Sun Myung Moon
June 12, 1977
Belvedere, New York
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
In this world we frequently see people who are very unhappy, particularly in places like prison. During my imprisonment in North Korea I knew one prisoner who had been sentenced to death and worried about his day of execution all the time. Generally, the most hopeful moment for any prisoner is the time when his name is called; it could mean that his parole or release is coming up, or that his relatives have come to visit. But for the prisoner who has been sentenced to death, hearing his name called might mean that the time has come for his execution.
A prisoner under the death sentence is obsessed with thinking about how he can avoid his execution. Moreover, he always feels tension and agony, regretting whatever he had done in the past to incriminate himself, thinking, "If I had not done that particular deed then I would not be in this position today." The most painful thought is that some minor act brought this calamity down on him, an act which might easily have been done a little bit differently.
The most unhappy memories are not born of gigantic events; most frequently it is a trivial matter that opens the door to great unhappiness. One's life or death destiny can be changed by one little mistake, a failure to dank and evaluate one more time. Such a failure is always the result of self-centered thinking. In analyzing great mistakes or great crimes we always conclude that if the person had thought of the impact his actions would have on the well-being of others, he probably would not have committed such a blunder. It is always selfishness that results in crime. The worst crimes are committed by people who have become so self-centered that they dank only of themselves and want revenge for being hurt by something. The actions of one person who does not think properly can bring great misfortune.
If any person can put himself in a position to think for the public good then he will hardly ever make great blunders. Unhappiness and crime are the results of a person's exaggerating his own importance and being motivated by only his own welfare. This understanding can also be applied to our own lives.
Whether we are at school, at home, or with friends, this principle is always in action. Whether we advance a great purpose, disgrace ourselves or retreat to the lowest possible realms, our progress upwards or downwards will be determined by this one fact. Particularly when we are faced with making decisions about an important commitment we must always think once more before we act. In making an important decision we must think deeply from the public point of view. Those who reason only from selfishness are truly their own worst enemy. But if a person is totally committed to the benefit of others and willing to give himself sacrificially then he will normally not make any serious blunders, even though he acts without thinking.
Only selfish people need laws
There are two kinds of people following our Unification Church way of life. One kind is always complaining while the other kind does not complain but concentrates all their energy on giving of themselves. If a person complains then who is at the center of his complaint? Is it complaining to say, "I am sick of the Unification Church. We have to get up so early every day"? Suppose a person shouted at the other members, "Let's go out and work earlier and harder." Is that complaining? No matter how much he may give people a hard time about selling more newspapers, that would not constitute complaint. Sometimes a person's face and tone of voice are harsh and hostile and the person looks like he is complaining. However, that may not be a complaint but more like a warning or advice.
What is the difference between making a complaint and giving a warning? When motivation comes from one's own selfish point of view then a complaint results. However, if someone acts or speaks out for the sake of others, for the sake of the public or for the sake of God, then no matter how harsh it may be it is not considered a complaint but a warning. Sometimes I speak harshly and bluntly and sometimes I even scold you. But when you see that my anger is motivated by concern for others and for the cause of restoration, you know my purpose is an unselfish one. Then you can willingly accept it. On the other hand, if a leader speaks strongly to you and you can see that his motivation is selfish then you don't want to follow his direction.
If a soldier kills many of the enemy on the battlefield he may be given the Medal of Honor. However, if that same soldier even accidentally kills someone during peacetime then he is called a criminal. Both are acts of murder. Why do people applaud one act but punish the other? Only one thing makes his actions different: the soldier is not motivated by personal benefit to kill in combat. When his action is a public one for the defense of his nation then he is honored, but if he kills at home for his own selfish reasons then he is condemned.
In light of this, how can we define what law is? Law is a regulation or criterion to control or contain the actions of selfish people. Laws are a necessity if selfish people are to live together. Whether for an individual, group or nation, the law sets limits and prohibits people from violating their minimal social responsibility. On the other hand, no laws are needed between people who naturally live their lives for the sake of others in a totally unselfish and devoted way. Have you ever heard of a law regulating people who are sincerely devoted to service? Man is supposed to be liberated from the law eventually. You must become people who do not require laws on the levels of the individual, group, nation and even the world.
What kind of person can live above the law? Broadly speaking, such a person pursues a cause that is greater than himself, but there are different degrees of unselfishness. If there is a group of people living unselfishly for the sake of the nation and a group living unselfishly for the sake of the world, which one is working for the higher purpose? The person who is only devoting himself to the sake of the nation is not big enough to be above the law of the world. Sometimes the interests of the nation conflict with the interests of the world. People are finding out that worldwide standards are needed to regulate nations.
If you can totally live for God then you are above judgment
America has its own national laws and is also involved with many other nations. Even so, many Americans feel that they only need to be concerned with the well-being and survival of their own nation and not of the rest of the world. From the viewpoint of the world, that attitude is not a righteous one because it conflicts with the well-being of the world. The era in which America is respected by the world is over.
On every level good and evil is determined by one simple principle: whether a person is motivated by selfishness or unselfishness. For example, if the president of a nation works purely for the sake of his nation then he is on the side of goodness and shall be respected by his nation. But if he works solely for his personal political gain then he is recognized as being selfish and suspected of being corrupt.
However, let's say that the president goes one step further and works for the well-being of mankind and the world. Then he becomes a person who is respected by the world. If his attitude is limited to serving America's best interests then his actions will frequently cause resentment and friction on the worldwide level.
Wherever a law is needed judgment becomes necessary. Basically, judgment is always given according to the degree of selfishness of an act. Suppose you want to become a person who lives above the law, more than just a law-abiding citizen. To live above the law you must become an unselfish person; then your outlook is not limited by your own selfish purpose. When you become a person who is determined to live for the highest cause, the sake of the world, then you will be liberated from the need for all levels of law below that cause.
When you become the type of person about whom people can say, "He does not live for himself. He lives for God," then you are indeed a great and fearless person. In your language you frequently use the word "great," but do you know its meaning? Greatness can only exist when you are unselfish. Who is a strong, bold person? The person who lives for a selfish purpose will never be great or bold or strong. Only those who live unselfishly for others will be strong, bold, great people.
The entire complicated world of human affairs can be assessed by this simple principle. There are many schools that teach complicated subjects but few that teach the simple rules of human living.
Our Unification Church school teaches those simple things. Religious people live under the law of the world and ultimately under the law of God instead of confining their point of view to just the family or the nation. Therefore, the people who limit their thinking to national laws, especially national leaders, need to be educated and enlightened by religious people. Today there is a lot of confusion as to what constitutes a religious person and a political person. If politics were needed to govern religion then religion would no longer be capable of serving the world. Religion would no longer function as religion but would function instead within the limitations of politics.
What kind of religious leader is needed and what is the Unification Church? Do you need the constraints of law or are you already above the need for any laws? When you absolutely live for the sake of God you will not be hurt by the limitations of lesser laws because you are guided by the supreme law of God.
This kind of situation can be seen in America today. I am trying to obey the supreme law of God. Even so government agencies are checking everything I do for signs of criminal selfishness, but no matter how diligently they look they will find only total unselfishness and dedication to the ultimate law of God. After they have checked everything they are responsible in the sight of God to proclaim our innocence to the world. I have never done a selfish thing in America, nor have I hurt or damaged America in any way.
The most important concern is who will ultimately be victorious. The fact that we are in the minority does not matter; if I had to confront billions of people by myself it wouldn't matter. Who the stronger group or person is will ultimately be determined by the law which they pursue. If you unswervingly follow the supreme law of God then in comparison the power of any lesser law will be just like dried grass.
America and Soviet Russia both have different laws and are pursuing different goals. Which one is following the true ideology if both nations believe that they are right? Both cannot be true and you must know how to judge which is closer to the truth. The nation which is determined to sacrifice its own national goals for the benefit of the world is following the highest ideology. That is the criterion for determining the truth.
Ultimately you are destined to stand before the judgment of God. If you have become a person who can live totally for the sake of God then you have already transcended any need for judgment. But if you live your life for your own selfish purpose then in the sight of God you need to be judged. The person who is above the law will he the one to pass judgment. Christians who pursue small selfish benefits, acting and working only for their own denomination, will be judged by Jesus, the very person they claim to follow.
Even though Christians themselves have violated many of God's laws they still judge others, calling them heretics or antichrists. Some Christians insist that the Unification Church is false and heretical, but are they qualified to pass judgment? Did God give them that authority? If Christians are only concerned about their own church denomination, they shall be judged by the people who live beyond the circumference of their own religion, the people who totally dedicate themselves for the sake of God.
An unselfish person can distinguish good from evil in any situation
If you are a person who can live above the law then in any situation you can immediately determine the good and evil of a conflict. The accuracy of your insight will depend on how unselfish you are in your own life. The people who are judged for violating the laws of the state or nation and are put into prison are being chastised for living only for their own selfish purposes. Individuals, societies and nations will ultimately be evaluated according to this one simple criterion.
Any leader must at some time choose individuals to fill responsible positions. What is my criterion for choosing leaders in the Unification Church? The one quality I most dislike in a person is the habit of being selfishly motivated. I will give the most responsibility to those who are unselfish. It is as simple as that. With this simple understanding you will be able to evaluate teachers, philosophers, societies, and nations.
With this criterion you can even evaluate God Himself, determining whether He is a good and true God or an evil, false God. In our religious life there are many temptations, like feeling that you should be having more of a good time and wasting less energy on other people. By knowing the standard of good and evil you can clearly know why such desires are not good to act upon. If you become the kind of person who is absolutely 100% sure of living for God and humanity then the topic today, "Let Us Think Once More," does not need to be discussed. When all your actions are automatically good then this topic is redundant.
Whatever you do, if your motivation is to improve the work of God and His Kingdom then your actions are good, no matter how trivial or menial they may appear. Fund raising and selling the newspaper are menial jobs, but does that make them evil or worthless? Are you doing these things for the advancement of your own selfish purpose? The New York Times is a selfish paper so we are challenging it for the sake of God and America. Is our ultimate purpose in starting the News World just to put the New York Times out of business? Our purpose is much broader than simple competition on a business level.
The American people often boast that America is a very righteous nation, but since I've come to this land I have not seen the righteousness of America. I am looking for an ideology and a righteousness that is pursuing a greater goal than my goal. But I have not found it. I am not here to praise America for its glorious history of 200 years or for its accomplishments. Will America despise me for that? Instead I came to America and judged this nation with my words at Yankee Stadium and Washington Monument, saying that this nation will be destroyed if it continues as it is going now. Americans probably resent those words because I am not an American, but even though I am from the small country of Korea I speak with authority.
It is very humiliating for Americans to hear a foreigner declare that he has come to heal America, that America needs a physician from outside. I did not come to please Americans but to speak unsettling words to them. I came to ask Americans to become humble and unselfish for the sake of God, which is the opposite of what America would like to hear.
I did not come to earn money for myself or my family. Instead of demanding things from you I have given you new life and new hope through the Divine Principle. America needs to be educated and you are the ones who can be the great teachers for this nation. For example, American women are frequently very demanding and insist that men serve them. Often their ideal is to be treated like queens by their husbands. Are you women sitting here different than the majority of American women? Because you know the Divine Principle you have changed and think instead that your husband will be the king of your home and you will serve him. Who changed your thinking-your college professors or President Carter?
What will happen in America if the men and women are not re-educated about true marriage? Many men are now so afraid or resentful of women that they would rather live among themselves. The demand for gay rights has spread because more and more men would rather live with another man than a woman. From God's point of view, however, this is a sign of the ruin and destruction of this country. This precisely parallels what happened to the Roman Empire and to Sodom and Gomorrah when lustful immorality brought those nations to ruin.
Why are you American women listening to me? It is because you realize that this way of life is ultimately the most beneficial way of life for your family, nation and world. The other day in New York City I saw a man demonstrating for men's rights and liberation from the tyranny of women. Only in America could this peculiar kind of demonstration occur. However, the era of women's push for supremacy is an extraordinary but temporary period of God's dispensation, stretching from 1918-1988. During that period the true relationship between men and women will be restored. American women may think I am advocating their humiliation, but what do you think? When the 74 couples were being matched for the blessing I asked the brothers what nationality they wanted their wives to be, and nine out of ten said they preferred Oriental women. You women here are in the position to pay indemnity for the sake of all American women.
Let's return to the original subject of today's sermon, "Let Us Think Once More." This topic is Himself, determining whether He is a good and true God or an evil, false God. In our religious life there - many temptations, like feeling that you should be having more of a good time and wasting less energy on other people. By knowing the standard of good and evil you can clearly know why such desires are not good to act upon. If you become the kind of person who is absolutely 100% sure of living for God and humanity then the topic today, "Let Us Think Once More," does not need to be discussed. When all your actions are automatically good then this topic is redundant.
Whatever you do, if your motivation is to improve the work of God and His Kingdom then your actions are good, no matter how trivial or menial they may appear. Fund raising and selling the newspaper are menial jobs, but does that make them evil or worthless? Are you doing these things for the advancement of your own selfish purpose? The New York Times is a selfish paper so we are challenging it for the sake of God and America. Is our ultimate purpose in starting the News World just to put the New York Times out of business? Our purpose is much broader than simple competition on a business level.
The American people often boast that America is a very righteous nation, but since I've come to this land I have not seen the righteousness of America. I am looking for an ideology and a righteousness that is pursuing a greater goal than my goal. But I have not found it. I am not here to praise America for its glorious history of 200 years or for its accomplishments. Will America despise me for that? Instead I came to America and judged this nation with my words at Yankee Stadium and Washington Monument, saying that this nation will be destroyed if it continues as it is going now. Americans probably resent those words because I am not an American, but even though I am from the small country of Korea I speak with authority.
It is very humiliating for Americans to hear a foreigner declare that he has come to heal America, that America needs a physician from outside. I did not come to please Americans but to speak unsettling words to them. I came to ask Americans to become humble and unselfish for the sake of God, which is the opposite of what America would like to hear.
I did not come to earn money for myself or my family. Instead of demanding things from you I have given you new life and new hope through the Divine Principle. America needs to be educated and you are the ones who can be the great teachers for this nation. For example, American women are frequently very demanding and insist that men serve them. Often their ideal is to be treated like queens by their husbands. Are you women sitting here different than the majority of American women? Because you know the Divine Principle you have changed and think instead that your husband will be the king of your home and you will serve him. Who changed your thinking-your college professors or President Carter?
What will happen in America if the men and women are not re-educated about true marriage? Many men are now so afraid or resentful of women that they would rather live among themselves. The demand for gay rights has spread because more and more men would rather live with another man than a woman. From God's point of view, however, this is a sign of the ruin and destruction of this country. This precisely parallels what happened to the Roman Empire and to Sodom and Gomorrah when lustful immorality brought those nations to ruin.
Why are you American women listening to me? It is because you realize that this way of life is ultimately the most beneficial way of life for your family, nation and world. The other day in New York City I saw a man demonstrating for men's rights and liberation from the tyranny of women. Only in America could this peculiar kind of demonstration occur. However, the era of women's push for supremacy is an extraordinary but temporary period of God's dispensation, stretching from 1918-1988. During that period the true relationship between men and women will be restored. American women may think I am advocating their humiliation, but what do you think? When the 74 couples were being matched for the blessing I asked the brothers what nationality they wanted their wives to be, and nine out of ten said they preferred Oriental women. You women here are in the position to pay indemnity for the sake of all American women.
Let's return to the original subject of today's sermon, "Let Us Think Once More." This topic is significant because selfishness is always part of what motivates anyone who grew up in this world. if you truly dedicate yourself for the sake of God and humanity, there is nothing to be afraid of and no place that can confine you. God will never judge you and there will be no place you cannot go.
Selfishness is powerful enough to destroy even God
When you are a selfish person there are many layers of confinement because you are blocking yourself. You feel helplessly confined by the law. But as soon as you are determined to live not for yourself but for others, there will be no boundaries to confine you. Who then is the truly wise man?
Personal struggles and battles always arise because of selfishness. You say, "Why are you bothering me," or "Why did you say that to me?" "Me" is the center of problems and also the center of hell. "You" is the center of heaven and when you say, "I live for you; I help you; I love you," that is heaven. Your greatness of heart on earth will determine your boundaries in heaven. If that "you" boundary is just big enough to encompass your own family then your heaven will encompass only your own family. But if that boundary is big enough to encircle the nation and the world then your heaven is going to be that big. If your boundary can include God then everything in His power is all yours, including all of heaven.
Which boundary would you like to embrace? Can you really say to God, "I live for You"? The determination and qualification to live that way of life are not easy to acquire. You must shed more tears than the entire world has shed and you must bear the burden that the world's people have not borne. That is the criterion of good and evil and the boundary of heaven and hell. Success and failure as well as happiness and unhappiness are also divided by this boundary.
Let us examine this particular truth from the Biblical point of view. The fall of man occurred because of the self-centeredness of the archangel Lucifer, and his selfishness evoked selfishness from the heart of Eve. Destruction always comes from selfishness,.
God was hurt. Even God is selfish sometimes and could destroy Himself. Selfishness is powerful enough to destroy even God. If God was truly angry at Adam and Eve for causing Him anguish then He could have obliterated them. But if He had done that then He also would have been destroyed because His purpose would have been destroyed. Mankind would have ceased to exist because God can create the world and man only once. Because of the nature of creation it is impossible for God to wipe out everything and start anew.
After the fall of man God did not react out of personal anger. He thought about the unselfish way, suppressed His anger, and started on the road of restoration. God determined to forget Himself and think of man by giving man a chance to restore himself. The grace of salvation came into being when God decided to save man. God cannot reverse His decision once it is made and even if restoration takes 10,000 years God will pursue His goal.
Today there are people who say that God is dead. If you were God, how would you feel listening to such an awful statement? Would you want to strike them dead? God suppresses His anger instead and sends people to tell the world, "God is not dead. God is living and strong." The religions which claim that God is dead are weak and vulnerable, but because I claim that God is alive and that He is our Father our movement is strong.
With what authority do I speak so boldly? An ordinary man may become ambassador to another country and speak with authority but what is his authority? Behind that man is a nation and sovereignty, and he speaks with the authority of representing them. Can the power of the sovereignty of this American nation be compared with the sovereignty of God? Our movement is strong and powerful because it represents the almighty sovereignty of God. That is the reason why I was able to come to this country fearlessly and proclaim the truth throughout the land with confidence.
The evidence of God's power attracts attention and the world is scrutinizing me very intently. President Nixon was the president of the most powerful nation on earth but even he resigned from office after a year and a half of public criticism. People thought that I might last for only six months, but after five years in the American public eye I am still going strong.
It is amusing to see how obsessed some people are with investigating everything I do. If I were to hide a worthless rock somewhere I am sure some agent would go to extremes to get hold of it. At one time one of our members was approached by people who wanted to buy the trash from Belvedere. Were those people motivated by a desire to help us, or did they have some malicious intent?
People who are giving me a hard time cannot sleep too well at night, but when the time comes to rest I rest very well and have no worries, Why? Most of the people who come to America have some selfish purposes but I did not come here to receive money, honor or fame. I knew even before I came to America that I would be persecuted and cursed, but I spent sweat, energy and money here anyway. I worked harder than anyone else, but with one difference: it was for a totally unselfish purpose.
I am receiving all the scorn, suffering and persecution that I knew was inevitable, but still I forgive America. I am being ridiculed, but before God I defend America, saying, "Won't You be patient with America a little longer and give me a chance to turn this nation to Your Will?"
Day in and day out I visit, listen to and encourage you members. Even when I chastise you and urge you to work harder and harder, you still come to hear my sermons and meet with me. Why? If you did not come then I would have an excuse to give God, saying, "God, for 31/2 years I did my absolute best here in America, but no people came to work with me. Therefore, I have to leave this country." But since you keep coming, even after chastisement, I cannot say that to God. You are giving me a hard time by not packing up and leaving me alone!
You know that ultimately you will be better off with me and that here you can be a winner. If I declared, "I'm leaving America. I'm fed up with this country," your various government agencies would say, "Bravo! We succeeded in getting rid of him." But how would you feel? You would want to follow me even if I went back to Korea. If we had one million members here and I suddenly decided to leave, then the State Department would be flooded with one million passport applications in one day.
America is not acting wisely right now by mistreating and misunderstanding me. There are thousands of young people following me and that number will increase in the future. I will train you to become strong champions of God and of freedom and you shall become America's strength everywhere. I have no attachment to places like Belvedere or East Garden; I am staying here at this particular time only because it is my mission to work in America. America is just one stopover point. I do not need anyone to support me or my family. My way is clear and I am not concerned about my livelihood because God will always take care of me.
Do you want to follow me? People think you are crazy because you are willing to wait for the blessing, even though you may be getting old. That is why people say you are brainwashed. They don't see that you are not foolish, that you have found something of priceless value and are gaining everything.
As a central figure, I am always checking myself for selfish motives
Adam and Eve's motivation for the fall was selfishness. Cain was jealous of Abel because Abel's offering was accepted by God and Cain took a selfish point of view in his justification of why God only favored Abel. Cain did not know that Abel was playing a specific role in the sight of God, and Cain's motivation in making his offering was to bargain for God's favor. He did not realize that his offering had a historical purpose and would affect the past, present and future.
If Cain had thought more deeply before killing his brother then history would have been different. If Adam and Eve had examined their motivation one more time before they fell, then history would have been different. Noah was careless in lying naked on his bed. If he had thought about it once more, for his children's sake, he might not have committed that blunder.
Ham was humiliated at seeing his father and he felt his dignity was hurt. "Me" was the center of his thoughts and actions and based on that motivation he covered his sleeping father. That action brought tragedy to the dispensation. Covering his father's body was not wrong but Ham should have had unconditional respect for his father as a man of God. If he had approached his father without shame and with a loving heart covered his father's body then that scene would have been beautiful to God.
It was essential that Ham honor the fact that his father was accepted in the sight of God. Noah had persevered through 120 years of ridicule and persecution in order to build the ark, and because of his faith Noah's family was the only group of people alive upon the face of the earth after the flood. Ham should have been humble after witnessing this and should have looked at his father from the public point of view.
Abraham offered three sacrifices-two doves, a ram and a she-goat and a heifer-but he was careless and failed to cut the doves in two. If he had been more serious and thought once more that this was for the sake of the entire history of God then he would not have committed that blunder. The indemnity for Abraham's failure brought 400 years of slavery in Egypt, a foreign land, to his descendants. The ultimate result of this and accumulated failures in Old Testament history was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The seeds of Jesus' crucifixion were partly sown in Abraham's failure.
Moses struck the Rock of Horeb twice instead of once, laying a base for the Jewish people to fail and be destroyed in the wilderness. Moses was upset at that particular moment, but he translated his anger into action. In an earlier moment of anger he shattered the tablets upon which God had written the Commandments. His short-sighted actions were a contributing cause in the failure of the people in the wilderness.
John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the son of God and at one time proclaimed that fact to the world. This was a very serious proclamation! If afterward John the Baptist had once again thought deeply about the implications, he would have acted differently. If all the men of God who played important roles throughout dispensational history had deeply pondered about their missions once again, they would not have committed such crucial blunders and history would have been different.
I am in precisely the same position and I am always checking myself for any hidden selfish motives. For example, I did not want to show any animosity whatsoever toward the American people because of their persecution of me and the Unification Church. That would be the self-centered way of thinking. Instead I brought Asian people here to work and toil for the sake of America, despite the persecution.
If the Asians unselfishly give of themselves for the sake of America, even if America rejects them and shows no appreciation, then Korea and Japan will not perish. It is the formula of history that even the greatest nations which oppose God's will inevitably decline. Let us be public people who can live the principle.
I have gone through my years of youth as you have and I felt the same emotions and anguish as you do at this time in your lives. What was I doing at your age? There was terrible persecution of our church during which I was tortured and often kept in prison. I experienced incredible abuse. My prison terms would have had a much different meaning if I had actually committed some crime. Then I would have deserved a jail sentence. But all I did was proclaim the word of God as I do now in America. In those days I warned Korea and Japan and even communist North Korea that the future was in peril and that we must follow the path of God in order to survive. At that time I was ridiculed and persecuted and put in jail, but my revelations have come true. Today many people realize that what I said in the past was true.
If you were selfish-minded people then you would not have remained in the Unification Church but would have packed and left a long time ago. I am the same. We remain because we know that by sacrificing ourselves America and the world can be saved. Yet for doing this we have still been persecuted. I want you to know that God is sympathetic and on your side, regardless of how pathetic you may look. God sees that even though the majority of Americans have misunderstood and mistreated me, Americans like you here today honor and respect me. Your degree of loyalty has been demonstrated by very few people in American history. You have demonstrated that even through persecution you will follow me.
What made you like this? Have I personally forced you to follow me? I have never even met each one of you, and with many of you I have never had a personal conversation. Why then do you want to follow me? Your parents are ready to give you everything you need-money, shelter, food, schooling but you gave up all these things and followed me. Why? It is not my power but the power of God that is manifested in this room. Nobody can provide such power except God, and that is why you are so precious and priceless to me. God molded each and every one of you and brought you to this level.
One humble member is greater than tens of thousands of people who may oppose us. One million people means nothing; as one individual member, you are most precious. Looking at your faces I can dismiss what has been done to me. God is the same. You are so beautiful in the sight of God that when He looks at you He has hope and is able to forgive all the rebellious people, feeling that because of you He can save the rest of America. Your loyalty is a gift from Heavenly Father.
Are you happy or unhappy? You are truly happy because you have God caring for and loving you, but most importantly, God will never betray you. You have found someone who truly pays the utmost attention to your future and is leading you into your eternal value. As long as God is paying attention to you, you have your own future. You and your family will not only be happy, but you will assure America of its future and be able to bring great happiness to the American people; because of you the nation will be forgiven and because of you the world will have hope. That is why you are happy people.
You can experiment with prayers of gratitude and prayers of complaint
Certainly your day-today life is a difficult one of sacrifice and hard work. Before you joined the Unification Church you may have worn beautiful clothing and jewelry and spent much time on yourself. But now there is no guarantee that there will even be hot water in the morning. You may think, "What have I gained? I've lost everything and I'm miserable now." Well, there is a certain truth to this, but when you feel this way then think of today's topic, "Let us Think Once More."
God knows you better than you know yourself, and if you want to air your grievances do so before God because no one else has the capacity to comfort you. Don't complain among yourselves. God will listen to your complaints in your prayers.
You should experiment with this on your own. One day come to God and offer a prayer of complaint; maybe you single sisters who are older could gripe, "God, what are you doing up there? Why don't you come down and help me? I need to get married." Then the next day you could pray, "God, You know how old I am and how people think I'm an old maid, but never mind Father. If my life can help You in Your work, if I can be like You and live for the sake of this world and humanity, then I am willing to become Your sacrifice. My life is Yours. You just tell me what You want."
At the end of two days compare how you felt on each day. I tried this myself. I had showdown prayers with God and sometimes I would just pray and jump wildly around and stamp on the ground. Then I discovered which is the best kind of prayer. You too can experiment with offering self-centered prayers of complaint and unselfish prayers. The results will be absolutely different. In the first prayer you make yourself miserable, but in the second you sanctify yourself.
In the human way of life there is always self-centered thinking. That is why I gave this sermon this morning. Whenever you begin to feel this way, please remember "Let Us Think Once More." Even selling the newspaper can be heaven or hell. One person may feel, "I hate this kind of job." They force themselves to go out but they are miserable. Another may think, "This is menial work, but I'm doing it for the sake of God and humanity." It is the power of your thought that makes the difference between heaven and hell.
The most beautiful teaching of the Bible is to be humble and not arrogant. The people who live a selfish way of life will never get to the Kingdom of God in Heaven. I have been to all the different realms of the spirit world and never once did I meet one self-glorifying person who had arrived in paradise. I knew some famous and respected ministers whom many people thought would go to the highest part of heaven, but in spirit world I discovered that they were in hell. They were so misguided as to receive glory and honor for themselves, leaving no room for Jesus Christ or God. The Kingdom of God in Heaven is a public sanctuary and a private, selfish kind of person cannot get there.
You elevate yourselves toward heaven through overcoming tribulation, but hell is also waiting at that moment. Whether you stand on the side of selfishness or unselfishness determines whether heaven or hell surrounds you. The choice is yours.
Do not decide anything until considering it with patience
Today's sermon is not abstract truth but a practical formula for your daily life. Because you must make decisions every day, you must stop and think once more and put yourself on the unselfish side. This sermon is not only given for you, but also for me. We all exist together under the same law. Therefore, every day is an internal battle within ourselves, an intense battle which people outside our church don't encounter.
You are the one who will stop you from reaching heaven and push you into hell, no one else. That is why you must be careful about the words you speak. Once you have spoken you are committed to action. First you must be careful about the words you speak, and secondly you must be cautious about the words you hear. If selfish remarks are being spoken, do not listen to them. The same applies to selfish deeds; do not look at them. The best defense is to not even talk to the person who lives selfishly. The way to improve yourself is to have give and take with persons who are spiritually more advanced. Then you can live in a higher love and a higher law.
If you go to a good leader for advice he will tell you to eliminate your private self so that your public self will be free to act. If the person you consult says, "Go ahead and act on your own selfish desires and we will ignore them," he is definitely not a true leader. The person who guides and inspires you to live an unselfish way of life is a good teacher, friend and parent.
If you are facing an impossible situation and feel you just cannot go on then pray to Heavenly Father and He will advise you. The best answer God can give you is, "My child, I understand your heart, but you must be patient and withstand this trial. That is the best way to receive your blessing." God will give you that answer every time.
The Chinese character for "patience" is a combination of two characters, with the top portion symbolizing "sword" and the lower portion symbolizing "mind." The idea conveyed is to keep the sword planted in your mind instead of rashly pulling it out to attack somebody or something. That is patience. Keeping the sword planted in your mind is most painful at times, but the person who can endure and be patient time after time is the person who will win one thousand battles.
You had better dank once more at every decision-making occasion; even concerning little things do not decide anything until you have considered it with patience and perseverance. Let us be patient one more time. Let us endure one more time. Before you take action, think about it one more time.
The essence of today's sermon is patience. Usually we don't like to hear that word but it is crucial. By being patient and by enduring suffering you inherit the blessing of those who attack you. America is attacking me in anger but I am patient because I will ultimately inherit the blessing under those circumstances. This is the formula of history. When you cause damage you must pay the penalty, but the reverse is equally true: The more you willingly suffer, the more you will ultimately be reimbursed. The greater the persecution you endure, the greater the blessing you will receive.
It is not that we are waiting greedily to receive America's blessing for ourselves. God's intention is for us to receive the blessings but then to return them without any hesitation back to this nation. If they are refused then we will try again and again until they are either accepted or until God says, "You keep them." Wherever God goes He carries blessing with Him, going to the places where He can find willing recipients. That is the mind of God.
I know very well that you are sometimes discouraged and despondent, but I am absolutely certain that no matter how difficult a situation you may face, you will never face the same difficulties that I have passed through. I was tortured many times and threw up so much blood that I was more dead than alive. Even at that moment I practiced the Principle. I did not panic and pray to God to deliver me from my enemies and alleviate my suffering. Instead I prayed, "God, Your will shall be done. I shall never let suffering stop me; I will go on so don't worry about me." Because God knew my suffering so well I could pray in no other manner.
God knows that your path is a difficult one, yet He has to put you in that position regardless. You must be sympathetic with God for having to ask such things of His children. I knew that there was a reason for someone having to go that route, and when God chose me to do it I responded, "God, I want to do this and I understand Your heart in allowing this suffering to come to me. I know You have a reason and therefore I will completely accept and bear everything." That frame of mind opens up a whole new world where the most difficult and critical situation can be turned around 180 degrees. It is not God who will initiate that drastic change. You yourself must apply the formula.
When I came to America I knew that inevitably some people would attack me, trying to force me to leave this country and trying to destroy the Unification Church. When critical moments are at hand, I do not feel fear but willingly, courageously, and enthusiastically face the difficulty.
I know that my actions can change a nation's destiny during critical times. Even when powerful people fabricate accusations against me, it is only another chance for me to turn the whole situation around. Once there is controversy, a nation will be divided into two camps of opinion. That is happening right now but I remain silent and make no public statement.
There are many people who like you Moonies because you are clean-cut, dedicated and morally sound, but those people say they can't stand Reverend Moon. That is all right; eventually they will discover that you Moonies are good because I am good. This is all God's most profound strategy. If I quietly came to America and no controversy resulted then the media and consequently the public would have ignored me. Then the world would never have had a chance to hear of me.
As we become controversial many people try to destroy us but that only makes us even more controversial. People get confused because they see us in person in a good way, but the media portrays us another way. Do not worry about the pros and cons of the world's opinion. Let people fight among themselves. We will work for the sake of America and do extraordinary things.
I have to use an interpreter to speak but you can speak for yourself when you witness. You are better off than I am! Because you are younger than I am you have more energy. This is your own country and you will be accepted by American citizens. In many ways you are in a superior position and there is no reason why you couldn't do greater things than I can.
Your slogan should be that you will do better than I could. Even if you are persecuted more than I am, you will be able to bear the burden and smile and laugh even where I would have cried. The secret is, "Let Us Think Once More."
Today is Sunday. Because it is set aside for God it is more public. There is more of God's work to do and there is no retreat, only advancement. Those who want to go forward today, raise your hands. God bless you. Let us pray.