Ep 625 - A Life Of Gratitude Part 5
A Life of Gratitude - July 12, 2022
PDF Printable Text and Images + Testimony of Augustine Maddox & Eunmi Rangala
Today I’d like to talk about “A Life of Gratitude” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 1.
You should be grateful that True Parents have laid the foundation we have today from an environment where they had to start from the very bottom. Luckily, one of the True Parents, True Mother, is on earth. You should be grateful for this. You should begin each day saying, “Thank you, thank you.” With this kind of heart, there, there will be progress. A song I like by Jo Hang-jo goes, “Flowers of joy blossomed after I threw away my greed.” This is quite correct. Adam and Eve fell due to self-centered desire.
It is the same for you and for blessed families who are aware of the Will. Doing things centered on yourself is counter to heavenly law. You need to align yourself with Heavenly Parent and True Parents, moving in oneness of mind and oneness of body with them. Your Parents' wish should be your wish. Fulfilling Heavenly Parent's dream is the substantial kingdom of heaven on earth; the place you go after you live on earth is the kingdom of heaven in heaven. The life we live in our physical bodies will determine the attitude of mind and body we have when we enter the eternal world. If you cannot fit the environment of heaven, you will be naturally excluded. (2016.04.23, Cheon Jeong Gung)
Our circumstances, our positions, are not what are important in our lives of faith. What is important is how we lead our lives on earth so that we can ascend well when the right time comes. How do we die well? What you should think about is getting rid of greed. Why do you think Christianity isn't developing anymore? It is because they are only praying for themselves or for their own sons and daughters. They are not thinking about what Heaven's hope, Heaven's Will and humanity's wish are. We are different. We have learned through True Parents what kind of lives we should live. When you know your place and push away your greed, then blessings will come to you. When that happens, you can be even more grateful toward Heaven. When you live a life of gratitude toward Heaven, then Heaven will bestow you with great blessings. You must have had many such experiences. You must live this kind of life. (2015.10.30, Cheon Jeong Gung)
True Mother said, “When you know your place and push away your greed, then blessings will come to you. When that happens, you can be even more grateful toward Heaven. When you live a life of gratitude toward Heaven, then Heaven will bestow you with great blessings.”
True Mother says that if we let go of our greed, we will be blessed. What should we put down?
Today, focusing on True Mother's words, we will start with the Youth Ministry based on True Mother’s guidance.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: What Must be Laid Down on the Path of Faith?
1. Let go of greed for material things and money.
This is the first thing we should put down.
a. I should be grateful and content with the blessings of material and money that God has given me now.
Man’s greed for money and material things is endless. How can I let go of my greed for money and material things? It is (by) putting God first. You need to put God as the top priority above anything else.
Then you can put your money and material down. What you prioritize on the path of faith is very important. Will you put God first? Or will you put money and material things first?
This is very important. I need to put down my own greed for money and material things. I need to put God as the top priority because God is the most important being... What is more important than God? If you put money and material first, that means that God is secondary. As long as you put God as secondary, you cannot receive any blessing. You (may) not know why your life of faith is so miserable. You cannot understand, but actually we know what the main reason is. It is because you do not put God as your top priority. That’s why you need to put down your own greed for material things and money.
b. Know the law that money and matter is replenished when you give it to others.
Materials and money will be replenished even more if you try to give them first. This is an amazing universal principle. People do not know this secret. The law of the universe is that if you keep giving, happiness and joy will fill your heart, so the blessings of material and money will come back even greater. And do not forget the secret of the wonderful blessing – that material and money are controlled by giving.
How can you control money and materials? Through giving. This is a top secret. Many people try to receive first. However, as long as you try to receive something first, you cannot control money and materials.
Through giving you can control money and materials.
c. If you prioritize material things over faith on the path of faith, indemnity and trials will surely follow.
Oh my goodness!
If you put anything above God on the path of faith, you will inevitably pay indemnity. We cannot avoid that. If you put money first, you will pay indemnity because of money. If you put your own power and honor first, you will surely perish because of your power and honor – because of order. And if you put knowledge before God, that knowledge makes you a slave to it.
That is why as long as we do not put God as a top priority, we will surely have to face some problems. I will surely have to pay indemnity. I will have to go through hardships and problems. Why? Because of disorder.
What is heavenly order? Heavenly order means what? I need to put God as the top priority. Other things are nothing; they are secondary. We need to reflect (about this). “Am I (going in the) right direction or not?” This is very important. On the path of faith you need to lay down money and material first.
d. Jesus said not to worry about what you will eat, what you will drink, or what you will wear. First, we must always keep in our hearts the message to seek the kingdom and righteousness of God.
I have to think that my responsibility is to put God’s Will first, and I have to think that my food, clothing, and shelter are God's responsibility. If this is really true, then why do I worry about what to eat, what to drink, and what to wear, which is God’s portion of responsibility?
I need to put God and God’s will first. As long as I follow this order (of) putting God first, then the remaining things are God’s portion of responsibility. That is why Jesus says not to worry about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear. (You will not need to worry about these things) as long as you follow this heavenly order.
e. Be sure to tithe no matter how difficult the circumstances.
A life of tithing is a discipline in which I put God first over material things and money. God never grants material and financial blessings to families who do not tithe. Even if you temporarily earn money for a moment due to luck or the merits of your ancestors, if you do not tithe, you will inevitably pay indemnity in the end.
Everyone is the same. If you do not put God as the top priority, you will pay indemnity in the end. No one can avoid this heavenly law. That is why I remind you of what True Mother said: “You need to put down your own greed for material things and money.”
2. Let go of the greed for physical love (fornication).
a. Unrighteous sexual desires must be completely crucified.
Strong belief and absolute denial are required to deny even 1% of thoughts and desires about fornication. If an adulterous thought invades, it must be completely crucified. This is important.
b. Whenever an unrighteous sexual desire arises, you must lament over yourself..
Nevertheless, if thoughts of fornication cannot be separated, we must lament and weep. I have to lament how my heart and body, which should be God's temple, have such conflicts. The solution for this problem of fornication cannot (come from) human power. (Such thoughts) must be expelled through constant prayer and the power of the Word.
There is no other way. Through our thoughts of fornication we can know that we are really descendants of fallen ancestors. No one can deny that Adam and Eve fell through Chapter Two because I am a resultant being. We can see through the resultant being what the problem of our ancestors was. No one can deny (this). The Divine Principle is really true.
3. Let go of the greed for sleep.
a. Live in God's will, desire, and vision.
If you go crazy with God's will and live a busy life, even sleep will run away. This is my own experience, and Father talks about this. The desire for sleep controls me because I am not serious about God’s Will.
b. If your goals and vision are clear and serious, you will also control sleep.
If you seriously think that God’s Han is your Han and your Han is God’s Han, you can control your sleep.
Why can Father control his body? Because he has experienced God’s han. He experienced God’s sorrowful heart. Since he met God, he could not go his own way. He can automatically control his desire for sleep, materials, for any kind of desire. Why? Because he (has) realized the seriousness of God’s sorrowful situation.
That’s why we need to experience God’s han, God’s pain, God’s hardship. As long as we experience his han and sorrowful heart, then this becomes our strong will power. Why can’t we control our sleep desire? Because we are not so serious about that.
4. Let go of the greed to eat.
a. Those who eat little live a healthy and long life.
b. You have to control what you eat. If you control what you eat, you become a person of character.
c. The person who dominates food, is the basis for controlling everything.
This is very difficult for me. How about for you? Is it easy or not? It must be very difficult (for you, too).
The most difficult thing to overcome is the desire to eat – (harder) than controlling the desire for sleep, material and money, and sex. The person in control of this desire to eat (has) the basis for overcoming other sleep desires, desires for material things and money, and unrighteous sexual desires.
This is not easy, right? Wow! If you control your eating desire, you are already great.
5. Let go of your greed for power and position.
a. Conflicts and fights arise when people try to protect their power and position.
b. Think of change in personnel as being done by God.
You should be able to put down your current position whenever Heaven orders it. However, if you try to keep (it) centered on yourself, you will have regrets. Therefore, you must empty your mind and be ready to let go at any time. Then God will give you greater blessings. However, if you have regrets (about losing) your position, at some point, dissatisfaction and complaints will arise against the center and your Abel, and you will become a person who has nothing to do with God.
That’s why someone with a good position and good horizontal life – maybe a sub-regional leader – if Abel all of sudden announces, “Change your mission,” how about you at that time? Are you ok or not? Will you really complain or not? If you are asked to step down, then we can know exactly your real reality. In an unjust situation, we can immediately know who you are. That is why sometimes leadership changes here and there, some are asked to step down. There are all kinds of phenomena.
You need to think that a change in personnel was done by God. Do not think my Abel changed (my situation). That is the way we can put down our own power and position.
For me at any moment Mother can say, “OK, you step down.” “Yes, Mother.” This is God’s will.
You need to be ready to step down at any time without any complaint or dissatisfaction. Then you can know the reality: when your Abel changes your position, are you happy and grateful or not? Can this change be done by God or not? Many people cannot accept this. This is a problem. All kinds of fallen nature comes out.
6. Lay yourself down
a. Let go of your honor, your pride, and all your lingering attachments.
b. Let go of the heart of envy, jealousy, and comparison.
Your honor, self-pride, and lingering attachments are stronger when you focus on yourself and try to do (things) only for yourself. Therefore, rather than (focusing on) yourself, focus only on establishing and raising the authority of God and True Parents.
Envy and jealousy disappear when you think of the other person and yourself as one. “You and I are the same. We are one.”
If you think that the other person is really a true brother or sister under God, such (envy and jealousy) will disappear. Envy and jealousy arise when you think of the other person as someone else. “You are someone else. You are my neighbor....”
And envy and jealousy are self-centered desires that say, “I have to be the best.”
7. Let go of the curse and hatred of your enemies.
a. My inability to love my enemies is proof that my arrogance and fallen nature still remain.
b. Forgive your enemies. All fallen human beings are tolerant of themselves.
c. God has forgiven a sinner like me, so where is the enemy I cannot forgive?
If you do not love your enemies, you must pay indemnity. If I do not love and take no interest in the field(?) that I should love and care about them, indemnity must be paid. So you have to love everything, live for everything and care about everything. And by loving the enemy, your character is perfected and the quality of your love is really upgraded.
Loving the enemy is not simple, but loving an enemy is the best way to improve the quality of my love. When I love my enemy, the quality of my love upgrades day by day. Finally I can reach a different dimension.
Mother says, “You need to put down your own greed.” We cannot put it down as long as we carry our fallen nature. How can we become God’s sons and daughters?
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Principle of Creation 58 - The Reciprocal Relationship Between the Physical Self and the Spirit Self
The Structure and Function of the Physical Self
• The physical self consists of the dual characteristics of the physical mind (subject partner) and the physical body (object partner).
• The physical mind directs the physical body to maintain the functions necessary for its survival, protection and reproduction.
• For the physical self to grow in good health, it must absorb air and sunlight, which are intangible, yang types of nourishment, and eat and drink food and water, which are tangible, yin types of nourishment. The body has give and take with this nourishment through its digestive and circulatory systems.
• Good or evil in the conduct of the physical self is the main determinant of whether the spirit self becomes good or evil.
• This is because the physical self provides a certain element, which we call the vitality element, to the spirit self.
• In our everyday experience, our mind rejoices when our physical self performs good deeds but feels anxiety after evil conduct. This is because vitality elements, which can be good or evil according to the deeds of the physical self, are infused into our spirit self.
Let’s study Father’s words:
The Importance of our Earthly Life
<91-190>God Himself has placed the foundation of realizing the ideal in the active substantial world. You must understand this truth. Isn’t that right? [Yes]. “Wow, God’s perfection also lies within me. In conclusion, if there is no purpose or direction on earth, if there is no direction for me to follow, God also cannot move.” Isn’t that right? [Yes]. This is why you must understand the preciousness of your earthly life.
The conclusion is that the period of your life on earth is the only time when you can liberate God, revive this universe and unite all heaven and earth.
In order for the fruit of a tree to mature, it must receive nutrients from the tree. You cannot expect the maturation of fruit without trees. Likewise, the human spirit body is like a fruit, and the human physical body is like a tree. And since they are so inseparable, without the human body there can be no perfection in the spirit body.
Once a human being who has not perfected his spirit body goes to the spirit world after taking off his body, what happens? He can never grow alone as a spirit body. Therefore, the unperfected spirit body cannot complete that part which they have not yet grown unless (the spirit) goes through the condition of coming to live and help people who are using a physical body on earth. In that sense, the body is very important.
Why do people want to live longer? To live a long life? Their spirits tell them(?) that “You are not yet completed.” This is because they know themselves well that the spirit body is not yet perfected. According to True Father, the perfected spirit body has no regrets about death.
Because the perfection of God's creation is ultimately achieved through humans and their growth period, we do not know how important our body is.
That is why True Father said that through the human body, God will be resurrected, the universe will be resurrected, and the ancestors will be resurrected. And he said that human beings can unify all the worlds only through the body.
Wow! How important (our body) is! Without the body, my spirit cannot be complete. If I die without completing my spirit body, I need to come back and borrow someone’s body. That’s why while you are on the earth, you need to complete your spirit body. You cannot die. You need to keep (your body in) good health in order to complete your spirit body.
We Cannot Trade our Physical Bodies Even for the Universe
<91-190>The totality of God and all creation cannot be exchanged for the value of life on earth. Why? Without humankind existing physically on earth, God and the universe combined together would still be incomplete. Realize how precious the human body is. How great is that? What is God’s desire for us? His desire for us is to perfect ourselves during our physical lives. This is why you need to love your body. We cannot trade our physical bodies even for the universe. It is in this light that we understand the biblical verse, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” Do you understand? [ Yes].
True Father said that the human body is so important that “The totality of God and all creation cannot be exchanged for the value of life on earth.”
He said that without humans with physical bodies, God's ideal of creation cannot be perfected. The perfection of children, the perfection of brothers and sisters, the perfection of husband and wife, and the perfection of parents are only possible during the period of using the human body.
We are talking about the Four Great Realms of Heart, the four great kinds of love, (that) can only be completed while I have my physical body.
I hope that the perfection of God's will can eventually be completed through human beings in the flesh. That is why we must treat and love our body as the body of God.
In that sense, it is said that our bodies cannot be (ex)changed even (for) the universe. The human body is that valuable.
That's why the Bible said, 'What will it profit you if you gain the universe and lose your life?”
It does not make any sense. Wow! Our physical body is that important!
That’s why I am telling you, keep your body healthy. You need to exercise and eat less. If you eat less and exercise, then your body will become stronger and will become a happy body. Let’s keep a healthy body in order to complete my spirit and at the same time in order to realize God’s Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
We need to help our True Mother.
LIVING TESTIMONY: I’m a Living Testimony for Whom Anything is Possible
(Testimony of Augustine Maddox and Eunmi Rangala, engagement process & ceremony)♦
(Response to sharing) We need to appeal to people’s original mind. Without exception everybody is searching for God. That’s why we should not hesitate to talk to (people). We need to really appeal to their original mind. Without exception everybody is looking for God. That is why when we talk to their original mind, somehow it wakes up and can relate to us.
However, we have preconceptions that “This guy is very intellectual, more than I am. He is better than I am. I don’t know what to say.”
We need to really appeal to their original mind. Then we can naturally relate to anybody.♦
NOTE: This lightly edited transcription may contain errors and omissions. Indecipherable 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. Some repeated phrases have been eliminated. This text and the PowerPoint slides from this speech are available as PDF files at the top of this text. 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.♦