Devotions on Encouragement | Break Free From Life's Worries | Get Closer to God Every Day
Why is life so full of suffering? How can we cast off pain and find true happiness?
Here are the answers. Read now to learn how to approach God and escape worries and pain.

Xiaonan, as you know, before I believed in God, I also regarded such axioms and fallacies as “One’s destiny is in his own hand” and “Distinguishing oneself and bringing honor to his ancestors” as true sayings, and I always wanted to make a lot of money through my own efforts, live life at the top and make others look up to me, and I believed that I would have joy and happiness once I had achieved these things. After I got married, my husband and I borrowed money to start a business, but contrary to our expectations, we lost money time and time again. I wasn’t willing to admit defeat, so I began to listen to lectures given by successful people, and I got into direct selling and I sold insurance. I hoped that, by working hard, I would be numbered amongst the successful, but in the end, after many years of ups and downs, it still all ended in failure. When I saw that this was the outcome of all my hard work, I couldn’t bear the blow and I lived in suffering. I lost all hope in life and felt as though my life had ended. What was the point in living if I couldn’t stand out from the crowd? And so, I contemplated suicide as a way to bring it all to an end. Only when I began to believe in God and had read God’s words did I finally become aware that all my suffering was because I was living by the wrong views of Satan, because I was always trying to change my fate through my own efforts, and because I was constantly vying with the sovereignty of God. Actually, when God created humankind, He prepared everything we would need to live, and all we have to do to be able to maintain our lives is to work a normal amount. In this way, we then have more time to believe in and worship God, and so live before God and receive His care and protection. I didn’t comprehend God’s love, however, and I didn’t understand His good intentions. Impelled by my wild ambitions and desires, I always wanted to fight against my fate and seek to live life at the top, but all that brought me was pain. Once I’d understood these things, I finally saw how deeply corrupted by Satan I was and that everything I was pursuing ran completely against God’s intentions when He created man. At the same time, I also came to understand that only by believing in God and by submitting to God’s orchestrations and arrangements can we human beings rid ourselves of the shackles and harm of Satan, and live relaxed, happy lives.

Later, I often attended gatherings with my brothers and sisters to read God’s words and to fellowship about our own experiences and understanding. I then began to actively preach the gospel, to spread God’s salvation to those still living in suffering, struggling in pain and unable to find their way, so that they, too, might come before God and accept His salvation. Now, although I don’t have much money and I don’t have many material pleasures, because I have been chosen by God to come before Him and I enjoy God’s words every day, because I can search for the truth and seek the path of practice in God’s words whenever I encounter an issue or a difficulty, and many of my issues have been resolved in this way, my spirit feels filled with peace and joy. This sense of peace and stability that comes from the deepest recesses of my spirit cannot be bought by any money. By experiencing God’s work over these last few years, I have come to understand some truths, and I see clearly the emptiness of fame, gain and status. Do those high officials, wealthy people and celebrities who possess prestigious status and are worth millions really live happy and joyful lives? Why do so many high officials, wealthy people and celebrities choose to kill themselves to bring their lives to an end? The facts are clear: No matter how high our status is or how much money we have, these things can only give us temporary physical enjoyment, but they can never fill the void in our spirits. With just these things, our lives will be completely devoid of meaning or worth, and we will be unable to obtain true happiness and joy. God’s words say, “Man, after all, is man. The position and life of God cannot be replaced by any man. Mankind does not just require a fair society in which everyone is well-fed and is equal and free, but the salvation of God and His provision of life to them” (“God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind”). Only by believing in God and following God, by understanding the truth and knowing God through His words, by discerning and rejecting wrong views and by submitting to God’s sovereignty and arrangements can we experience true peace and joy and live happy lives. Ever since I began to believe in God, I feel like I’ve lived an enriched and meaningful life every day, and my heart feels ever more liberated and free!

Xiaonan, if you can also believe in God, come before God and accept the guidance of God’s words, learn to rely on God and obey God, and live under His care and protection, then I believe that you, too, will surely obtain this peace and joy in your spirit. Because true peace and joy come from God, only by coming before God can we enjoy peace and stability in our spirits. My understanding of the truth is still very limited and there are many things I cannot explain. Only by believing in God yourself and learning through your own experiences will you be able to appreciate what true happiness, true joy and true peace are. Finally, I just want to tell you this: Only by believing in God, understanding the truth and knowing God will we be able to find true happiness!

Lots of love,

Li Rui

April 1, 2018

Source From: Why Is Life So Full of Suffering? Can Faith in God Really Bring Me Happiness?

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