Ep 855 - The Blessing And Eternal Life Part 10
The Blessing and Eternal Life - February 27, 2023
Key Points
TP: We can obtain eternal life knowing God, knowing our eternal life, and knowing true love.
TP: True love is giving more than 100 percent of our jeongsong, love and effort beyond the point of life and death.
TF: We can understand true love only when we give, sacrifice and live infinitely to save one soul.
We can prepare for the world of the future by being altruistic, practicing true love and seeking eternal life with utmost sincerity.
A life of faith centered on heart and love remains fresh and new and does not become habitual.
We can overcome Satan only with continual sacrifice and the practice of true love.
To avoid treating the other person habitually, we should “open the door of our heart” and relate to him happily with laughter and delight.
We can eliminate fallen nature by repenting and shedding abundant tears, by being gentle and meek and serving, by attending God and taking his perspective through our conscience, by rejecting what the body likes but accepting what the mind likes, and by becoming one with God centered on his purpose.
We need to repent for being a sinner among sinners, not because of any sin we have committed, but because we “do not know his heart and his sorrow as a son or daughter.”
At church we should have a sense of ownership by visiting or contacting members who are absent and caring for and taking an interest in the other members using hyojeong language.
Now is a time not only to receive grace at church but to give it by actively participating, taking on responsibilities and giving joy to other members.
We should be an owner in our church by visiting or calling members who are absent at Sunday Service, by witnessing to potential new members, by showing interest in and taking care of other members always using hyojeong language, by actively participating in church activities and taking responsibility, and by creating joy.
Illness comes from bad relationships.
We should take care of ourself with the Word so that our heart will not be hurt and establish good interpersonal relationships.
Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files.♦
Today is already February 27, second to the last day of this month, right? Wow! Time flies so fast!
Yesterday, we had a family reunion service at the New Yorker Hotel. Around 150 members in the New York city area attended the service. Miilhan led it very well. I was so happy to see so many brothers and sisters in person.
I gave a sermon with the title of “The importance of having an Abel figure.”
We took a group photo.
I want to have this kind of gathering more often.
Then, I went to New Jersey Church and had a meeting with the witnessing group members. Many people are involved in witnessing. I was so happy to hear their report, what they are doing, what kind of program they have for witnessing. It was really beautiful. Naokimi, Takino and Jake guided the meeting.
We took a group photo.
Today I’d like to talk about “The Blessing and Eternal Life” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 2.
<This speech was given by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon between February 23 and April 16 at True Family Values Movement hoondok rallies for the study of True Parents' words in Japan and the United States.>
Since God created us as partners of true love, it is natural to conclude that we can enjoy eternal life. Clearly, in order for a man or woman to live an eternal life, he or she needs to dwell in the realm of true love. Only through true love is abundant eternal life possible. Why? The origin, motive and process of God's creation centers on true love. No result can come without a process, and the process to completion is based upon the practice of true love. The completion of mind and body is possible only when they both belong to the realm of true love. The limitless origin, the process of creation based on this cause and its ideal, all originate from true love. This is because God exists for eternity upon the foundation of true love. God's own eternal life is centered on true love.
Therefore, we also live with true love as our center. In this way, we create the realm of eternal life. In order to find this realm, we need to practice true love in daily life. Even if we are not sure where in the spirit world God dwells, at least we need to understand clearly that God is the center of true love. The power of true love is the fastest and the most direct power. True love travels in a straight line. Why do you think I emphasize true love so fervently? It is because of my direct experience of this truth. Once you experience God and the eternal world, you too will never be able to have an indifferent attitude toward life.
First, we need to know God. Second, we need to know our eternal life. Third, we need to know true love. True love means giving more than 100 percent of oneself. In this way, we can find eternal life. Without true love, there is no eternal life. Without eternal life, we cannot meet God. How can you prepare for the world of the future? First, be altruistic. Second, practice true love. Third, seek eternal life. With the sincere practice of these virtues, we can manage the world in the coming age. The opposite way is the self-centered way of life, which is the worldview of Satan. In contrast to Satan's love, what is true love? True love is to invest beyond the point of your life and death. Without investing yourself beyond the point of life and death, there is no true love. I would like you to know that I have poured my life, my heart, and the resources of our church into America. Through this kind of practice, true love is actualized. Without actualizing true love, there is no eternal life.
True Parents asked us, "How do you obtain eternal life?" Then they told us, "First, we need to know God. Second, we need to know our eternal life. Third, we need to know true love."
How do we obtain eternal life. First of all, we need to know God. Without knowing him how can we know eternal life and what true love is? That is why we really need to know the existence of God. Our life of faith begins from understanding Heavenly God.
Secondly, we need to know our eternal life. The spiritual world does exist. Our life should be (an) eternal life. Anyone who notices there is eternal life will more seriously attend his earthly life.
Thirdly, we need to know true love. Without knowing true love, how can we dwell with God?
True Parents said that true love means giving more than 100 percent of our jeongsong, love and effort. True love is to invest beyond the point of our life and death. Without investing ourself beyond the point of life and death, there is no true love.
In order to experience true love, the most important condition is to invest and invest 100%, 120%. My object partner should be better than myself. If we invest everything beyond life and death and pour out everything we have, only then can we experience the real meaning of true love, we can understand the taste of true love because God invested 100%, 120% for the sake human beings and his creation. That is why in order to resemble God, to taste God and true love, we need to invest 100%, 120%. Otherwise we cannot feel what true love is. When God loves each one of us, it is not just 5% or 10%. He does his absolute best. He pours out his love 100%, 120%. That is why in order to inherit God’s true love we need to invest 100%, 120%. Otherwise, we cannot taste true love and cannot resemble God.
Whatever we do... How much do we love our spouse? 100%? 120%? How much do we love our children? Our parents? Our neighbor? Our nation and world?
I really appreciate Father’s guidance: we need to invest 100%, 120%. Otherwise, if (we just invest) adequately, we cannot feel (true love), we cannot feel God.
Then for what do we invest more than our own life? Father said, it is to save people's souls. God is making unimaginable investments today to save dead souls. In order for us to experience true love in our field, we must invest day and night to save even one soul with the same heart of salvation as God.
Two days ago when I was meeting with the Japanese ministry, Chioko-san gave a beautiful testimony about how she witnesses. I hope sometime we will have an opportunity to hear her testimony. It is incredible! How much she invested for her witnessing candidate. It is really beautiful!
True Father said that we can understand the meaning of true love only when we give infinitely, sacrifice infinitely, and live infinitely for the salvation of one soul.
Without true love, there is no eternal life. Those who do not live eternally cannot meet God. How can you prepare for the world of the future? First, be altruistic. Second, practice true love. Third, seek eternal life. With the sincere practice of these virtues, we can manage the world in the coming age.
The opposite way is the self-centered way of love. Just now we were talking about it.
Today we should remember this main point: how can we experience true love? Invest 100%, 120%. Then even God will sympathize (with us). “Wow! He invested so much.!” Even the spiritual world will be moved by our investment. “Wow! Day and night, he worked so hard! As a human being he could not have done more than this.”
(We should) wake up early in the morning, pray for the sake of God and True Parents, for all humankind, for our witnessing guests. Then day and night wherever we go, we (should) do our best to save human souls. Then before sleeping we can feel, “Wow! I did my best. I cannot do more than this.”
... We invest 100%, 120%. Then we can taste true love.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Human Fall 25: The Primary Characteristics of the Fallen Nature
• The primary characteristics of the fallen nature can be divided broadly into four types:
1. The first is failing to take God's standpoint. A principal cause of the Archangel's fall was his failure to love Adam with the same heart and perspective as God; instead he felt jealous of Adam. This led him to tempt Eve.
2. The second is leaving one's proper position. Luci fer desired to enjoy the same position of love in the hu man world as he had in the angelic world. This un right eous desire caused him to leave his position and fall.
3. The third is reversing dominion. The angel, who was supposed to come under the dominion of human beings, instead dominated Eve. Then Eve, who was supposed to come under the dominion of Adam, dominated him instead.
4. The fourth is multiplying the criminal act. The Archangel spread his sin to Eve, and Eve to Adam.
Let’s study Father’s word.
A Routine Life of Faith is Dangerous
<1987.6.30> Human beings inherited fallen nature and became slaves to their habits. Nowadays, even religious people tend to lead a very habitual life. A routine life of faith is dangerous. Such a life of faith becomes a major factor presenting Satan with the conditions for accusation. As people walk the course of restoration, Satan uses every method possible to find opportunities for recurrent invasion, trying not to lose even one person. People can overcome Satan only when they practice true love and sacrifice themselves continuously. The messiah teaches humankind how to overcome Satan. He came to the earth to destroy the foundation of Satan and establish the kingdom of heaven on earth.
<1990.12.30>The old proverb, “Old habits die hard,” is right. You don’t know how difficult it is to remove habitual and accumulated fallen natures
Human beings inherited fallen nature and became slaves to their habits. Why is a routine life of faith dangerous? It is because there is no heart and no love there. A life centered on true love and true heart does not become a habit even if you repeat the same thing 10 times or 100 times. It is always fresh and new.
If we utilize our heart and mind, our feeling will always be fresh and new.
Just as God's concept of salvation is the salvation of all people, not leaving a single person behind, Satan is always looking for an opportunity to invade through all kinds of methods so as not to miss a single person. Satan's ultimate goal as to corrupt every single person through fornication.
Let everybody fall. That is Satan’s goal.
Satan's identity is fornication.
People can overcome Satan only when they practice true love and sacrifice themselves continuously. You don't know how difficult it is to get rid of deep-seated fallen nature. There is no heart in a habitual life. It is always formal and external. You must check yourself when you sing holy songs, recite the family pledge, or read hoondok. Check whether you do it from the heart or just conditionally.
When you do something, if it is habitual or formal, there is no emotion there. There is no heart there. If you follow the formalities and traditions only outwardly, you will all become hypocrites.
If you don't want to treat the other person habitually, you must open the door of your heart and treat them with laughter and delight with a big smile and welcome from our heart. When you (relate with) people, the heart should always be happy.
I don’t want to live a habitual life. I greet people with a big smile with a happy heart, embrace them, hug them. Wow! Then I can feel that each of them is so precious. “You are more precious than the universe!” That kind of feeling comes out.
But if we have a habitual life, “...He is one of the members. He is my junior, or my senior. That’s it.” There is no fresh heart, no heartistic emotion.
But when we treat people with our heart and utmost sincerity, we can feel that each of them is so precious and so beautiful. How about you?
Eliminate Fallen Natures Completely
What I want to tell you now is to be aware of the content of the fall thoroughly. You have to eliminate fallen natures completely and shed tears 1000 times. If you have ever cried 1000 times feeling like your intestines twisted, you have to cry 3 times or 5 times more. Keep crying until your fallen natures are elimi nated completely. The things most detested in the spi rit world are the customs and habits of the fallen realm.
Religion is the Path of Obedience
<12.23.1970> Religion is to go along the path of obedience. Christian churches teach us to be gentle and meek, and to serve others sacrificially. People want to control this world. Nobody wants to bow to anyone. People want to raise themselves up. That is the fallen nature. You have to attend God and discuss with your conscience from the perspective of God in your daily life. Then, you have to accept the part that your mind likes, and reject the part that your mind doesn’t like.
<1972.8.28> What is the objective position? It means that you have to completely remove the fallen nature and ignore yourself, and become the object of God. You have to attain oneness with God centering on God’s purpose.
Let’s summarize this precious guidance. I realize how I can eliminate my fallen nature.
How do we Eliminate Fallen Nature?
1. You have to shed tears 1000 times....
> About 1000 tears means to shed tears at least once a day for more than 3 years.
2. You have to cry 3 times or 5 times more. Keep crying until your fallen natures are eliminated completely.
What does it mean? Without tears we cannot eliminate our fallen nature at all. No tears means we cannot eliminate our fallen nature as a fallen man. This gives us lots of inspiration.
Then Father said:
> Make an earnest appeal to God.
“Heavenly Father, I am the sinner of sinners because I did not know your heart, I did not know your sorrowful situation. I never consoled and comforted you. I never understood you. That is why I still commit sin. I hurt my wife, my husband. I hurt my children. I do not know your will.”
We need to make an earnest appeal to God.
> Cry enough to bathe in tears.
If we just (shed) one or two tears, how can we bathe our sinful body? We should cry enough to bathe in tears. Otherwise we cannot have an experience of resurrection.
> Without such repentance and tears, there is no way to eliminate one's fallen nature forever.
Have we experienced that kind of repentance with tears? We cry and cry 1,000 times and continue to cry until our fallen nature disappears completely. Wow! This is incredible guidance. It is not easy to eliminate fallen nature. We have inherited 6,000 years of the fall and all kinds of sins from our ancestors.
That is why Father says:
3. Be gentle and meek, and serve others sacrificially.
Without loving others, without living for the sake of others, without becoming gentle and meek, we cannot eliminate our fallen nature.
> The root of fallen nature is arrogance and self-centeredness.
> People with fallen nature want to control the world.
> People with fallen nature never want to bow to anyone.
So arrogant!
> People with fallen nature want to raise only themselves up.
4. You have to attend God and discuss with your conscience from the perspective of God in your daily life.
5. You have to accept the part that your mind likes, and reject the part that your mind doesn’t like.
That is why we need to distinguish good and evil, our physical desires from our spiritual desires. We need to know how to distinguish good from evil.
6. You must reject what the body likes.
7. You have to completely remove your fallen nature and ignore yourself.
8. You have to attain oneness with God centering on God’s purpose.
(This is) very clear guidance about how to remove our fallen nature. The most touching (?) part is what? Without sincere tears... In order to have that kind of tears, we need have a realization that “I am the sinner among sinners,” not because of committing personal sins or Chapter Two (sins) or Chapter Three or Chapter Four. The most sinful thing is what? I do not know his heart, his sorrow as a son or daughter. That is the sinner among sinners.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: Have a Sense of Ownership in the Church
1. We live in the era of Cheon Il Guk. The Cheon Il Guk era is a time in which each individual bears responsibility as an owner and brings true love to fruition. This is not an era where you do what someone tells you to do and don't do it because someone tells you not to do it.
When you come to church on Sunday, do you come as the owner? Or do you come as a spectator? When you come to church, as an owner, you must take a good look around you. We need to check who came to church and who didn't. So after the worship service, I hope you visit the church members who have not come to their homes or contact them by phone. All members related to our church are brothers and sisters with true lineage from True Parents. Therefore, when the church members are not coming to church, the atmosphere of the church will change if each person visits one another with interest and encourages them by calling each other.
2. Next, in order for our church to grow, we must change the atmosphere. We must not use the secular language we have been using until now, we must use the language of Hyojeong, in which we serve each other. And we need to change our attitude toward church members. In other words, you must show interest in your church members and learn to take care of them. If there is a family who doesn't go to church or there is a family you're worried about, you should visit them. Our spirits grow tired if we don't give and receive. It is the principle that strength comes from giving and receiving. So, if we don't witness (to find) new members or take care of members whose spirits have fallen, our spirits wither. If your spirit withers, who will take responsibility and restore your heart? Now is not the time for the church to give grace. And it is not an era that depends on one pastor's sermon. Now is the time to bear fruit, just as trees bear fruit in the fall-like fruiting season. Once our hearts wither, they uncontrollably fall horizontally.
Now is Not the Time to Receive Grace, It is the Time to Give Grace
3. You must actively participate in church activities. If we witness or visit church members' homes but do not give and receive heartistically, everyone's faith will wither. If people do not give and receive, their strength will not come out and they will become exhausted. How do you feel when you return home right after you just went to church? Are you happy? Or is your heart feeling like it is lacking and empty? When you come to church, every person must do their best by taking on some responsibility for their spirit. We need to find a way to create joy in the church. Instead of coming to church and trying to be benevolent, we must think about what kind of responsibility we will take on in the church to please God, True Parents, and church members. Humans cannot grow without responsibility. What would happen if we went back after attending the service like a spectator without responsibility? When you go back to your family with a track record of making others happy at church, heavenly fortune will come to that family. The church now is not the time for the pastor to give grace to the members. Now is the time to share the responsibility to create grace by giving them to others.
If a Relationship is Bad, You Become Sick
4. If you just attend church as a matter of duty and go back, the grace will keep disappearing and withering away. When the human spirit withers, they will surely become ill. There is no way you can avoid getting sick. If you don't give and receive healthily, you will get sick.
Illness comes from bad relationships. So, we should always have a good relationship. If the relationships between husband and wife, relationships between parents and children, relationships between brothers and sisters, relationships between Cain and Abel, and relationships with superiors at work are bad, it can cause stress and illness in the body. To have an illness in interpersonal relationships means that one's heart is exhausted and dried up. Our heart must be upgraded for it to be resurrected and grow. Therefore, I must control myself with the Word so that my spirit will not be hurt, and then I must give and receive well so that I can establish good interpersonal relationships. Vertically, you must have give-and-receive action with the Word, and horizontally, you must establish good interpersonal relationships.
Let’s summarize
What Kind of Person is Someone who has Ownership in the Church?
1. In order to become an owner, you must not be a spectator. Spectators attend the service simply out of a sense of duty and go home without any responsibility.
Just attend the service and go back. That’s it. Then our heart will surely feel empty.
Human beings can grow up through (finding and fulfilling their) portion of responsibility. We need to find our portion of responsibility (whether) visiting Christian churches or cleaning the church. We should find something, and then we need to do it. Without our portion of responsibility we cannot grow up.
2. If you want to be the owner, you must always take a good look at your surroundings.
> You must observe who attends church and who does not.
> You must visit the home of members who do not attend or get in touch with them.
If we do not know who came and who did not come, if we have no concern, do we really feel we are brothers and sisters under Heavenly God and True Parents? If someone does not come, why not call him and ask, “What happened to you? What is going on?” He is our brother or sister. How much are we concerned about him?
> When the church members are not coming to church, the atmosphere of the church will change if each person visits one another with interest and encourages them by calling each other.
If many people call their home and visit them, wow! If everybody has that kind of attendance and caring, that church will surely develop. If we only take care of our own family and do not know who has come and who has not, do you think that kind of church is a church of the Cheon Il Guk? No!
> Our spirits grow tired if we don't give and receive. It is the principle that strength comes from giving and receiving.
We need to have give-and-receive with members very well (whether) they come or not. They are our brothers and sisters.
3. If we do not witness to new members or take care of members whose spirits have fallen, our spirits wither. Once our heart withers, it will uncontrollably fall horizontally.
We need to have give-and-take with new members or with our old members. We need give-and-take. Without give-and-take action, just coming and going, (this) does not make sense.
4. We must not use the secular language we have been using until now, we must use the language of Hyojeong, in which we serve each other.
We see some attending Sunday Service wearing normal clothes. Attending Sunday service means really meeting God. It is the most holy day. We need to wear the best clothes. Not expensive clothes. Use your best, whether your style(?) or my style (?), (just wear) proper clothes. We need to prepare our heart. We need to prepare our donation at least three days beforehand. We need to wear the best clothes because “I am going to meet God and my precious brothers and sisters.” This is a day of offering.... If we come to church, just listen to the sermon and go back home out of duty only, how can we receive God’s grace?
5. Now is not the time for the church to give grace. Now is the time to bear fruit, just as trees bear fruit in the fall-like fruiting season.
6. If you want to become an owner at the church, you must actively participate in church activities.
That is why we need to have our own responsibility. “I take care of new guests,” or “I clean the toilets” or “I take care of a senior” or “I will visit somewhere.” We need to have a very clear goal in our church. We have to have our own portion of responsibility. That’s why as a leader we need to give proper responsibility to each (member).
Takino-san, Naokimi-san, are you doing this kind of job?
> Even if we witness or visit church members' homes but do not give and receive heartistically, everyone's faith will wither.
> When you just go and come back from church, your heart feels empty and lacking. It is because you feel like you have not fulfilled your responsibility.
> At church, you must take responsibility and do your best even if it is just for your spirit.
We need to take care of our spirit by having give-and-take centered on our portion of responsibility. We should not only be spectators or onlookers.
7. We need to find a way to create joy in the church.
8. Instead of coming to church and trying to be benevolent, we must think about what kind of responsibility we will take on in the church to please God, True Parents, and church members.
9. When you go back to your family with a track record of making others happy at church, heavenly fortune will come to that family.
Before going back home, we are already so happy because we helped some others, we visited someone’s home. We took care of the church, then we go back home so happily, “I did my best.” That kind of family will surely get heavenly fortune.
10. Now is the time to share the responsibility to create grace by giving them to others.
11. If you just attend church as a matter of duty then go back, the grace will keep disappearing and withering away.
12. If you don't give and receive healthily, you will get sick. Illness comes from bad relationships.
13. If the relationships between husband and wife, relationships between parents and children, relationships between brothers and sisters, relationships between Cain and Abel, and relationships with superiors at work is bad, it can cause stress and illness in the body.
14. We must upgrade our hearts in order for it to resurrect and grow.
> Take care of yourself with the Word so that your heart will not be hurt.
> Give and receive well to have good interpersonal relationships.
> Vertically, you must have give-and-receive action with the Word, and horizontally you must establish good interpersonal relationships.
Today (there was) too much information, right? Let’s do it. Let’s take ownership.
(Testimony Erika Iida, Overseas Missionary in Kosovo, Third Year GPA member)♦
NOTE: This text and the PowerPoint slides from this speech are available as a link at the top of this text. Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are avail` able at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files. Books of the transcripts and notes are available as PDFs at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.
This lightly edited transcript may contain errors and omissions. Indecipherable, inaudible or uncertain words and guesses are tagged with a “(?)” and indecipherable phrases, with an ellipsis “...”. First, second and third person pronouns have been left as spoken if the meaning is clear, and other apparently Korean English expressions have been preserved if understandable. Some repeated phrases have been eliminated.
Audio only is available at anchor.morndev.com, spotify.morndev.com & audio.morndev.com. Notes or transcripts of Dr. Yong’s Morning Devotion speeches from November 11, 2020 through March 29, 2022 are available as six paperback books at cost at Lulu.com/Shop -- search for Dr. Chung Sik Yong -- and as PDF downloads free of charge at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.♦