Ep 860 - The Path of Life for All Humankind Part 1
The Blessing and EternalThe Path of Life for All Humankind - March 3, 2023
PDF Printable Text and Images + Testimony Rev. Mark Hernandez
Key Points
God created human beings because he needed an object partner capable of responding to his love with whom he could realize true love.
Through living for the sake of others we, and God, can experience true love which he – and we – can not feel alone.
We were born for true love, live for true love, and die for true love. All thoughts and actions outside of true love are a waste of time and have no meaning.
The motivation of the fall is thinking, deciding and acting according to one’s own will under the guise of freedom.
The more freedom we experience, the more we need to keep the order and rules within the principle.
To keep our spirits healthy and have an enriching life we should do one thing consistently every day. That could be to write a gratitude journal, pray for 30 minutes, attending Morning Devotion – among others. When that becomes a habit, we can then add another action to perform consistently.
If we do this for six months, it can become a habit that we will keep until we die.
Being devoted to the smallest of things results in setting the standard of being devoted in all things.
If we have such an absolute standard, God will see us as righteous and give us infinite strength.
The purpose of Sunday service is to experience the Kingdom of Heaven through having heart exchanges with God, with members whom we have longed for, and with new members and spiritual children.
The service can be grace-filled if beforehand we live a life of touching the hearts of others.
On Sunday we offer up to Heaven the proud and grateful things in each of our own lives and share them with the brothers and sisters around us.
Our constant creed should be that we live and work for God and his will. Then we will feel peace and joy and have the drive to fulfill that will.
Our clear sense of purpose that we live and work for the Will gives us hope and enables us to fight Satan.
When we overcome with joy, there are no conditions for Satan to invade because there is a heart which only God can reciprocate with.
When we have unbearable pain, how long can we make it an offering and continue to be grateful?
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.♦
Yesterday, I had breakfast meeting with five members in my room. This couple is Michael and Waltraut Puylagarde.
This couple is Mitchell and Misayo Bien, a beautiful couple. I was excited to see them.
This is William Archbold. He is a champion of serving others.
In the evening, I had a meeting with Passaic County members at New Jersey Family Church. It was a very beautiful meeting.
We took a group photo.
Today I’d like to talk about “The Path of Life for All Humankind” 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.>
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: I am deeply grateful that you have taken the time from your busy schedules to help make today's gathering such a success. Our theme for today is, “The Path of Life for All Humankind.” Today the world is lost in great confusion and cries out in agony. We face endless conflict as individuals, in our families, in our nations and in the world. As individuals, we are confronted with inner turmoil between our mind and body. Families are affected by the moral decadence of young people and the breakdown of family-centered traditions. Historical rivalries lead to distrust and even war among our nations, fanning the embers of uncertainty and hopelessness in the world. The solution to all these problems lies in developing an ideal love relationship with God.
Throughout history, humankind has sought to answer the basic question: Why are we born? Some have concluded that they were born for the sake of their country. Others have decided that they were born for the sake of their parents. Still others believe they were born for their own sake. People of faith believe they are born for the sake of God. Yet it is not enough to say that God created the universe for the sole benefit of human beings or even for God's own benefit. The creation of humankind involved the cooperation of many beings and elements. Although each had its own inherent purpose, they worked together to initiate the creative process. God's purpose in creating, the angels' purpose in assisting, nature's purpose in providing the materials, and even the human purpose for being created are all consistent. There is a common purpose that is pleasing to God, to the angels, to the rest of creation and to human beings themselves.
This shared purpose is something that, the longer it is possessed the greater the happiness and joy it provides. It is something that, once we possess it, we would never let it go. It cannot be external in nature. It is something internal and invisible. Things like knowledge, money and power are merely collateral conditions that are needed in people's lives. We are not born into the world for the purpose of possessing them. Such external things may exist in a reciprocal relationship with humankind only temporarily, not eternally. God has no need for money. If Almighty God ever needed money, He could create as much as He desired. Also, we know that God is the root of all knowledge, since He created the universe through certain principles and laws. Furthermore, the Creator is the origin of power, so God has no need to seek power.
Throughout history, humankind has sought to answer the basic question: Why are we born? There is a common purpose that is pleasing to God, to the angels, to the rest of creation and to human beings themselves.
God does not need money or power or strength or knowledge. He (can) create all those things any time. Then what is this common or shared purpose? This is something we cannot reach with God’s power alone or with any human effort.
Looking from this perspective, the shared purpose can only be true love. It must be something that can move the motivation or course of our life even to the end of that life. That can only be true love. The common denominator that can be liked by God, human beings, all things, the spirit world, heaven, and earth is what? True love. Therefore, all beings, including God, need true love. All thoughts and actions outside of this true love are a waste of time and have no meaning. Therefore, eternal life is possible only when we were born for love, live for love, and die for love.
“I” was born for true love. God does exist for true love. All things exist for the sake of true love. That is why “I” need to live for the sake of true love. “I” can die for the sake of true love. This is our common purpose. Not money, power or knowledge. We need to know this basic, crucial matter. That is why we need to do everything centered on true love. Otherwise, if we do something that is not centered on true love, we are just wasting our time.
Then, God is all-knowing and almighty and can possess and create everything, but there is one thing that even God needs. That is true love.
However, this true love cannot be felt alone so it definitely needs an object partner. That is the reason God created human beings. He created human beings for the realization of true love.
Even for human beings to realize true love, it would be impossible without the subject partner, God. The great principle of true love is that it only comes from the counterpart, the object partner. Because of that, if you do not live for the sake of the other person, you cannot experience true love. This is where the logic that we must live for the sake of others comes from.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Human Fall 25: The Meaning of Freedom from the Viewpoint of the Principle #1
Freedom and the Human Fall
• What is the meaning of true freedom? In light of the Principle, three characteristics of freedom stand out. First, there is no freedom outside the Principle.
• Freedom requires both free will and the free actions pursuant to that will.
• Free will and free actions have the relationship of internal nature and external form, and perfect freedom is achieved when they are in harmony.
• Therefore, there cannot be any free action without free will, nor can free will be complete without free actions to accompany it.
• Free actions are generated by free will, and free will is an expression of the mind.
• The mind of an original, sinless person cannot operate outside of God’s words, that is, the Principle.
• It will never express free will or generate free action apart from the Principle.
• Undoubtedly, the freedom of a true person never deviates from the Principle.
1. Freedom Never Deviates From the Principle
1. When your action deviates from the Principle, you experience the pangs of conscience right away. Freedom exists within the Principle and God’s words.
2. Freedom within the principal permission is the real freedom. The mind of an original, sinless person cannot operate outside of God’s words, that is, the Principle. The freedom never deviates from the Principle.
3. You have to fulfill responsibilities with the freedom that you feel within God’s words, that is, the freedom of the original nature.
Can people feel freedom when they commit a murder, a robbery and tell a lie?
When action deviates from the Principle, we feel anxiety and fear rather than freedom.
John 8:32 “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Therefore, we are free only in true truth, true love, and God.
John 8:34 “Jesus replied: ‘I tell you for certain that anyone who sins is a slave of sin!’”
Therefore, where there is sin there is no freedom. There is only pain and remorse of conscience.
Once we commit a sin and are possessed by an evil spirit, Satan controls everything. We cannot feel any freedom.
We have to know the real meaning of freedom.
• There is no freedom without responsibility.
• Human beings, created according to the Principle, can reach perfection only by fulfilling their responsibility based on their free will.
• Accordingly, a person pursuing the purpose of creation as prompted by his free will ceaselessly strives to carry out his portion of responsibility.
• There is no freedom without responsibility.
2. There is No Freedom Without Responsibility
• The purpose of giving freedom is to complete responsibilities. Therefore, talking about freedom presupposes the existence of responsibility.
• You have to make effort with freedom voluntarily and complete your responsibility.
• Since my completion is established by fulfilling my portion of responsibility with freedom, there is no freedom without responsibility.
• Accordingly, where there is freedom, there must be responsibility, and where there is responsibility, there must be freedom. Human beings cannot fulfill their portions of responsibilities by force.
For example, driving is free. However, if we drive too fast, you will get into an accident. If we drive safely, we can run without an accident. Whether we drive well or not is our responsibility.
So, why does God give us freedom?
• Therefore, Adam and Eve must complete by fulfilling their responsibilities by free will. The purpose that God gave us freedom is to reach perfection through responsibilities.
The purpose that God gave us freedom is to reach perfection through responsibilities. In order to complete our portion of responsibility, God gave us freedom, right? It cannot be done by force. We are not robots.
• Responsibility without freedom is coercion. Because you cannot stand in the position that you did everything by yourself, you cannot be the owner.
3. There is no freedom without accomplishment.
• There is no freedom without accomplishment.
(• When human beings exercise freedom and carry out their responsibility, they strive to accomplish results which complete the purpose of creation and bring joy to God.)
(• Free will ceaselessly pursues concrete results through free actions.)
1. The purpose of giving the freedom is to complete responsibilities. The result accomplished by force cannot bring about the perfect happiness.
Wow! The purpose of giving the freedom is to complete responsibilities. In order bring the result of happiness, to realize true love. That is why God gave us this kind of freedom.
2. When you fulfill responsibilities voluntarily through freedom given to you, you can return results which make God be happy.
3. Free will ceaselessly requires results of happiness.
Free will ceaselessly requires results of happiness. Why did God give us freedom? In order to fulfill our portion of responsibility. What is our portion of responsibility? Create happiness and joy and to substantialize true love.
4. The purpose that freedom was given to me is to create happiness.
Yes! The purpose that freedom was given to me is to create happiness centering on God, on the Principle, not centering on our own sake.
Let’s study Father’s word.
Order and Law Have to be Observed in the Free World
<49-189> What is the motivation of the fall? The appearance of individualism is the starting point of the fall. Don’t you think so? The appearance of individualism is the starting point of the fall. It is not a matter of the world. The next is that having the unrestrained foundation is the cause of the fall. What does the God’s word, “Do not eat”, mean? If there is no law in this world, it would be easy. However, why do we need laws, or regulations? Why don’t we live as we like? Is it the freedom to live as we like? That is not true. As people feel free, they have to keep order and rules. As the machine is precise, it moves vertically and horizontally along the track of laws by the Principle and the order. When we follow such principles, results of free actions come forth. From the perspective of the scientific civilization and the social system in the present day, this is an undeniable fact.
What is the motivation of the fall? First, it started from individualism which only thinks of oneself. Second, it is deciding and acting according to one’s own will under the guise of freedom.
As people feel free, the more they have to keep order and the rules within the Principle. Adam and Eve did not know that they have true freedom within the Principle.
Children have true freedom and joy within the love and relationship of their parents. Even between husband and wife, there is true freedom within the way and principle of conjugal love. It is the same between siblings as well as in loving our neighbors.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: I Am Who I Am Because of the Will
People who are Devoted to the Smallest of Things Can be Devoted to Everything
1. Whatever you do, if you set a certain standard that you value with some kind of motivation, the standard of your entire life will be upgraded. So, if there is something you were spiritually moved by or received grace from through the Word, you must strive to hold on to that and go out preserving it. If you set an absolute standard for even one thing and that does not change no matter what kind of environment you are in, you will bring change to your entire life. Being devoted to the smallest of things is like setting a standard of being able to be devoted to everything. Therefore, no matter how difficult and painful your reality is, you must deal with it righteously while fighting your fallen nature. The God of goodness will surely give strength to the person who tries to live a life of goodness by fighting unrighteousness and their fallen nature. God will fight on your behalf. You will experience God working together with you, and you will feel that God is really your God. Only then can you feel and experience God’s heart.
How can we keep our spirits healthy while upgrading our life to be enriching? That is to have a certain standard that keeps at least one thing unchanged throughout one’s day to day life. Then we should gradually expand that. If we cannot do that, then we must go on setting such a standard for even one thing.
For example, if we write a gratitude journal every day, do not become fickle but do it until the day we die. We need to have such determination.
Then, go on expanding to different things, one by one -- whether that’s attending Morning Devotion every day or praying at least 30 minutes each day or doing hoondokhae for one hour or three hours, whatever or doing Hoondokhae every day – set up that kind of standard – or doing one act of service for others each day, or witnessing every day, and so on.
Or it can also be observing Sunday service every week no matter what happens, or offering a tithe each month, or writing down Words that touched us so far in a notebook and meditating on them one by one every day…
If we keep this standard for at least 6 months without being fickle no matter what the situation, it becomes a great habit. Then, if we practice this for more than 3 years, we will be able to keep that standard until we die. Then, our entire life will be upgraded and enriched, both spiritually and heartistically.
For my own case – I am not saying this proudly; I am just telling you the truth – I wake up at 3 a.m. every day, no matter what happens, and offer prayer and prepare the words I will give. (It has been) one year, two years, three years and four years.
(We should) keep that kind of standard whenever we set it up.
And I also exercise every day. Of course, when I travel here and there, I can’t do that. But also every day, even if it is raining or snowing, even strong wind does not matter, if I can’t exercise outside, I do it inside. I exercise every day in order to keep good health because my body belongs to God.
We can also write a hyojeong diary, a gratitude diary. This really creates a beautiful life. As long as we write (down) our gratitude in our hyojeong diary, we (will) always (be) very positive. Then any negative thought just disappears.
If we set an absolute standard for even one thing, even a small thing, and that does not change, no matter what kind of environment we are in, we will bring change to our entire life. Being devoted to the smallest of things results in setting the standard of being devoted in all things.
Start small, try it for three months. Then six months; overcoming six months is not easy, it offers much hope. If we can do it for one, two and three years, once we practice a habit for three years, it can go on until we die.
We need to have good habits. We can conquer everything with good habits. If we just do small things at least for three years, I am telling you, we can have a life-changing experience.
If we have such an absolute standard, no matter how difficult and painful reality is, we will be able to deal with it righteously while fighting fallen nature.
If we have such an absolute standard, God will see us as righteous. And God will give us infinite strength. So set good conditions and standards that God has no choice but to sympathize with and love us.
Fallen man is so changeable. He cannot keep a promise. He cannot keep a standard. Even though he has strong determination, after three days or one month, he cannot keep it. He may go back and repeat the same thing again and again. That is fallen man. (He cannot keep) even a small standard.
(We should) start from a small (act and make it) a good habit. Then we will have confidence, and gradually we can conquer our whole body and upgrade our spiritual life. It is very powerful.
That is why we need to do righteous things. (We need to) keep going. Why do we give up witnessing? People don’t respond; we have no result. Oh my goodness! Once we determine to do witnessing, (we should) keep going, even if we have not result. Then someday God will really respond to us. The issue is that we cannot keep going. We have no righteous condition; so how can Heavenly Father help us? Why do we respect Noah? Once he received God’s commandment, (he kept going for) 120 years!
Why can’t we be a righteous person? Because we cannot keep (doing a condition) continuously.
What Must we do for it to Become a True Church Service?
2. What is having church service? It is people who long for each other gathering and exchanging their hearts centered on God. In that case, you must live proudly in your own life. It is sincere devotion when people long for people. So, you must be delighted when you meet people. Isn’t service to brothers and sisters becoming one in front of God and returning joy and glory to God? But if we live in worry and meet each other, would it become a service of joy? For it to become a true service, we must come after living proudly in each of our family and workplace. In trying to live a life of goodness in our own ways, there are times when we normally observe all directions but unknowingly make mistakes. Although they know that God would worry if they acted like this, people who commit evil deeds will be punished. Making mistakes without knowing cannot be called a sin. That will be realized when one grows a bit more. In that case, they must be educated more. Isn’t it shameful to do evil things when people are watching but try to do them secretly at night?
What is the purpose of having Sunday service? It is to experience the Kingdom of Heaven through having heart exchanges with God, heart exchanges between members whom we longed for, and heart exchanges with new members and spiritual children.
For Sunday service to be gracious, before attending service, each of us has to create grace in our normal life. In other words, we must live a proud life in our own sphere of life. We need to live a life of touching the hearts of others. When we come to church with such gracious life and proud accomplishment, we will long for people.
People must long for people. Sunday service is brothers and sisters becoming one in front of God and returning joy and glory to God. But if we live in worry and meet each other, would it become a service of joy?
For it to become a true service, we must come after living proudly in each of our families and workplace. So, worship service of the era of Cheon Il Guk is a day when we offer up to Heaven the proud and grateful things in each of our own lives and share them with the brothers and sisters around us on Sundays.
I am Who I am Because of the Will
3. You exist because of the Will. You are not people that exist because of others. We must regard this as our life creed and live it thoroughly. We must deal with all things with all our heart and with the attachment that we live for the Will. ’I am a person who exists for the Will.’ ‘I am a person who exists for the wish of our Creator.’ We should live clearly establishing such standard. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we cannot forget this. People who exist for the Will must have peace and joy in their hearts. This is so because the way of the Will is the way of love. That is why our hearts must always be joyful. And our hearts must be peaceful. But can fallen people always be joyful and peaceful? Even though we are always fighting with our fallen nature, the reason we gain strength in our heart is because we have the attachment to live for the will and the motivation to become God’s sons and daughters. We cannot win in the battle between good and evil if we are amid disappointment and pain because the condition for evil to invade has already been established. That is why we must have joy and peace, and we can fight with Satan only when we have hope. When you overcome with joy, there are no conditions for Satan to invade. This is because there a heart which only God can reciprocate with.
Wherever we go and whatever we do, we must sanctify (our) mind. How do we do that? Always ask ourself, “What am I doing here? What am I doing this for?” and then clarify the motivation and meaning.
Whatever we do, we need to assume the absolute life creed that we are doing this work for God and God’s Will. We must deal with all things with all our heart and with the (heart) that we work for the Will and live for the Will.
’I am a person who exists for the Will.’ ‘I am a person who exists for the wish of our Creator.’ We should live clearly establishing such a standard. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we cannot forget this.
People who exist for the Will must have peace and joy in their hearts. And they can overcome any difficult situations. This is so because the way of the Will is the way of love. But if we work because of job, money, and self, (our) sense of mission and drive will disappear.
That is why our hearts must always be joyful. When we think that we are working for the Will, our heart will be joyful and always peaceful. We must always clarify motivation.
When people who work for themselves or money or the workplace--anything excluding the Will, face unfavorable situations, they easily face disappointment and pain and cannot win in the battle between good and evil. That is why we must have joy and peace, and we can fight with Satan only when we have hope. To do that, our sense of purpose that we live for the Will and work for the Will must be clear.
Where we overcome with joy, there are no conditions for Satan to invade. This is because there is a heart which only God can reciprocate with.
Today I talked about “I am who I am because of God’s will.”
(Testimony Rev. Mark Hernandez, Course of Pain for Heaven, ACLC Executive Director)♦
(Response to sharing) When we have that kind of suffering and pain continuously, are we still grateful? or not? For how long can we be appreciative? That is the issue. For fallen man it is not easy.♦
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 available 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.♦