A Testimony by Liu Jinzhi, 3rd year student from Jiangsu Province Bible School
There is a common Chinese saying, “Everyone has a story to tell”. I too have a story to tell: when I failed my senior high school national examination, I felt like it was the end of the world. Life ahead was bleak as I walked through the valley of utter hopelessness. I wanted to end my life. From the depth of my heart, I cried out, “The God of my father, where are you? Can you save me?”
When a man reaches the end of the road, he finds God there, waiting for him. My eyes lightened up suddenly when I saw my father’s Bible lying on the desk in a corner. It seemed to be glowing at me; beckoning me to pick it up. I began to read the Bible and immediately fell in love with it. It became the most precious book in my life. It gave me hope and guidance during this difficult time. It led me through the valley of the shadow of death to the green pasture and quiet waters; it helped me to understand that it was God who healed my deepest hurt. I was led by God to study at the Jiangsu Bible School.
I read my Bible regularly not just for my studies but more for life’s needs. I am deeply aware that the Bible is the foundation of man’s thoughts and a compass for our actions. We need the Bible as it is the living water and bread in our spiritual life. It directs our paths and increases my faith and strength in the Lord. I am able to praise and thank the Lord as I try to comprehend the wonders of salvation and the wisdom in His Word. Through God’s Words, my soul is satisfied and my spiritual life matures as I dwell on His presence which brings forth hope and love.
The void in a man’s heart can only be filled by God alone. The yearnings in a man’s heart can only be fulfilled by the Bible alone. The more I read the Bible, the more I hunger for its daily bread. As the Psalmist had written, “As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for you, O God” (Psalms 42:1; GNT). We have a thirst that can only be quenched when we read God’s Word.
I thank God for the China Christian Council/Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (CCC/TSPM) who has been actively printing and distributing the Bibles since the church reopened in 1979. I am also grateful to the United Bible Societies (UBS) for working closely with CCC/TSPM in the Bible ministry all these years. From establishing the Amity Printing Company, subsidizing the paper cost for Bibles and providing Bible distribution vans, to the donation of Bibles and Bible resources to seminary students, UBS has contributed significantly to the building of the church in China.
Thanks to CCC/TSPM and UBS, now more Christians in China get to read the Bible and apply its teaching by contributing to society. Furthermore, through the life-changing testimonies of these Christians, more people have come to know the Truth, receive His goodness and understand His Word. I can testify to this.
Written by Pamela Choo
Translation provided by Chiong Min Lee
for United Bible Societies, China Partnership
