God says: “You are all bustling and rushing about for the sake of your destinies. Who has the desire to know God’s substance? If you go on like this, you will all unconsciously commit offenses against the administrative decrees, because you know too little about God’s nature. Then isn’t what you are doing now laying a foundation for your offending God’s nature?” In the past, I didn’t quite understand these words of God. Only after experiencing them have I understood their real meaning. At the same time, I deeply feel that I can follow God up to today altogether because of the keeping of God’s judgment and chastisement.

In October 1998, my family sister (my wife) and I had the happiness of accepting the end-time work of Almighty God. When I heard that God’s work would end at the end of 1999, with selfish motives we dragged our two sons into the church against their will. We thought that our whole family would thus be able to enter into the kingdom and enjoy the eternal blessings when the day of God arrived. However, at the end of 1999, the work of God didn’t end as we had imagined, and a piece of fellowship from above said: “The chosen people of China need to undergo a seven-year trial.” So our pleasant dream of gaining blessings then was shattered all at once by the wonderful and wise work of God. For this reason, my two sons didn’t believe anymore. My family sister (my wife) even poured out a stream of complaints against God, and said negative words to frustrate and disturb the church life, making brothers and sisters unable to eat and drink God’s word normally. I also prepared to give up God’s commission and leave God. I thought, “There are seven more years to go through. When will be the end? My two sons are so grown-up and I have to earn some money to build houses for them to get married. If they fail to have girlfriends because of my belief in God, then won’t I have failed in my duty as a father?” Just when we were about to depart from God, God’s chastisement came upon my family—my elder son got killed on the spot in a traffic accident in Xiao County. The news was like a bolt from the blue to me. Anguish, grief filled my head. But I immediately realized that it was the evil consequence of our sinning against God and offending his nature. Because our belief in God was mixed with our own intents and motives, we forsook God and even frustrated and disturbed the work of God when our desires of gaining blessings hadn’t been satisfied. And I always put my love for my children above the truth. How could this not be loathed by God? Facing the chastisement of God, we were completely awakened and realized that God’s righteous and majestic nature really doesn’t tolerate anyone’s offense. At the same time, we deeply felt that in God’s wrath there was God’s love, for God has long since told us: “God will not let off any rebel who runs away from his sight. Such people will receive a severer punishment.” God’s word is the expression of his nature and the expression of his substance, but we had turned a deaf ear to his word and had no fear of God. Eventually, we received his punishment.

From this matter, I have seen that man’s life, death, misfortune, and happiness are all in God’s hand and man has no way to control himself. The chastisement of God is a great salvation for us. Although one of my sons has died, we three have been saved. If the chastisement of God hadn’t come upon us, our whole family would never wake up, and in the end, we would receive an even heavier punishment from God. It is God who has regained us from satan’s hand and pulled us back from the verge of death. From this, I have also realized that no matter what God does, he is to love man and save man. From now on, I will no longer expend myself with expectation for God’s day to come, nor will I plan and prepare for the future and destiny of my flesh. I will fulfill my duty as a created being and devote my lifetime energy to repaying God. No matter what God does, I will follow him to the end without turning back.

Mamu

Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province