Cheon Seong Gyeong: Episode 256
Chapter 4: The Believer's Path in Relation to True Parents' Course
Section 4: A Life of Inheritance, 02-13
A life lived only for God's Will
(2) In any family, what child would not want to live with and attend his or her mother and father? What parents would not want to fall asleep embracing their beloved child? Who would not want to invite God into such a family? I would certainly want to do that. However, that cannot happen until the Will of God is more firmly settled. Thus, we have been walking a path of misery. I did not set out on that path for my sake but to establish the moral laws and traditions of the family. I did not mind that I was bloodied and bruised in taking on this responsibility, or that my face became gaunt, or that I suffered terribly and was spit on by others. My main problem was how to establish the right traditions on this earth before I died. I had to do just this one thing. It didn't matter that I would face violent storms time and time again; it didn't matter that I might be as pitiful as a beggar; it didn't matter that I would be imprisoned and branded a traitor. These were not my most serious problems. Up until the present, it has been my whole life's purpose to do only one thing: to leave behind the unchanging traditions of Heaven.
(3) We are united on the road to unification. Therefore, it stands to reason that we follow a common path of blood, sweat and tears. When you learn of God's tragic situation, it should make your blood boil. Upon knowing God's sadness, you should naturally shed tears. Even if I face disappointment after investing all my flesh and blood, I will still do anything to alleviate God's pain. I will do anything for the sake of the Will, even if it means that thousands of my disciples have to lead a sacrificial life. That being said, it does not mean I do not love all of you. It is because I love you that, through the Unification Church, I ask you to advance, shedding your blood, sweat, and tears, first as a servant, then, as an adopted child, and finally, as a child of the direct lineage. To be a child of the direct lineage you have to become a person who does not mind facing death, because then you will be able to walk the path of the cross. Just as God called our ancestors to take on the mission of restoration through indemnity, the substantial True Parents today have the mission to pioneer the world indemnity course by calling upon their beloved children. Therefore, this work must continue until one people in one nation is completely resurrected.
(4) The essence of the universe is that humankind is one family. Nestled in this web of love, people must discover the love that exists for the sake of the family, not just the individual. They must also find a love that exists for the sake of the tribe, the people, the nation, and the world. This is the path of love and the path of God's Will. A patriot's duty is to move forward, willing to ignore himself, his family, and his tribe for the sake of the nation. A filial son chooses to follow his parents' will, even if he has to put aside his own needs and those of his wife and children. The duty of a devoted son requires this. For this reason, the path of God's Will is the path of love, the path of loving greater things first, rather than individual things.
(5) We are now close to being able to return to God's bosom, so each of us should consider what we should do. We do not follow God's Will in order to receive blessings or obtain our own salvation. In following the Will of God, our families are needed to contribute to humankind, and our tribe is needed to contribute to the people, the nation, and the world. You must be able to live like this.
(6) What is the path of Unification Church members? We need those who can stand up and fight to defend their country. But the bigger question is how can "I" stand in the place of Jesus? In the course of history, Jesus Christ, who was sent as God's son, could not fully achieve his goal, even though he attained unity with God. Therefore, each of us must once again construct and lay this foundation. God's Will cannot advance unless we, among our first generation, prepare the foundation to connect to and substantially fulfill what Jesus could not accomplish.
(7) We ourselves must go forward as historically resurrected beings. We are not meant to just live into our seventies and eighties for our own sake. God's providential hope is for us to live and develop according to His Will throughout the course of our eternal lives. Therefore, we must live according to that Will. It is important to learn how to expand the stage of our life, through our own personalities, so we can proudly say, "My life's purpose is to reveal God's Will. I am living for the sake of God's Will, and this purpose will guide my daily life, inspire my worldview and direct my entire existence."
(8) Even in reading one page of a book, if one reads that one page in serious contemplation, thinking that the Will of God's providence can be revealed through it, he or she will be prepared to act in accord with God's desire. God can use that kind of person.
(9) God's first wish is, "Please relieve my sadness." His second is, "Please relieve my pain." Who will grant God's wishes? God cannot do it by Himself. Even if God wanted to relieve His own pain, He could not. Because we are the source of His pain, there is no other way but for us to alleviate it. We must determine to sacrifice ourselves a thousand times over for the sake of God's people. God could not tell us this deep truth, but Jesus told his disciples, "If any wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 16:24-25). Now Jesus' paradoxical words make sense.
(10) All kinds of stories and situations may arise on your path of faith. Some of you may feel you even have to sell your own blood to afford to go witnessing. If you do not have money for travel, you may convince yourself that the distance you need to go is short, and so you decide to walk, climbing at great risk over steep mountains and fields, all the while contemplating God’s Will with an unchanging heart. My hope is that even if you collapse you will have no resentment. Please do not hold resentment, even if you fail and end up sacrificing much. How could there be no arrows flying toward you, when you are like soldiers marching forward to build Heaven, holding up the torch? How could the enemy not assail you? This might happen. However, my heart, and the heart of God, do not beat for you alone, but for all people and the world. Therefore, once you accept God's Will, walk your path with joy, even if it might be a path of death. Unification soldiers need to take this kind of path.
(11) Now you know God's Will; therefore, you cannot retreat on the road you are traveling. In order to become a patriot and a filial son or daughter of Heaven, you must march on, even before Heaven moves. Now that you know this path of restoration, you have to say, "I regret that, even though I walked the individual path of the cross, I did not know the Will. I am sorrowful that even though I walked the path of the cross for the family, tribe, and people, I did not know the Will. Now that I know, I will take on the national path of the cross."
(12) For those who embrace God's Will, the more miserable a person's path, the more valuable it is. My whole life has been like this. When I reflect upon what I have, I think to myself that I have nothing. I will leave behind everything for posterity when I depart this life. I am doing everything for the sake of future generations. When I pass on, I want to leave behind love for the sake of the Unificationist community, and for all people and the world. I do not spend time thinking about leaving behind what I love and what my own children love.
Living for the sake of God's glory
FFWPU, USA