80｜Faith in God: The Most Cost-Effective Lifestyle

Humans love to calculate, and the way the Kingdom operates does not reject "calculation." If compared from the most secular, pragmatic, and "human" perspective, you will find that faith in God is the most cost-effective and lowest-risk life choice in this world.

(1) Relying on the Self: Most People Are "Dissatisfied"

First, ask an honest question: relying on yourself, are you truly happy? Are you without anxiety? Without fear? Without worry about the future? If you were already completely peaceful, joyful, certain, and free, you would already be living in the fruit of the Kingdom and might not need to discuss "believing in God." But the fact is, the vast majority of people relying on themselves are not happy. In terms of this "account," they are already in the red.

(2) Two "Stable Returns" After Believing in God

Contrast two life structures:

1. Relying on Self: After exhausting all abilities, only despair remains. Man eventually encounters problems he cannot solve. When all methods are used up yet failure persists, the self-reliant person is left only with collapse, depression, and hopelessness.
2. Relying on God: After exhausting all abilities, God still provides a safety net. A person who truly trusts God has an additional option: turning to Him, praying, entrusting, and waiting for grace. From the "return structure":
   • In success: You know God fulfilled it, and you only need to be grateful.
   • In failure: You still have God’s presence and comfort; you won't hit rock bottom. This is the first layer of a "stable return structure."

(3) The Surrender Experiment: A "30-Day Money-Back Guarantee" Life Strategy

Many fear "surrender" because they think it means losing control. But the reality is, the lives we control ourselves aren't managed very well anyway. Therefore, surrender can be treated as a "life experiment":

• It doesn't require a lifetime;
• It doesn't require years;
• It only requires 30 days. In these 30 days, try your best to:
• Pray before every important decision;
• Not be stubborn; pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s reminders;
• Choose obedience over self-straining. If after 30 days you find life is more peaceful, relaxed, and directed, you’ve won. If there is no improvement, you can "return to your own control" at any time. Zero upfront cost, low psychological risk, and potential for infinite returns—this is the second layer of cost-effectiveness.

(4) Regarding Eternity: Not Believing is a High-Risk Gamble

Calculating from an eternal perspective:

• If you don't believe, and suppose there is nothing after death, you merely lack a possible comfort.
• But if the Kingdom and Judgment truly exist (even at a 20% probability), the cost of "unbelief" is exchanging a few decades of brief "freedom" for possible infinite years of separation and loss. This is a high-risk, zero-guarantee gamble with a high probability of loss. Conversely, if you choose to believe:
• This life will not be more painful; rather, it gains hope and companionship.
• Life gains higher meaning and direction.
• If eternity is real, you gain eternal peace and joy. This is a structure where "you can't lose, and you might win big."

(5) The "Fourfold Return Model" of Faith

Faith can be seen as a "life investment plan":

1. Psychological Returns: Peace > Anxiety; Joy > Emptiness; Certainty > Fear; Companionship > Loneliness.
2. Realistic Returns: Entrusting → Generates courage and creativity; Surrender → Obtains wisdom and direction from God; Obedience → Experiences achievements beyond one’s own ability.
3. Eternal Returns: A few decades of trust in exchange for potentially infinite peace and joy.
4. Zero Side Effects: True faith in Jesus brings no extra harm; it only increases peace, stability, gentleness in character and relationships, and the "shining" parts of life. It can be said that believing in God is a "low-cost, low-risk, high-return, no-side-effect, and eternal-gain" life choice.

Summary｜Original Doctrine 80

1. Relying on oneself, most people are already "losing money" emotionally and existentially.
2. Faith gives you peace and a safety net in this life, while preparing a place for eternity.
3. Rejecting God is high-risk and low-return; relying on God is low-risk and high-return.

In one sentence: From the perspective of rationality and "calculation," faith in God is the most cost-effective lifestyle in history; surrender is the lowest-operating-cost, highest-return life path in the universe.