The New Year by the sacred calendar has begun amidst Heavenly Father and Mother’s blessings. Taking a look back at the traces of the gospel for the past one year, I found something in common among the churches that obtained good results; although they were in unfavorable circumstances, they moved God with the mindset and actions deserving of God’s blessings.

Without God’s blessings, we cannot even take a step forward for the gospel. It’s because the work of salvation can only be achieved by Heavenly Father and Mother who are the source of all blessings; nothing can be done without Them. I’m sure that this year will also be a wonderful year for us under the blessings of Heavenly Mother. Now, let us take time to think about what we should do to receive God’s overflowing blessings.

Blessings come from obedience

Recently, many meaningful things happened to the Church of God; our church received the honorable and prestigious awards successively and was also invited by the UN to attend a conference. All these wonderful things happened according to God’s promise to give blessings to those who obey His word.

Dt 28:1–10 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The L ORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The L ORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The L ORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The L ORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you.

The Bible has prophesied that if we carefully follow all of God’s commands, God will set us high above all the nations of the earth, and that God’s overflowing blessings will come upon us if we obey God’s word. God has given this convincing promise about the great glory that will come upon the blessed people.

According to this promise, God’s abundant blessings have come upon those who obey His word, throughout all ages. Living in the age of the Holy Spirit, we are also witnessing this promise being fulfilled completely. God is setting us high above all the nations of the world. He has given the great glory, which we cannot get by ourselves or receive from anyone else, only to His children who obey His word. All these gracious things have been achieved through God’s blessings.

Apart from the will of God

Over a decade ago, scientists completed a detailed human genetic map by analyzing DNA sequences, saying they would be able to cure previously incurable diseases and also create artificial life—even humans with their abilities, and this became a big issue among people around the world. To those people, God says: “I created man from the dust of the ground, but you say you’ll make humans. Then, create them with your own dust, not Mine.” Everything we use belongs to God; we must not regard God’s things as our own, nor must we mistakenly think that we’ve done something ourselves. We are living on all things that God created. Without air made by God, we cannot breathe even for a second; without water we cannot survive for more than a few days; without sunlight that God gives us lavishly, no life on earth can exist. God created everything for us to live; it is not because we have great abilities that we are able to exist.

Apart from God we can do nothing. Although we set up great goals, we cannot achieve them unless God is with us and helps us.

Ps 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Without God’s help, everything is in vain. Unless God builds the house, its builders labor in vain; it will collapse like a sandcastle. Unless God watches over the city, it will fall to the enemy no matter how many watchmen guard it. It is because the fate of the house and the city does not depend on how strong the house is and how many soldiers the city has, but on whether or not God is with them.

God’s help is absolutely necessary for us to achieve our goals for the gospel. If we produce no fruit although we make plans and work hard, let’s think about whether or not God is with us and works with our plans. We should only think about God and carry out our plans according to the will of God, not insisting on our own way or following our own desires. Then God will surely give us results accordingly.

Mt 10:28–29 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.”

God’s providence encompasses even small and insignificant creatures like sparrows. Everything depends only on God. Keeping this fact in mind, let us not rely on our own methods but earnestly ask God for blessings when there seems to be no way for the gospel work to progress and we don’t know what to do. In our life of faith, we should not only look at the visible earthly world, but always think about the invisible heavenly world.

The blessed people

Only when we receive blessings from God can we fulfill all our plans for the gospel and preach the good news to all people according to the prophecies of the Bible. What kind of efforts should we put forth to receive God’s blessings? In order to receive blessings from God, we must have faith and action deserving of the blessings.

Ps 1:1–6 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 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. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Blessed are the people who do not practice lawlessness by walking in the counsel of the wicked and standing in the way of sinners. They do not sit in the seat of mockers, but serve the wounded souls, comfort them and take good care of them with Mother’s heart. They also take delight in observing all of God’s laws. As they follow the will of God by making their hearts and thoughts the same as God’s, all their plans and goals cannot help but be fulfilled successfully.

In the videos introducing the activities of our churches worldwide that have obtained the good results of the gospel, we can see the members smile all the time, even when they are in difficult situations. Seeing them, I can feel their determination to obey what Mother said: “Work for the gospel with a smiling face and loving heart.” They’ve been able to produce abundant results because they have the heart of the blessed, just as the Bible says. God says, “A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7). If we sow apple seeds, we will get apple trees, and if we sow cabbage seeds, we will reap cabbage. This is the providence of nature created by God. Likewise, if we sow the seed of the gospel with a sincere heart, it will produce good results.

There is no unearned income for the gospel; nothing can be achieved without effort. Unless we work hard, we can bear no fruit. Bearing abundant fruit requires much effort and passion.

What we should do according to God’s will

Jesus has also clearly taught us that the gospel work cannot be achieved according to man’s will, but only in accordance with God’s will.

Jn 19:8–11 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Pilate the governor thought he had power over Jesus. As Pilate was unaware of the spiritual world and only looked at the visible world, Jesus awakened him by saying that he would have no power over Him if it were not given to him from God. Jesus helped him realize that everything happens according to God’s will, not man’s will.

Jn 3:1–3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He recognized Jesus’ inherent divine nature through His works and came to Him. It’s because he realized that everything Jesus did was something impossible to achieve without God.

If God is with us, He lives in us and works through us. Then people in the world will also be able to feel God through us, just as Nicodemus recognized the inherent deity of Jesus. Let us display God’s glory all over the world by putting God’s will into action, through gentle words that build others up and with humble and polite attitudes.

One person’s mindset is very important. The right mindset of one person who resembles God can change the whole world for the better, and the wrong mindset of one person who goes against God’s will can corrupt the whole world. If one of us wakes up, all Zions around the world will wake up, and if every Zion wakes up, the work of world evangelism will be accomplished soon. As the children of heaven, let us always focus on God’s plans rather than ours and think about what God wants us to do rather than what we want to do, so we can carry out the gospel work while walking with God all the time.

“My Father is always at his work to this very day”

God has entrusted us with the mission of preaching the gospel. Christ, who reigns over all people and has all authority in heaven and earth, told us to “go and make disciples of all nations and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Jn 17:2; Mt 28:18–20). However, it is not only we who are doing this work.

Jn 5:17 Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” We are never alone when we are walking the path of the gospel. Even at this moment, Heavenly Father and Mother are working for our salvation. We also have so many brothers and sisters who are working in unity to accomplish the gospel work.

God’s work takes place when we have the mindset of faith to fully follow the will of Heavenly Father and Mother in any and every circumstance. If we think about God’s sacrifice and work hard, instead of blaming external conditions and circumstances, then God will look at our hearts and give us blessings.

Satan creates many problems that can make us disobey God’s will and fail to receive God’s blessings. We must not be caught in the cunning schemes of Satan. God is still working in heaven to give His children blessings. If God’s children on this earth do not carry out God’s will, the blessings God has prepared for His children will be withdrawn from them.

Let us strive to preach the gospel, thinking about Heavenly Father and Mother who are still working hard for the salvation of our souls. As those who have been called earlier, let us always serve our brothers and sisters joyfully and set a good example of faith according to God’s will. By doing so, let us lead them all, even those who have not yet fully understood the truth, to the path of blessings so that they can follow God’s voice. This is what God wants us to do as the blessed people.

The Bible testifies that many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is God’s purpose that prevails (Ps 19:21). Even if there are many intelligent people gathered together, they can do nothing unless God allows them to. The gospel of the kingdom of heaven cannot be accomplished according to human plans, but only through the wisdom of God who manages the whole universe.

Now, more than ever, we need the blessings of Heavenly Father and Mother. When we receive God’s blessings, we can fulfill the mission of preaching to seven billion people. Let us make every effort to follow the teachings of God so that all the prophecies can be fulfilled according to God’s will. I would like to ask you again to give thanks to Heavenly Father and Mother for always leading us along the path to heaven, not blaming us although we are lacking in many ways, so you can all be born again as the blessed people and participate in God’s great work of the gospel.