Why Is Obedience Better Than Sacrifice? Here Is the Reason

By Shan Yi

    As the moon was shedding silvery light on the earth, I, sitting at my desk, opened the Bible and read the verses in Samuel: “And Samuel said, Has Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:22–23). After reading these words, I couldn’t help but wonder: What’s the true meaning of the verse “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams”? Saul was the first king of the Israelites chosen and established by God, but he was rejected by God because he kept the best of the animals for sacrifices. What lessons are we believers in God to draw from this story? After constantly praying and seeking, I understood some of God’s will.

The Secret Held Deep Within My Heart

Wuzhi    Linyi City, Shandong Province

    In the spring of 2006, I was stripped of my position as leader and sent back to where I had come from because I was considered too much of a “yes-man.” When I first got back, I plunged into a crucible of torment and agony. I never thought that after years of leadership things would go downhill on account of being a “yes-man.” This was the end for me, I thought, everyone familiar with me would know of my failure and I would be held up as a bad example in the church. How could I face others after all this? The more I thought, the more negative I became, until I finally lost the faith to continue seeking the truth. However, when I thought of all the sacrifices and expenditures I had made in these past few years, I couldn’t bring myself to quit. If I completely write myself off and accept failure, won’t all my efforts be for naught? Won’t people then think even less of me? I can’t let that happen! I’ve got to stand up for myself and not let others look down their noses at me. Now, no matter how hard I must try, how many wrongs I suffer, I’ve got to buck up—I can’t quit halfway! As long as I remember the lessons of failure and focus on seeking the truth, maybe one day I can become a leader again. With these thoughts in mind, all the negativity and sadness faded and I felt a renewed energy in my pursuit.

Christian song "Song of Sweet Love"

The Church of Almighty God | praise song "Song of Sweet Love"

 I 

Deep in my heart, it is Your love. So sweet, I get close to You. 

Caring about You sweetens my heart; serving You with all my mind. 

Guiding my heart, it is Your love; I follow Your footsteps of love. 

I shift myself according to Your eyes; love’s showing my heart’s joy. 

Love’s showing my heart’s joy. 

Now I live in another world, no one but You are with me. 

You love me, I love You; no grief or sorrow bothers us. 

No grief or sorrow bothers us. Painful memories pass away. 

Painful memories pass away.

Worship God in Spirit and in Truth | A Cappella "The Result Achieved by Knowing God" (Music Video)

The Church of Almighty God | A Cappella "The Result Achieved by Knowing God" (Music Video)

One day, 
you will feel that the Creator 
is no longer a riddle, 
that the Creator has never been hidden from you,
that the Creator 
has never concealed His face from you,
that the Creator is not at all far from you,
that the Creator is no longer the One that you constantly long for in your thoughts but that you cannot reach with your feelings,
that He is really and truly standing guard to your left and right, 
supplying your life, and controlling your destiny, controlling your destiny. 
He is not on the remote horizon, nor has He secreted Himself high up in the clouds. 

Experience Testimonies of the Church of Almighty God | After Losing My Status …

Huimin    Jiaozuo City, Henan Province

Every time I saw or heard of someone having been replaced and them feeling down, weak or sulky, and not wanting to follow anymore, then I looked down on them. I thought it was nothing more than different people having different functions within the church, that there was no distinction between high or low, that we were all God’s creations and there was nothing to feel down about. So whether I was taking care of new believers or leading a district, I never thought I focused much on my status, that I was that sort of person. I never would have thought in a million years that I would display such shameful behavior when I myself was replaced …

Almighty God| Second Coming of Jesus Christ| Regretless Youth

Regretless Youth

Xiaowen    Chongqing City

“‘Love’ means a pure and unblemished affection, to love with the heart, to feel with the heart, and to care with the heart; in ‘love’ there is no condition, no barrier, and no distance; in ‘love’ there is no suspicion; in ‘love’ there is no cheat, no deal, and no cunning; in ‘love’ there is no choice; and in ‘love’ there is not any mixture.” (from “Pure and Unblemished Love” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs) This hymn of God’s word accompanied me through the long and painful seven years and four months of prison life. The CCP government deprived me of the best years of my youth, yet from Almighty God I got the most precious and practical truths. So I have no regrets!