My latest blog post: Is Abstinence from Sexual Activity Outside of Marriage the Expected Standard for School Age Children?
Judges 21
3 The Israelites met and sent messengers to the men of Benjamin at Rimmon Rock, telling them that the Israelites were willing to make peace with them. 14 So the men of Benjamin came back from Rimmon Rock, and the Israelites let them marry the young women from Jabesh. But there weren’t enough women.
Richard: I take this to mean that the lineage of God is so important that it is imperative for it to continue. This is part of a very interesting story in the book of Judges. Check it out here and also the chapter before.
John 6
6 Jesus answered, “I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles,[g] but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so.”
28 “What exactly does God want us to do?” the people asked.
29 Jesus answered, “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.”
Oh, Where Shall I Go?
Sun Myung Moon
January 18, 1959
As you know through the Divine Principle, we humans lost God’s Word, God’s substance and His love by betraying His Word. What was God’s heart like when He gave the Word, when He created the substance, and when He tried to love through this substance?
We are the ones who lost God’s Word, lost the original substance and the substance of love. It is we who lost God’s garden of the ideal. Thus, we should realize that we are sinners who cannot be proud of ourselves. We cannot find the ground of peaceful rest in our hearts nor can we be subject over events.
Although God wanted to come to us with the substance and a loving heart, since humankind has lost the substance, love and Word, God could not come directly as the substance. Therefore, Jesus came representing the substance, yet he left without completing the actions of the substance.
God gave the representative of the substance to humankind, who had betrayed the Word. Yet humankind betrayed this substance. God gave humans love, and they also betrayed this. Hence, today, substance, Word and love remain in name only for humankind. Humankind struggles in search of these things in reality.
Today we understand that history has come full circle. Since we have realized that we cannot be perfected by a genuine Word, we cannot be led to the substance by a genuine substance, and we cannot find eternal repose through genuine love, we should be struggling in search of this, with the slogan, “Where is the true Word, substance and love?”
Looking at humankind in this situation, Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
Where are my footsteps moving today? We are walking in order to seek, ask and knock. Although humankind has been walking this way for 6,000 years since the fall, his destiny is such that he is still unable to stop.
Where will my footsteps go? There are not only good things on the earth. On the contrary, evil outweighs the good. At such a time, it is a crucial question whether our paths are directed to the left or right and whether they are going toward goodness.
You wander in search of a true teacher. What will you do when you find a good leader and true teacher? You will want to hear the word that can bring consolation and hope to your hearts. You are looking for a new teacher in order to find some new word. What will you do then, when you find the Word? You should achieve the substance by being united with the Word. This is why you are looking for the Word.
Hitherto, our ancestors worked hard to examine God’s existence and resolve the fundamental questions of life. Such efforts continue today. Whether you have such a concept or not, many interested people are knocking, searching, asking and wandering today. When you see that, you should think about whether you too are struggling in such a position. Unless you are struggling, you cannot meet God, who has been ruling history. Unless there is such a person in this world today, God’s Will, ideal of goodness, and the age of hope we desire will bear no relationship to heaven and humanity. We can draw such a conclusion.
Although you may not be aware of it, searching, wandering and struggling people existed in the time of your ancestors. They exist in the present and will exist in the future without end. We cannot deny this. From this standpoint, you should ask in what position you stand today.