Richard Urban | Daily Inspiration

Egoism Is Worthless and Just Vociferous

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We believe in God who wants to realize one world, a world of one purpose. Since God is Jehovah and Lord of all nations, and the center of all centers, when we face Him from afar, we want to be His loyal subjects. We were born for this duty and responsibility. Understand that as we draw near to Him, He becomes our Father to whom we owe the duty of filial piety as His sons and daughters. That is our priority. Only when you have lived like that can you say to God, “If you want to send me to hell, send me there. If you want to send me to Heaven, send me there. Do as you please.” Nobody went to hell after living like that. (154-314, 1964.10.5)

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As viewed from God’s original ideal of creation, the eldest son should come from God’s side and, of course, the second son should also come from God’s side. Due to the Fall, the position of the first son was taken by Satan, and the position of the second son went to God. This has to be made right. Thus, when we consider the story of Esau and Jacob in the Bible, Jacob united with his mother and received her help. He gave Esau the pottage of lentils and bread in exchange for the birthright of the firstborn son. Until today, we could not understand why Bible history is the way it is. With the appearance of the Unification Church, its meaning was clarified for the first time. (134-304, 1985.8.16)

Richard: Unless you study the Unification Principle, you cannot understand the Bible fully. You can now view the recording of the Unification Principle workshop for free here.

The Fear of God

2. Reverence and Awe

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 2.20

The fire of hell has been forbidden to these two eyes: the eye that remained sleepless through watching in the ways of God, and the eye that wept with spirit trembling at the fear of God.
Hadith of Darimi (Islam)

Divine things,
Proceeding from the mind
Of the unseen kami—
How awesome, and
Not to be taken lightly!
Norinaga Motoori, One Hundred Poems on the Jeweled Spear (Shinto)

The true believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe at the mention of God, and whose faith grows stronger as they listen to His revelations. They put their trust in their Lord, pray steadfastly, and give in alms of that which We have given them. Such are the true believers. They shall be exalted and forgiven by their Lord, and a generous provision shall be made for them.
Qur’an 8.2-4

The fear of God is mighty and of great weight.
Egoism is worthless and just vociferous.
Walk under the weight of such great fear;
And through Divine grace obtain knowledge of God.
None crosses the ocean of existence unless he bear fear;
Through fear the fear-directed life is beautified with divine love.
Through fear of God, the fire of fear blazes in the human frame.
Through fear of God and love is molded spiritual beauty.
Without fear of God all that is uttered is misshapen and worthless—
The mold and the shaping stroke both blind…
Through fear of God vanish worldly fears.
The fear of God which eliminates all other
fear—how may it be called fear?
No other resting place is except Thee;
All that happens is Thy will.
One might be afraid of it if anything other than God held any fear—
To be shaken with such fears is sheer perturbation of mind.
Adi Granth, Gauri, M.1. p. 151 (Sikhism)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Father! Our hearts are filled with fear as we recollect Thy sorrowful historical course. Knowing Thy difficult labors, whenever we approach Thy majesty, our minds are struck with awe. (6:328, June 28, 1959)

Give reverence and honor to God, who has restrained Himself, silently enduring the path of suffering for thousands of years. Have the heart that God is your true Father. Make a determination that regardless of the suffering you may endure, you will become the central ancestors who will leave behind the Father’s tradition for tens of thousands of years. (363:254, December 25, 2001)

Although I have a mouth, I keep silent. Not because I do not know how to speak, but because I am cautious that by misspeaking I might go against Heaven’s law. Not because I do not know how to complain, but because of God. (67:316, July 22, 1973)

Most people curse Heaven, living with resentment and despair; few are the people who pledge their loyalty to God. Since we are among that loyal few, God treats us with seriousness. Nevertheless, think about God’s heart and His situation: How wretched it is that He has such a small group of insignificant people as us with which to restore the world. (93:217, June 1, 1977)

O Father, Thy sons and daughters gathered here feel fearful
that we might not be adequate to become sons and daughters
who can receive everything Thou wouldst give us,
and who can give everything to Thee.
We fear that we may not be able to represent
the world, history and the cosmos,
when to us Thou wouldst express Thy heart,
the heart Thou hast always wanted to give us. (35:288, October 25, 1970)

Absolute Faith Means there Is No Concept of Self At All

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Realizing the boundless realm of peace of the ideal world that links the ideal of the nation to the ideals of the race, family, and individual, through assimilating the ideal for the world and the nation through God’s ideal that I have described, is without a doubt the way that the world of peace of true love will be built on earth.

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Marriage is a very serious thing. Marriage is the coming together of heaven and earth, east and west, north and south, and high and low. Then, where does love go? When the two become one, where does love go? Why should we seek love? By seeking love, we automatically go to the central place of the environment. If people do not have a family, they are imperfect in this society. No one will ever trust them. That is because they fall short of the standard of the principle in sustaining the universe and so people do not acknowledge their value. That is only logical. (139-64, 1986.1.26)

Richard: The key to world peace,whether in the Ukraine or anywhere else, is not more weapons, but exactly what Rev. Moon states above. Peaceful families do make a peaceful world. Register here for the Peaceful Families; Peaceful World workshop.

Faith

4. Absolute Faith—Untainted by Personal Desires and Unaffected by Circumstances

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

When you pray, be aware of your privilege as a glorious son or daughter of God. Then when you pray, “O Lord, please grant me my wish; I truly want it to be done,” God will grant your request. Thus you will discover the living God. You will see that God is alive and working on your behalf.
By harnessing the power of God in this way, you can heal your members when they become sick. When you go through difficult times, you will find that God is directly helping you. Live this way, and you will have many realizations. You will gain the confidence and conviction to overcome every obstacle. You will know with certainty that God is on your side. (65:286, January 1, 1973)

On the way of our faith there should be no self-assertion or self-concept. Absolute faith means there is no concept of self at all. If I say I believe absolutely, it means there should be no opposition to that within myself. When you say you are united with God, there should be no ego. You have to unite completely with the Subject, leaving no trace of self. In the life of faith there is no place for egoism. (46:82, July 25, 1971)

When God called Noah, He did not instruct him to do something that corresponds with common sense. He said, “Noah, build an ark on the heights of a mountain.” God could have told Noah to build the ark near the seashore or by a river, but instead He gave Noah instructions that seemed completely implausible. Nevertheless, Noah carried out God’s command in faith, and persevered in doing so for 120 years. God always conducts His providence in ways that ordinary people cannot understand. (70:64, February 8, 1974)

If you follow the secular environment and try to pursue a life of faith at the same time, you cannot attain absolute faith. Most people live routine lives and think, “I am acceptable in God’s sight.” However, regarding the fundamental problem—how to enter the Kingdom of God—living a routine life in this fallen world does not suffice… Why is it, that without an absolute standard of faith, we cannot establish the Kingdom of God? It is because Satan dwells there. (46:79-80, July 25, 1971)

When you walk with absolute faith, even if your nation comes against you, you must never yield. Although your family may oppose you, with absolute faith you should not be defeated. Even if your loving spouse persecutes you, you must hold on to the attitude of absolute faith. Why do we live our life with an attitude of absolute faith? Quite simply, the way to goodness requires that we overcome the evil environment. (29:206)

The purest and most trustworthy person does as God does: although belief seems impossible he never stops believing, although loving is difficult he never stops loving, and although he cannot stand living with his partner he continues to live together with her. That kind of person will definitely become a victor over any circumstances. (Way of Unification 8.4.8)

How serious are you, as you stand before God’s tremendous Providence which He has been conducting through history? How much are you united with God’s Will? Are you leading a life of absolute faith, centered on God’s Will? You should be able to say, “Though winds and tempest blow, and though I may perish, my conviction is firm. I could be wrong, but God’s Will can never be wrong.” You should have such a rock-solid conviction. It is folly to desire for the Kingdom of God when your faith is ever changing from morning to evening. (46:74, July 25, 1971)

Where do we connect to love? It is at the point where we become absolutely zero, where there is no trace of self. To find perfect love, there is no place for “me.” It is the same with faith. As God’s object partner I believe in my Subject absolutely, and God as my Subject partner believes in me as His object partner absolutely. In faith, there is no self. In absolute faith, there is no place for “me.” Faith is absolute at the zero point.
When you unite with your partner in absolute love, there is no “I.” Likewise, when you unite with your partner in absolute faith, there is no “I.” This is how two become one. Follow this way, and you will become completely one. (279:146, August 4, 1996)

At the time of creation, God created with absolute faith. When God spoke, He determined according to His Word that created beings would become His object partners. In other words, He spoke based on absolute faith. Furthermore, the objects that God created by His absolute faith were for the sake of His absolute love. (273:298, October 29, 1995)

Go and Proclaim the Kingdom of God

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The citizens of God’s Kingdom are those who came forth hoisting the banner of serving all peoples. Hence, in order to save a certain race today we must distribute all our possessions for its sake. If that is not enough, we should be prepared to offer even our lives. Such people are indeed the citizens of heaven. You should think about God’s inner state of having to gather such people in order to realize the ideal of His kingdom. (5-17, 1958.11.9)

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In the providence of indemnifying the vertical history horizontally in the present time, a foundation for restoration through indemnity had to be laid first; that was the reason for establishing the 36, 72 and 120 couples. Of these, the 36 Couples are the miniature versions of the 36 vertical generations of ancestors. The 72 Couples represent Cain and Abel, the next generation. Finally, the 120 Couples represent 120 nations in the world. Their number should correspond to the number of United Nations member countries, which actually were 120 at the time. It turned out to be exactly so in reality. (34-103, 1970.8.29)

Faith

For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will move this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Matthew 17.20

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Declare God’s Great Works Throughout the Universe

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Once you become one centered on God, circular motion manifests in all kinds of forms and figures. That is why the older sibling must love the younger, following the example of their parents loving the children. In a family that is united into one in love in that way, the love within the family blossoms. That love can become the love for a society, and then that love can become the love for a nation. In this way, it later becomes love for the entire world. However, these days, this has become so obscure. (28-170, 1970.1.11)

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There should be no deviation from the origin of the universe. Yet, the devil intervened in Adam and Eve’s life before they grew up, that is, while they were still under age, around fifteen or sixteen years old, in their teens. At that time, when Eve looked quietly at the archangel Lucifer, she realized that he knew all the principles of heaven and earth. He was on errands for God, so he could speak about the creation of heaven and earth. On the other hand, Adam was distant. He was wandering around with a club catching birds, snakes and frogs. In the future he was supposed to dominate and control everything in the nature, so he was trying to get to know everything and adapt himself to everything; so was he interested in Eve? Even if she wanted to follow him, she couldn’t follow the strong male. So when she rested somewhere in a shade, Lucifer would whisper something to her and finally seduced and violated her.

Richard: Without knowing what went wrong, how are we going to fix this historical problem? Learn abouat God’s plan, what went wrong and God’s and humankinds efforts to fix it, plus actionable steps for you to take at the Peaceful Families; Peaceful World workshop, March 18th to 20th, 2022. In-person registration ends today.

Faith

3. To Trust in God and Live by Faith in Him

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

What kind of faith does God desire? When Jesus said, “Believe in me,” he meant we should believe in him as he believed in God. Jesus could say, “I am God’s Son, and I believe in God,” because as His Son, he was certain that God trusted him just as he trusted God his Father. (5:180, January 18, 1959)

Although you believe in Jesus as your Lord and the subject of your faith, it is not good if you just believe in Jesus and stop there. Believing in Jesus is just the first step on the walk of faith with Jesus, on whom you stake your eternal life. Once you have developed a living relationship of faith with Jesus, it becomes the basis to experience God as a living reality. If you genuinely believe in Jesus, then you can accomplish these things. (3:19, September 8, 1957)

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Faith Without Works Is Dead

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Online: Register before the start time of your selected workshop day(s).
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WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THEY? is the groundbreaking and powerfully persuasive documentary featuring brave teachers, empowered parents, and front-line experts who pull back the curtain about what is truly happening in our public schools today.
See it in a theatre near you today, March 14th.

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The families of Joseph and Zechariah should have united to lay the foundation for Jesus to stand on as the tribal messiah. If they had done so, the nation was to be restored through indemnity; but this did not happen. The Unification Church is currently laying the peoplelevel foundation to restore the nation. We stand on the basis of having passed through the tribal age. You are serving the True Parents and are called their children. You can now be their children – not their legitimate children (in the traditional and legal sense), but also not adopted children (for adopted children have no blood relationship with the parent). You now stand in the position of the child by a concubine. If this position were not established there would be no way for us to save this world. We have crossed over the tribal realm and are heading towards the realm of one people. It was within that realm that you were blessed. (141-209, 1986.2.22)

Richard: In biblical history, a concubine is a woman who lives with a man as a second wife, but without the status of a wife. The point in this passage is that we need to change our lineage to God’s lineage. Physically, that would be done by actually being the physical children of the True Parents (Christ and his bride). That, however, is impossible. Rather, the wife in a Blessed marriage is in a position to relate to Christ, the True Parent, as a spouse. But, of course, she is not the physical spouse of Christ. Thus, this is like the position of a concubine. This is why the church is referred to as a bride to Jesus. It is to prepare us to understand the concept of rebirth to a true father and true mother.

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All of you must carry out the mission of a second creator who can disseminate the words of God. In other words, you must become the propagators of the Word, of life, and of its substance. Only when you accomplish this, and become one in love, can you attend God eternally. Such is the standard of the third Israel. Only in this manner can you sow the Word, the substance, and the life. You must become the substantial embodiments of the Word and the life, representing the heart of six thousand years of biblical history. You must know how to attend God, how to understand and feel the Word, and how to fulfill your mission of recreating the second Israel. You must constantly bear in mind that only by doing so can you become the sons and daughters who completely understand the internal heart of God. Only when you become the true children of God can you live in eternal glory centering on God’s love. (3-331, 1958.2.2)

Faith

3. To Trust in God and Live by Faith in Him

Put your trust on the Exalted in Might, the Merciful—who sees you standing forth in prayer, and your movements among those who prostrate themselves. For it is He who hears and sees all things.
Qur’an 26.218-20

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge Him
and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3.5-6

Continue reading “Faith Without Works Is Dead”