³³ You know that our ancestors were told, “Don’t use the Lord’s name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it.” ³⁴ But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God’s throne, so don’t swear by heaven. ³⁵ The earth is God’s footstool, so don’t swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don’t swear by it. ³⁶ Don’t swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No.” Anything else comes from the devil.

³⁸ You know that you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” ³⁹ But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek,^[a]turn and let that person slap your other cheek. ⁴⁰ If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. ⁴¹ If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.^[b] 42 When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.

⁴³ You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” ⁴⁴ But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. ⁴⁵ Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. ⁴⁶ If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors^[c] love their friends. ⁴⁷ If you greet only your friends, what’s so great about that? Don’t even unbelievers do that? ⁴⁸ But you must always act like your Father in heaven.

Prayer

Beloved Father! Brief human life, which seeks after You, may appear to be simple; yet, it is complicated. We must walk this life course. Father, we sincerely pray that You guide us to become blessed sons and daughters who can persevere through each day and spend the rest of our lives in the Father’s bosom.

We are not alone in the world in which we live. We know that a myriad satans surround us. They have been engaged in insidious fights and have been putting forth conditions of accusations before the Father for 6,000 years. We know that You are keenly aware of this and have been working laboriously to protect us. Please allow us to realize that the Father’s concern exceeds our concern, and that the Father’s labors in fighting Satan and the victories You have won are much greater than anything we could accomplish, even if we battled hard for the rest of our lives.

The Father has been deeply involved in the lives of our countless forefathers and has been working to fulfill the will of restoration. We know that Your efforts have been the path of the cross, a debt we can never repay by any means. Please allow us to face You in humility and repentance, realizing with all our hearts and souls our inadequacy to return Your grace.

Father, we know that history until now has been a course of raising unworthy ones to the presence of glory. Please allow us to possess Your sincere heart and to be single-mindedly devoted to You. Please do not let our minds and bodies be ours alone. Allow us to possess a sincere heart which yearns to penetrate deeply into the Father’s. Please allow us to become sacrifices drenched in such a heart. Please relate with us as Your beloved sons and daughters who can be embraced inside Your bosom, giving comfort to You and being comforted by You.

We have come here longing for this kind of grace. Please do not abandon us. Allow us to become those whom the Father can personally call, “My sons.” Father, we sincerely hope that You will relate with us as sons and daughters with whom You can be and love personally.

Please have compassion on us. We are weak and full of concern about our responsibility to carry on the fight, even if we become exhausted. Father, please give us strength. Strengthen our minds with new powers and abilities so that we can become strong and brave children who will never surrender to our enemies. Please, beloved Father, allow us to become sons and daughters who can glorify You by becoming brave soldiers who can be entrusted with the entire heavenly mission.

Please become the center of our lives. Please let no one among us stumble over some condition, but let us remain in the Father’s possession only. Please allow us to become Your pride. Father, these are our wishes, coming from the depths of our hearts.

If the root of sin remains within our hearts, please purify us with Your powers. Please remove all the qualities You do not desire. Please let there be a profound change in our hearts which can bring us closer to resembling Your nature. Father, we pray that, in this hour, works of re-creation will take place, allowing us to feel the shock of new power and love in our minds and bodies, removing all evil elements within to purify us and enable us to be embraced by the Father.

Please guide us to cast away all thoughts and concepts which the Father does not want. Let this be an hour when every aspect of us begins as the Father’s own, moves as the Father’s own, and bears fruit as the Father’s own.

If we do not experience such feelings and impact, then we cannot take responsibility for everything in the great will of the providence. Father, please personally come down upon us and allow us the joy and resurrection of life.

Father, we have the responsibility to awaken this sleeping city. We have the responsibility to guide this peninsula into the new light. Please make our fragile hands strong. Though we are inadequate, allow us to become sons and daughters who can give the final blow to Satan and manifest the glory of Heaven.

Please let us not give up on all the things we pledged and determined to accomplish this year. Allow this to act like an explosive we carry in our hearts and bodies, and thus give life to many. Please allow us to become the atom bombs of life to restore this dark world to the ground of the Father’s glory. Please allow us to become sons and daughters who can carry out all our given responsibilities.

Please bless these people and bless humanity. All our wishes belong to You. Father, please be with us and work through us. Until the day we can alleviate the bitter grief of restoration, please guide us, Father. This is our deepest desire.

Please allow us to feel how inadequate are the exertions and efforts we make each day to go near You. Guide us to pioneer with desperate hearts. Please let the powers of Your impact and a sincere heart be the only things that sway our lives.

Please bless Your sons and daughters who are praying to You in loneliness from every corner of the countryside. Please embrace them with the same grace. We sincerely wish and pray that You raise them in glory so that they can proclaim the grace You have given them.

Everywhere obeisance is made today, let the countless heavenly saints, soldiers and angels escort You and bring You joy. Let only the Holy Trinity govern this hour. Let Satan not be found anywhere in this hour. From the depths of our hearts, we pray in the name of the Lord. Amen.