is said that it is better to be without money than to be sick. But today I will change it for you. It is better to be without anything than to be without joy. You must have joy! How can you have joy without God? Give yourself to God today. It is better to be without anything than to be without joy. It is better to have anything than to have a ghost. Someone typed very well, Your words are well written. It is better to have anything than to have a ghost. It is better to be without anything than to be without God. Yes, that is the meaning.

Fear God

Let your clothes always be white, and your head never lack oil. (Ecclesiastes 9:8)

Fear God and keep your clothes always white. What does this mean? Live in holiness. Once a person wants to live, he will become an evil person. If you become an evil person, you will become a selfish person, wanting to live for yourself, but you cannot prolong your life for even a moment. So you must fear God. What does it mean? It means that I must keep my clothes always white, let the precious blood of Jesus wash away my transgressions, and no longer live in sin.

As long as a person is dead to this world in this world and this world is also dead to him, it is no longer I who live, but Jesus Christ who lives in me. Now I have resurrection life! Living, no longer living by the flesh, no longer being greedy for life and afraid of death, how can I sin? Why do I sin when I have nothing to do? Why do I sin? It is because I always want to live for myself.

Your head must not lack oil. What does oil mean? It is your destiny. For example, David, the oil was poured on his head to do what? To give you a destiny. You must manage the people of Israel, and you must become the king of Israel. It does not mean that after you are anointed, you will eat and drink well. It means you will be given a management role . So our brothers and sisters must obtain destiny, that is, your head must not lack oil. With destiny, you will know what people are living for.

Do not be overly righteous either. What is overly righteous? If God makes something crooked, why do you have to straighten it? We must fear God. However God arranges things, we will follow God’s words. You see, some people are cursed and live miserably, and then you have to turn them around, but you cannot turn them around unless you lead them to God.

Opportunities and Snares Cannot Take Away Your Joy

Do you not want to live happily? Opportunities and snares cannot take away your joy because you are in God’s hands. We often feel that opportunities are very important. I often see this kind of person. 5G is coming, and this is an opportunity. Big data is an opportunity. Artificial intelligence AI is an opportunity. They are very busy. Every opportunity, Wow, I want to do it, I want to go public. Before they go public, they fall. I say, What do you want to do by going public? If I do not go public, how can I deceive shareholders? How can I get the money from the shareholders' hands into my hands?

You think you can get it in your hands by going public? After you go public, there is still supervision. You think you can fool the regulators? They are very bad. They do not want to go public. They want to get other people’s money into their own pockets. As a result, they make themselves very unhappy. Doing this puts themselves in a snare.

Opportunities and bait are often indistinguishable. You see the fish swimming in the sea, Oh? Such delicious food. Snap, a bite, that is the hook set by people. As a result, with a snap, they are caught and put on the table the next day. So you have to be careful about opportunities and bait. In fact, I am very careful. You have to be careful about fame and fortune.

Why do these opportunities and snares take away our joy? Because we think that our efforts will seize opportunities, but that is not the case. In fact, you have to fear God and trust God. Then you happily do your work, and if God gives you an opportunity, you accept it. If God does not give it to you, then forget it. Do not force yourself to get something. You will not be happy even if you get it.

Be a Broad-Minded Person

People are too narrow-minded. They do something and then think that they have made a great contribution, but no one praises them, so they go home and feel sad. Is there anyone like that? So it is difficult for a person to have this wisdom and this broad mind. Why does an ignorant person often live in an entangled state? Because his mind is like a peanut and his brain is like a walnut.

Some people say, Teacher, you are scolding people. Why do you say that my mind is like a peanut and my brain is like a walnut? I said, I am not talking about you. I am talking about those people. You said, You are talking about me. Oh, if there is any similarity, it is purely coincidental. Since you said that, I have to admit my mistake. To what extent is their mind narrow? Their mind is so narrow that they have no joy.

Some people often like to do trivial things, and then I do not appreciate them. When I do not appreciate them, they become entangled and feel sad: Look at the great contribution I have made. I say, No matter how great your contribution is, it is not as great as mine. I often tell people, There are not many things that I can appreciate.

How did this happen? There was a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded the city. There was a poor but wise man in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. This guy is amazing! What does Solomon say about this kind of thing?

I have seen another thing under the sun, and it struck me as profound. (Ecclesiastes 9:13)

Until today, when I shared this passage with several people, they all did not understand what this passage was about. Can you understand it now? This wise young man did not take it seriously. He still happily ate his food and joyfully drank his wine. Although he ate potatoes and cabbage, there was no Manchu Han Imperial Feast or delicacies, but he ate happily. Although he could not afford Maotai or Wuliangye, he drank Erguotou, but he ate and drank with joy.

He did not care about this matter. If you can appreciate it, appreciate it. If you cannot appreciate it, then forget it. So he was not so narrow-minded. There was a wisdom in his heart, which Solomon thought was a great wisdom: no one can take away my joy! Do you understand? It does not matter what choices you make and how you see me.

Just like you see me speaking so well and Dao. Alas, the number of clicks on YouTube is always not going up. I said, Oh, can you please ask these friends on YouTube to help me post it more often and do some publicity? I hope to bless more people. Sometimes I see that the number of clicks is always not going up. My colleagues come to comfort me: Teacher, your traffic is all on our website. That’s right, the traffic on our website is high.

Sometimes I listen to those on YouTube with two or three hundred thousand clicks, one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand. After listening, I do not know what they are talking about. Maybe I am not good, but I do not think they speak as well as I do. Why are there two hundred thousand clicks? Alas, I feel sad. No, no, no, I have to be broad-minded. I have to be open-minded. One click cannot take away my joy. If you can appreciate it, appreciate it. If you cannot appreciate it, then forget it.

Do you understand? Life goes on as usual. Still happily eat my food, joyfully drink my wine, and happily do my work. Thank God, I think this is called wisdom. So our brothers and sisters must put ourselves in God’s hands and let God direct our lives to become a wonderful story. There are angels in heaven cheering for us and giving us likes. There are angels as our cheerleaders.

Every time we live happily on this earth, every time we overcome these temptations on this earth, and every time we can identify those snares, we can see angels applauding for us in heaven, and even our Lord Jesus will be glorified because of us. In this world, there is one more person like Jesus, and one more person like Paul.

You and I are beginning to put ourselves in God’s hands and become people with destiny, so that we do not live this life in vain. Put yourselves in God’s hands. Trusting God is a righteous person. A person with faith is a righteous person. Fearing God is wisdom. Fearing God is a wise person, so righteous people and wise people are all in God’s hands.

May God bless everyone! Amen!