ORDER NUMBER
87-01-25
REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON
SPEAKS ON
I SHALL FOLLOW
WITH GRATITUDE AND
OBEDIENCE
January 25, 1987
Belvedere
Translator - Sang Kil Han
The words "I shall follow with gratitude and obedience"
are good words, aren't they? What kind of people are we? What kind of
work do we do? You say that we are religious people; what do religious
people do? Well, the answer is rather simple: religious people are
those who are heading for heaven. That is one definition of religious
people. Therefore, those of us here are heading for heaven.
In your wildest imagination, what do you think heaven would be
like? One certainty is that once people get to the spirit world
everything is revealed; nothing is hidden. People have many shells here
on earth; so much is concealed under clothing and other coverings. But
in the spirit world everything will become very visible. Would you find
that fearful or interesting? Someone answered both!
Imagine a person walking down the street completely naked; that is
the kind of situation we will face in the spirit world. Our life on
earth should prepare us for such an exposed existence in the spirit
world where nothing can be hidden. We should expect all aspects of
ourselves to be apparent to others.
More is demanded of people in the spirit world than on earth. One
reason is that, unlike earth, heaven is the home territory of God's
administration. God is in control of everything there. Heaven can be
roughly divided into three layers, each with its variations of
courtesy, language, manner of address and lifestyle. In the spirit
world there are differences in ethics, beauty, language, and many such
things and people are expected to uphold these standards.
When people are elevated from earth to heaven, they are given no
chance to modify themselves in preparation; they must go just as they
are. Even at the most unprepared level, people should still be able to
distinguish between good and evil. That is a primitive but basic human
capacity.
People on earth can be roughly divided into three categories: those
who are committed to the good side, those committed to the bad side,
and those who are in a position to choose either way. Heaven is for
good people and hell is for bad people. Even on earth these
distinctions between good and bad people are often apparent. They are
visible in the United States, for example. Some people lead an
obviously undesirable way of life; in any community you will find such
people.
It is obvious where violent people and gangsters are heading, but
what about drug abusers? You might consider them in the middle, but if
you are a bit more discerning you would call their way of life clearly
bad. A person may be violent or part of the Mafia, but that affects
mostly his generation. Someone in the next generation may change his
path and become a good person. By contrast, drug abusers pass their
burden on to their descendants; their children are affected regardless
of what they do.
Gangsters and bad people in general can repent deeply and be
transformed. There have been many examples of such changes. But drug
abusers hurt their bodies and minds and they cannot change so easily.
Furthermore, no matter how much they repent they cannot erase their
effect on the second generation. So their condition is worse. If some
parents had not abused drugs, their children might have been born as
geniuses and become great scholars or outstanding citizens. But
parental drug abuse can inflict physical maladies and deformities on
the children and make them very miserable. This is a serious crime to
commit against one's own children, and it can wash away the foundation
of goodness of an entire family.
When Satan wants to destroy something especially good, drugs are
the most effective strategy. If Satan is devoted to destroying a
country, the United States is his first choice. Drugs and drug abusers
are rampant here, so can this be considered a good country? No, it is
the worst country in the world in this respect. If drug abuse becomes
out of control, God may withdraw His blessing from this country. Should
such Americans to go to heaven or hell? You said hell. That is your own
answer.
Would you like to see the United States perish? Who can save this
land? Conventional Christians can also become enmeshed in drugs. Even
moral and ethical people can be drawn into that way of life, so who in
the world has enough power to save them? Somebody has to do it. There
must be some group that hates drug abuse and is indignant at drug
abusers. Such a group must rise above indifference and recognize that
drug abuse is the enemy of God and mankind. They need to rescue drug
abusers by whatever means necessary. Can we expect today's Christians
to do that job? We need to be filled with enthusiasm and longing to
take up this task; we need to save these people.
But not everyone believes in the Moonies; not everyone feels
Moonies can be trusted. Sometimes I feel that way too! Are you real
Moonies? Do the real Moonies outnumber the fake or half-hearted
Moonies? Upon close examination, there seem to be few real Moonies, few
people deeply committed to the Principle.
I have been bearing the burden of the United States and the entire
free world; now I want to transfer it to your shoulders. Are you ready
to carry it? Moonies are good at taking things; if someone brings
something to you, you will take it. Moonies will do a little good-just
a bit- but then claim to have accomplished it all.
You may consider such an attitude ambitious, but it is actually
thievery. A thief tries to take everything with little effort. If you
closely study such a person, would you call him good or bad? If a group
is like that, you would call it bad too. If I am the head of that
group, am I automatically a good person or a bad person? When you
pursue the question this way, you realize it is a serious issue.
Let's think about what constitutes a real Moonie. Are there many
real Moonies? When a person ponders a given task, analyzes it
thoroughly, and then-if he thinks it is feasible-slowly sets to work on
it, is he a real Moonie? How about someone who responds to a new
challenge by resolving to learn it quickly and then carry it out, is he
a real Moonie? In your opinion, do religious people usually know what
is ahead of them? Does a religious person know what he is going to do
in the future? Can he predict his environment? No. A religious person
trusts everything to heaven and carries on.
A good example from the Bible is Noah. Did God tell everyone in
Noah's family and community what was going to happen? No, He revealed
it only to Noah. Furthermore, God did not command him to build the boat
on the seashore but on a mountain top. People might not have had so
much difficulty believing in Noah if his shipyard had been by the sea,
but anyone building a boat on a mountain top would be considered
crazy.
If Noah's wife opposed her husband and called his work absurd, the
children would most likely adopt her attitude. Why did God choose to
work this way? Why doesn't God explain things to everybody? When
history is in transition to a new era, when mankind is being lifted up
to a new world, people are first asked to deny everything. Without
denying existing criteria and existing customs, no one can make the
transition to the new world.
John the Baptist dwelt in a wilderness and lived off locusts and
honey, the wildest sources of food. Try to imagine how he appeared to
people. His clothing was the bare minimum; it was never washed or
mended. With so many holes in his garment, the wind passed through it
freely. How many baths do you suppose he took in a year? How do you
think he smelled? He didn't have any apparent dignity.
Not only was John's appearance strange, but his message was
unfamiliar as well: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand." People didn't find those words in the Old Testament. John
the Baptist was shouting out a message they had never heard before, a
teaching with no biblical grounds. You can imagine that when he called
out for repentance, his listeners would retort: "You repent. I
have no reason to repent; I have been following my tradition. You
repent because you are trying to go against the Bible."
Do you think it was easy for someone to remain a disciple of John
for very long under those circumstances- or even to become one? His
disciples must have eventually run away. People consider John the
Baptist a great person now, but this is how he appeared then. It was
extremely difficult for people to persevere in such an environment.
Even Jesus seemed to be nothing more than a carpenter, and not even
an independent carpenter at that. What authority or dignity did he have
that people could respect and understand? Very little. When he said he
was the son of God and asked for their full faith and trust, was it
easy for people to follow him? No, it wasn't.
When you consider all the obstacles, whose circumstances might be
most favorable to faith: those of Noah, John the Baptist, Jesus, or
Reverend Moon? In the eyes of the world, at least I dress well and say
reasonable things. People can test my words and discover that they are
always reliable. Even then, people have not found it so easy to believe
me. But compared to the three biblical figures, whose situation is more
conducive to faith? Thank you for believing in me!
Consider the importance of faith in these various examples. Of
course, every demonstration of commitment is important, but the impact
varies according to the circumstances. In whose time was faith most
important: Noah's, John the Baptist's, Jesus', or now? You say that
faith has the greatest value now, but in whose time was it the most
difficult to believe? Noah's. Those who have the biggest faith receive
the greatest reward in heaven, right? Those with the highest faith
occupy the highest positions.
Do Moonies have the highest faith? You say yes, but something is
inconsistent. You said that faith has the greatest value now, but the
faith of people in Noah's time, when it was hardest to believe, must
have been greater! Faith has its judges. If someone from Noah's time
were to evaluate today's religious people and distinguish between
degrees of faith, what would he say about the Unification Church
members? How would he rank you in comparison to others? Would he assign
you to the highest or lowest realms of heaven? Noah and the people of
his time would not want to elevate you.
Are you still serious about getting to the highest heaven? If so,
you need something upon which to base your hope. What kind of grounds
do you have for such a far-fetched hope? You might say home church,
but first let us reason it out.
Comparing Noah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Reverend Moon in
understanding rather than faith, who understood the most about the
future? Who was the most competent? Who knew God's will thoroughly and
had 100 percent confidence in it? Do you think Noah proclaimed that a
big judgment was coming in 120 years and pleaded with people to have
faith? Do you think even John the Baptist was exactly sure of what he
was talking about? Do you think Jesus knew precisely what was going to
happen in the future?
If someone had placed Noah or John the Baptist in prison and
subjected them to the kind of torture I endured, they might have been
broken. They might have succumbed to temptation. But history records
that I came here singlehandedly from the Orient, confronted the white
people in this highly developed country, told them they were wrong and
proclaimed the right way. And I have won. After returning from Danbury,
I am even more confident of the need to change the current condition of
this country. I am 100 percent certain, and I am working at it day
after day.
In Noah's time, people's knowledge and faith were only partial,
let's say 30 percent. But now when our knowledge is 100 percent, if you
have even 30 percent faith, the total is still 130 percent! Your faith
may be similar to those who followed Noah, but your additional
knowledge raises the total that much. In Noah's time, nobody but Noah
knew much about what was going to happen; the others just carried on
with faith. The same was true at the time of John the Baptist. His
followers knew very little but somehow they trusted that John was
correct and had faith in him. For Jesus' disciples it was much the
same.
Now suppose you have the same faith as the people of Jesus' time.
Your degree of faith may be 30 percent, 70 percent or more, but still
it can't really be called faith because it varies from time to time.
Once we gain confidence and make a determination, we must keep going,
regardless of rain, sleet or even bullets.
Jesus lived in a very small country; Judea and Galilee were not
large at all. Israel was smaller than many states or provinces of
modern nations. It takes only four hours to drive around that area
today. Even if the whole world opposed Jesus, it was a small world. Our
world today, however, is much more vast and has developed a high level
of technology. When this world opposed me, the persecution was far
greater.
Our situation today is unique in many ways. I have been imparting
to you maybe five times the knowledge available in the past, in
addition to tremendous faith. I have carried out my mission, teaching
each of you to do the same. I have shown you the how and why of
everything. Now you should have a precise idea of what is going to
happen.
Don't think of this as simply my words or merely advice from one of
your contemporaries. Ask Noah about it. Put yourself in Noah's position
and see if you don't gain a clearer perspective of today's situation.
The people of Noah's day didn't grasp anything, but here in the
Unification Church you understand so much.
On the other hand, none of you knows exactly what course I will
take in the future. The president of the Unification Church in the
United States does not know. None of the leaders know. In some ways,
not even Mother knows where I am going next. Then whom should you
follow? You say you will follow me, but what if I should make a
mistake? This is a serious question.
Today we have achieved almost everything; there are few areas
remaining which require faith. Once we know everything, faith will no
longer be necessary. We are reaching that point.
Forty years ago when 1 announced what the world would be like in
the future, people had a very difficult time believing it. Forty years
ago I knew these things and I taught them; there was nothing I did not
cover. I predicted the world's situation today and what we would have
to do. This means that we have truly come a long way.
Do you think I made a sudden appearance on this earth? God spent
thousands of years making preparations for this time. I can say this
and you Moonies can accept my word, but others will gain this insight
by observation. When people realize that the impossible and
unimaginable things I foretold 40 years ago have become a reality, they
will perceive that God invested thousands of years in preparing for me
and has been continually guiding my path.
Korean people understand me better than anybody. They heard my
words and witnessed my deeds 40 years ago. Of course it was very hard
for them to believe then, but now they see what those 40 years have
produced. In Korea today great numbers of people who are not even our
members believe in me. Whatever I predicted has come true and I am
still going strong. Therefore, they feel it makes sense to agree with
my words and expect me to carry out my promises.
God labored for thousands of years to arrange my course in life and
even my very birth. For 40 years before I came, God had been preparing
America and preparing Christianity, reforming the Christian churches.
America was ready and Christianity was prepared for the course I would
take. Multitudes of lives were sacrificed during World War II. For what
purpose was that foundation laid?
We have come so far that now when I state publicly that America
needs to be transformed centering around the Unification Church, people
can nod and say, "Yes, that is probably right." Not being
members of the Unification Church, they do not know all the details,
but they can understand the main point. People realize that when I
announce something big, it eventually becomes a reality.
More and more people will seek my advice. .N candidate for office
may come and ask whether an idea he has fits into God's plan. But I
will never go to someone and ask him to help our cause. Who is the
subject: the one who receives help, or the one who helps? It is the one
who helps, of course. That is why I am the subject. I am glad to help,
but I endured many hardships in order to reach this point.
Do you realize that there are many other people who take religion
and spirit world very seriously? There are sincere Christians who go to
the mountains to pray, enduring much suffering to commune with God for
long hours. They are praying for the savior to come to earth and for
God's will to be done. Do you know how earnestly they pray for the
Second Advent? They have been waiting for a long time. This is the kind
of foundation Christians have been laying over the centuries. Compared
to them, how much have our members sacrificed on God's altar?
For hundreds of years Christians have been praying, but they never
found the answer. Some people prayed for the Second Advent for 50 years
and died without seeing it. Still their foundation remains. But you
Moonies know the precise time! Where did that knowledge come from? Did
you earn it? Did you work so hard and pray so earnestly that God
revealed to you the precise time? No. I earned that knowledge and I
gave it to you.
This is a serious point. Even without accomplishing anything, you
know so much. If you really understand this, you can connect directly
to the topic of today's sermon. How large is your basis for gratitude'?
Could you buy this knowledge with millions or even billions of dollars?
A century ago, or even as recently as 70 years ago, you could not have
received the knowledge available today, regardless of what you did. Yet
you have received this priceless treasure without paying any sum of
money.
Since you have been given such knowledge free of charge, you should
maintain a proper attitude toward it. Something valuable should be
treated with care, respect and devotion. My concern is whether you have
adequately displayed these qualities.
There are many Japanese members here. They came all the way to
America without knowing the language and they suffer here with us. Did
they come because Japan is a poor nation? No. Their only reason for
being here is that they are following me. When I asked them to come,
they came in obedience and faith. They feel tremendous gratitude that I
trusted them enough to give them a very difficult mission. The more
difficult the mission I give them, the more grateful Japanese members
are to me for considering them great people.
If I love you and if you want the maximum love from me, my
expression of love is to give you the most difficult task to perform.
Would you want an easy mission or a difficult one? When you ask for a
difficult mission, do you mean it? The most difficult missions I could
assign include witnessing to Kim Il Sung and Mr. Gorbachev, so that we
can turn Russia upside down, or influence the important people of North
Korea. These are very difficult missions. Even if it is not realistic
for you to expect such a mission, still you should think seriously
about it.
You may feel these missions would be overwhelming, but how would
they compare with a command to open the gates of hell? To liberate hell
would be more difficult. When you see how great the challenge is, would
you still be confident enough to do it? In order to open the gates of
hell, you would need not only to approach hell but to enter it. In
hell, people will kick you, scratch you, pull on you and do everything
imaginable to you. In spite of this, would you persevere?
Let's make one more comparison. Which do you think is easier: to
open hell's gate or to create heaven here on earth? They have
different levels of difficulty. Since Satan already has his kingdom
here, you might say it is more difficult to build the Kingdom of Heaven
on earth. If I entrust you with such a mission, you must at least have
the key to open hell's gate and the blueprint for building the Kingdom
of Heaven here on earth.
You say you are willing to try to open the gates of hell, but I
don't think you have the key. How do you propose to do it? Likewise, do
you know the blueprint for the Kingdom of Heaven? Do you understand
exactly how to go about establishing heaven? You say yes, but the
Principle doesn't show how to carry out these tasks.
Today you understand that the two greatest challenges are to open
the gates of hell and to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.
These are the two most difficult missions. To accomplish them we need a
qualified individual, a qualified family, a qualified race and a
qualified nation. It actually takes a nation to carry out these
missions.
In selecting a country, would I choose the least developed country
or the most developed one? The United States is the most developed
nation, yet this country is on the verge of destruction. At least a
third of the people seem paralyzed by drug abuse and immorality. If God
looks throughout the land, can He find a person or family to dwell
with? Very few places or people qualify. Everyone seems so
individualistic. Individualism is what God hates the most and what
Satan likes best.
Actually there are no good alternatives to the United States. No
matter what other country I may consider as a possible candidate for
the task, my mind always comes back here. Even though the people are
numb to evil and individualistic and all that, it still seems to me
that this country is unquestionably the best hope. The United States is
actually composed of the world's elite.
From Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the prime, Abel-type
people have come and are investing their hopes here. The United States
is the land of hope. Those who long to achieve something on earth still
consider their best opportunity to be here.
I have been studying every angle of approach for this country,
searching for ways to bring Americans to their senses and revive them.
I have been painstakingly exploring every means of awakening this
country.
When you go to home church, notice how differently you are treated
now than you were three or four years ago. You find the atmosphere
warmer, don't you? I am getting attention; my words and actions are
being noticed. People will tell you that what I am saying is good. That
is why they are paying more attention to my extensions, you members.
This is the first step toward understanding me.
People are realizing not only that Reverend Moon is not bad, but
that I am much better than what they supposed. People's minds are
turning. It is also becoming evident that those who hate me are
violent, unethical people or are communists. The rest of the people
welcome what I say and do. Young people on the campuses are becoming
aware that the Moonies' philosophy of marriage is really great.
Students have a lot in common, whether they are Korean, Japanese,
American or German.
Germany, for instance, has barred me from entering it for the past
seven years. It has been a very fussy country. But even though I have
not been to Germany for the past seven years, I have made a foundation
there just as if I had been present. Germans take the Unification
Church very seriously now.
There are three guiding principles for the world to choose among:
democracy, communism and Godism. People throughout the world were
inspired by the potential of democracy, especially in the United
States. But the reality is that Republicans and Democrats continually
fight among themselves. They are virtually unable to accomplish
anything. It is clear that democracy as the United States knows and
practices it cannot be the model for the world.
People recognize that communism cannot do the job, either. Although
democracy is inadequate, many people prefer it to communism because
communism opposes God and is so oppressive. Intellectuals have
recognized the accomplishments and shortcomings of democracy; they also
know that communism is out of the question. Now that the fruits of
communism and democracy are apparent, people are beginning to consider
Godism as the answer.
Over the past four years I have worked very hard and made an
unshakable foundation. Scientists and scholars, theologians and
philosophers have been mobilized toward one consistent goal: making an
ideal world. I have outlined the blueprint for the ideal world and
explained God's will to retired military officers. Ministers have
realized that Christianity is wavering and unable to do the task.
Journalists, politicians and business executives have been told about
God's ideal.
I have devised a model seminar that lasts three days; whoever goes
through this program will start to focus on God. No one can change a
person in three days by military or political power. The media cannot
accomplish this. But I have established a course through which people
can willingly and gratefully change in God's direction. More than 200
political leaders have gone through it; they find the experience
intense yet enlightening.
A dramatic confirmation of the power of the truth took place a few
days ago in Korea. People were demonstrating in Inchon against the
government, accusing the military leadership of corruption and asking
people to invite Kim Il Sung to come down and establish a communist
utopia. One person was so convinced of this, he said he would argue his
points with anybody. Policemen, professors and intellectuals came to
debate with him and try to dissuade him, but he would not listen to any
of them. He had absolute confidence in Kim 11 Sung and the communist
cause. Everybody seemed to have given up.
Then one member humbly approached the group and was given
permission to speak, based on the reputation of the Unification Church
for accomplishing things. For three hours our member spoke very
intensely and the procommunist man responded, "I never heard such
things. Where did these ideas come from?" Then he cried and
acknowledged that he had been wrong. In just three hours not only that
individual was saved, but people around him were affected as well. He
said he had been to every school and university throughout South Korea,
establishing programs and organizing demonstrations. He said there were
many people who think like he did. "Godism is the ideology that
can lead all people," he concluded.
(In English:) You are standing on the foundation that can
produce such phenomena. How grateful you should be for your situation.
That's true! Compared to all the sacrifices that have gone before you,
your situation is so good. No matter how hard people worked in the
past' they could not reach the level you have attained. This is the
reality. You didn't know it clearly before. This is a most precious
ideology, a most precious teaching. Our situation is so fortunate. How
can we compare it to God's situation?
Until now, we did not realize how much we had. In reality, we have
not been going a very faithful way. We must follow the timetable of
history from a clear perspective, from a principled viewpoint, from
God's idea.
You analyze too much. You say that America is different from Korea,
from the East. What I am teaching is not a Korean or Eastern system.
This is God's system, God's organization. He works through me. The
point of origin is God, not me. You call things Oriental custom, but
Oriental people have opposed me. For 40 years they have opposed me. If
I were following Oriental custom, why would they oppose me? Because I
do everything the opposite way, they automatically resist me. They have
been divided into camps, one side against the Unification Church and
one side supportive. They have been fighting for 40 years. Now it is
different.
(Translation:) No matter what I tell people from other
countries, they believe it. Compare this to the attitude of the
American Moonies. You demand to know things clearly. With your
attitude, do you think you can lead, teach and save the world? It is a
very, very difficult situation.
You have been giving God and me so much hardship. Is what I am
saying true? You have to change your situation or you cannot approach
God. You have to develop a different attitude. You are called Moonies,
so you must be the same as me. For a long time I have been lonely,
working every day to make a foundation. My situation has been so
difficult. You didn't know it. I have waited such a long time.
You should be thankful and grateful. I have always been grateful to
God, no matter what happened. You are here as a result of your
ancestors' dedication. This is the culmination of history. Millions of
people have lived on earth and are now in the spirit world. You should
live gratefully, with no complaint. A complaining attitude does not
work in the spirit world. You will have to settle accounts for
everything done in this world. Time is flying. Like an arrow that is
shot from a bow, time goes out and disappears. You cannot stop its
passing.
Many ministers, priests and theologians have spent all their lives
learning the Bible. They know Christian history thoroughly and they
understand the situation of Christianity but they don't understand the
Principle. Likewise many scientists may be brilliant, but without
knowing the Principle they are lacking the most wonderful theory and
ideology.
This is the best tool for building the ideal world. You cannot
find such a teaching anywhere else. My whole lifetime has been spent on
it. This knowledge brings power, spiritual power. Be brave. Go
everywhere. This is your task. When you leave your house, there are no
boundaries to limit you. The atmosphere of the world has changed.
A lawyer has told me that he didn't believe in me at first but now
he confesses, "Father, you were right." How about you
Moonies? You absolutely need me. There are many things you do not know;
therefore, you need me. God knows. I know. How much have you been
grateful during my lifetime? You don't know what will happen ( after
10, 20, or 40 years. You complain about your wife or husband, but think
about the great happiness that could come after 40 years!
In Moses' era, things were ten times more difficult. When you are
pushed into a corner, you can call out to God and He answers, "I
am here." Persecution is part of the indemnity course; God allows
it to continue. I went through 40 years of persecution, 40 years of
indemnity. You must continue in this way. You are my children:
therefore, you have the same course as mine.
If you say you don't like home church work, you mean you are
satisfied to go only to the lowest level of heaven. But everyone longs
to reach a high level of heaven. Strive to be more grateful. Obedience
is difficult.
The principle of a single central figure is absolute. Looking at
things from a normal perspective, two central figures might be more
convenient, but when there is only one, no disputes can arise. God
always chooses one key figure who has no parallel among his
contemporaries. In Noah's time there was only one central figure. In
the 20th century there is only one central person, from God's
providential viewpoint. Who is it? Reverend Moon. God doesn't want a
second person, no matter how famous or powerful he may be. God wants
just one person.
God's world is absolute, not complicated by many concepts. So you
have to be obedient. You find obedience difficult because you analyze
things too much. When you continually analyze things, you eventually
come up with a different way. The way of obedience is less complicated,
so it's easier.
I'm not only your father, I'm also your leader. I am learning
English even though the only time I have for studying is after
midnight. You are young people. At your age, I didn't have this kind of
atmosphere. Your situation is so hopeful. You should develop the
attitude that the task is possible, not impossible.
(After speaking in Japanese for about 10 minutes, Father asks
the Western members if they understood what he was talking about. Then
he continues in Korean.)
Think about the courses of Noah, Abraham, John the Baptist, Jesus
and me. You have to surpass all of them. There is no reason why you
shouldn't be able to do it because I have pioneered the way. The
followers should be able to outdo the pioneer. Since you aren't as
tall as I am spiritually you should try harder, work harder, and
accomplish more so that some day we can be together on the same plane.
You don't want to be ashamed in the spirit world.
Harmony, not conflict, characterizes the spirit world. Its guiding
principles are balance, gratitude, love and harmony. The reason we
undergo such tremendous hardship here is so that we can live in harmony
with heaven. You need to round off your rough edges here. You should
learn to appreciate things. Thus your ears must be trained to recognize
great sounds; your eyes need to cherish godly beauty, not worldly
beauty. There are many things you need to learn to value.
lf you are willing to take on this task, I won't have to worry
about your gratitude. If I started complaining about you, what would
you do? The more grateful you can be the sooner the course of indemnity
will be over. Actually, I felt like complaining but there are so many
of you, I would have to complain in too many ways, so I decided to hush
up!
If you resolve to be obedient, I won't have to worry about
obedience. If you follow even in difficult circumstances, Satan will
become very unhappy and will limp along. If you complain, however,
Satan will dance and rejoice. The only way to defeat Satan is to be
obedient. All the outside world will admire you if you do that. Now you
understand the theme today, "I shall follow with gratitude and
obedience."
Our motto for 1987 is the Unification of the Fatherland.
That is a very difficult task. It is not just a concept. It is a real
activity with tangible results. The only way to accomplish it is
through gratitude and obedience.
Suppose I ring a large bell in the World Mission Center at 3:00 am,
calling everyone together, no matter how tired they are. Would you
assemble without complaining? Well, let's wait and see! Actually, your
obedience has usually been rather restrained. You need to learn
absolute obedience. I have often heard Americans mention the word
absolute. Let's have absolute gratitude and obedience. I don't like a
mediocre or half-hearted response. My desire for 1987 is absolute
obedience and absolute gratitude.
Those who can say, "Yes, Father, I may not be so capable, but
I can agree with your wishes and I will work to fulfill them,"
raise your hands. Thank you.