(II) God Is the Source of Life for All Things

Having discussed thus far, do you feel that you have a partial understanding of the connotation of the phrase “God Is the Source of Life for All Things”? (Yes.) I knew that when I discussed this topic many people would immediately think of how God is truth and how His word provides for us, but they would only think of it on this level. Some would even feel that God’s providing for human life, providing daily food and drink and all daily necessities doesn’t count as providing for man. Do some people feel this way? (Yes.) Isn’t God’s intent very clear in how He created everything so that mankind may exist and live normally? God maintains the environment in which people live and He provides all of the things this mankind needs. Furthermore, He manages and holds dominion over all things. All of this allows mankind to live normally and thrive normally; it is in this way that God provides for all things and for mankind. Do people need to recognize and understand these things? (Yes.) Perhaps some may say, “This topic is too distant from our knowledge of the true God Himself, and we don’t want to know this because man cannot live by bread alone, but instead lives by the word of God.” Is this correct? (No.) What’s wrong here? Can you have a complete understanding of God if you only know the things God has said? If you only accept His work and His judgment and chastisement, will you have a complete understanding of God? If you only know a small part of God’s disposition, a small part of God’s authority, that’s enough to achieve an understanding of God, right? (No.) Why is that? (It is too one-sided, because our knowledge is hollow. But in each of God’s work combined with the living and non-living things like the mountains and streams, lakes, seeds, the sunlight, and rain that we see, view, and experience, we obtain a practical understanding of God. As our understanding awakens as children we begin to see these things and feel that they are real.) God’s actions begin with His creation of the universe and they continue today where His actions are apparent at all times and at every moment. If people believe God exists just because He has chosen some people upon whom He does His work to save those people, and if they believe that other things do not involve God, His authority, His status, and His actions, can that be considered truly knowing God? People who have such a so-called knowledge of God—which is based on a one-sided view that God is limited to just a group of people—are shortsighted. Is this a true knowledge of God? Aren’t people with this kind of knowledge of God denying His creation of all things and His dominion over them? Some people do not wish to acknowledge this, and they may think to themselves: “I don’t see God’s dominion over all things, it’s something too distant from me and I don’t want to understand it. God does whatever He wants and it has nothing to do with me. I only concern myself with accepting God’s leadership and His word and I’ll be made perfect and I’ll be saved by God. I’ll just pay attention to these things, but I won’t try to understand anything else or give it any thought. Whatever rules God made when He created all things or whatever God does to provide for them and for mankind has nothing to do with me.” What is this kind of talk? Isn’t this utterly disgraceful? Are there any among you who think like this? I know that there are a great majority who do think this way even if you won’t say so. This type of by-the-book person may use their own so-called spiritual standpoint in how they view everything. They want to limit God to the Bible, limit God by the words He has spoken, and limit God to just the literal written word. They do not wish to know more about God and they do not want God to pay more attention in doing other things. This type of thinking is childish and very dogmatic. Can people who hold these views know God? They would have a hard time knowing God. Today I have told these two stories and talked about these two aspects. Having just heard them and having just come into contact with them, you might feel that they are profound or even a bit abstract and difficult to comprehend and understand. It might be even harder to connect them with God’s actions and God Himself. However, all of God’s actions and all He has done among all things and among all of mankind should be clearly and accurately known by each and every person and by everyone who seeks to know God. This knowledge will give you confirmation of and faith in the true existence of God. It will also give you accurate knowledge of God’s wisdom, His power, and how He provides for all things. It will allow you to clearly conceive God’s true existence and see that it is not fictional, and not a myth. This allows you to see that it is not vague, and not just a theory, and that God is certainly not just a spiritual sustenance, but He truly exists. Furthermore it allows you to know Him as God in the way He has always provided for all things and for mankind; He does this in His own way and in accordance with His own rhythm. So we can say that it is because God created all things and He gave them rules that by His command they each perform their allotted tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, and play the role that was bestowed upon each of them. All things fulfill their own role for mankind, and do this in the space, the environment where people live. If God did not do things this way and mankind’s environment was not as it is, people’s belief in God or their following of Him—none of it would be possible; it would merely be empty talk, isn’t this correct?

Let’s take another look at this story we just heard. In regard to the great mountain and the little stream, what is the mountain? Living things flourish on the mountain so there is value to its existence by itself. At the same time, the mountain blocks the little stream, ensuring that it does not flow wherever it wants and thereby bring disaster to the people. Isn’t that right? By virtue of the mountain’s existence, it allows living things like the trees and grasses and all the other plants and animals on the mountain to flourish while also directing where the little stream flows; the mountain gathers up the waters of the stream and guides them naturally around its foot where they may flow into the river and eventually the sea. The rules that are in place here were not made by nature, but instead were especially arranged by God at the time of creation. As for the great mountain and the fierce wind, the mountain, too, needs the wind. The mountain needs the wind to caress the living things that live upon it, and at the same time the mountain restricts how hard the fierce wind may blow so that it does not overwhelm and devastate. This rule holds, in a way, the duty of the great mountain, so did this rule regarding the mountain’s duty take form on its own? (No.) It was instead made by God. The great mountain has its own duty and the fierce wind has its duty as well. Now, about the great mountain and the huge wave, without the mountain being there would the water find a direction of flow on its own? (No.) The water would also overwhelm and devastate. The mountain has its own value as a mountain, and the sea has its own value as a sea. In this way, under these circumstances where they each do not interfere with one another and where they are able to exist together normally, they also restrict one another; the great mountain restricts the sea so that it does not flood and thus it protects the people’s homes, and this also allows the sea to nurture the living things that dwell within it. Did this landscape take form on its own? (No.) It was also created by God. We see from these images that when God created the universe, He predetermined where the mountain would stand, where the stream would flow, from which direction the fierce wind would begin to blow and where it would go, as well as how high the huge waves would be. God’s intentions and purpose are held within all of these things and they are His deeds. Now, can you see that God’s deeds are present in all things? (Yes.)

What is the purpose of our discussion of these things? Is it so that people can research the rules behind God’s creation of the universe? Is it so that people will become interested in astronomy and physics? (No.) Then what is it? It is so that people will understand the deeds of God. The most important aspect of understanding the deeds of God is that from the understanding of His actions, people can affirm and verify that God is the source of life for all things. If you are able to understand this point, then you will truly be able to confirm that God occupies the dominant role in your heart and you will be able to confirm that God is the unique God Himself, the Creator of the heavens and earth and all things. So, is it useful toward your understanding of God to know the rules of all things and to know God’s deeds? (Yes.) How useful is it? This is a very important question. Firstly, when you understand these deeds of God, would you still be interested in astronomy and geography? Would you still have the heart of a skeptic and doubt that God is the Creator of all things? Would you still have the heart of a researcher and doubt that God is the Creator of all things? When you confirm that God is the Creator of the universe and furthermore come to know the rules behind His creation, will you in your heart truly believe that God provides for the universe? Is “provides” just being said for any type of meaning or is it being said in a special circumstance? That God provides for the universe has a very broad meaning and application. Right? God doesn’t just provide people with their daily needs of food and drink, He provides mankind with everything they need, including everything people see and things that can’t be seen. God upholds