Sun Myung Moon, January 29, 1967, (Sunday), Korea, church headquarters
quotes from the speech
Every human being has a hope, and it is the human's original mind to want to prepare oneself in a place of sincere devotion and present oneself before others to fulfill that hope. This is not only true for human beings but also for God, for it is God, who created human beings, that has this heart.
To become a person who can leave behind a historical achievement in the world, achieve exceptional results in that era as a model for future generations, and serve as a role model for descendants, you must go through a process of sincere devotion. Behind any historical event, whether small or large, there is a process of sincere effort unimaginable to ordinary people. Only the results that have gone through such a process contribute to history and the times. This is a fact we can clearly see through history. Therefore, today, I would like to speak on the topic of 'The Offering of Sincere Devotion.'
To achieve the fulfillment of sincere devotion, one's mind must be unified. In other words, one must be single-minded; there cannot be two minds. From start to finish, sincere devotion must be offered with a unified mind. Sincere devotion is not something that can be lent out and then reclaimed.Therefore, if the beginning, process, or end changes in various ways, it cannot be considered true sincere devotion.
You must move forward with a unified and unwavering mind. However, if that heart is centered on oneself, true devotion cannot be achieved. Sincere devotion should not be offered for one's own sake but for the sake of a larger entity — whether it is the family, society, or nation. Only then can the term 'sincere devotion' be properly established. Sincere devotion offered for oneself may remain within one's own lifetime, but it will ultimately pass away with that individual. The foundation of sincere devotion can only endure if it is for the sake of others. The scale of one's sincere devotion and the significance of one's connections are determined by the size of the entity one devotes oneself to. We often experience this truth in our daily lives.
Therefore, you must remember that the conditions of sincere devotion and the very concept of sincere devotion are established not by prioritizing yourself, but by sincerely prioritizing others. Thus, when a child devotes themselves to their parents, a wife to her husband, or a subordinate to their superior, the terms filial piety, virtuous loyalty, and loyalty remain. These terms transcend the current era and are linked with history, making it an inevitable fact that everyone will respect such standards and revere such connections.
You must not center on yourself but instead have a mind for others, and then you must have the heart of God. In other words, with a foundation of a loving mind and an unwavering, unchanging heart for others, only then can the term "sincere devotion" be established. For the term "sincere devotion" to be established, you must continuously strive with a heart of love and an unwavering heart.
Furthermore, it must not end with having shown devotion and loyalty. You must continually put effort. However, effort alone is not enough. This is because unexpected mishaps or counteractions can occur when working for the sake of the other world, and things do not always go as I wish. Therefore, patience is also needed along with effort. But patience alone is not enough. When something unacceptable arises inside or outside, in any direction, the courage to cut it off is also necessary. For this, a struggle is needed, and the process of fighting is inevitable.
Objectively observing today's world, human history can be described as a history of struggle. However, it is not a history of blind struggle but a history of struggle with consistent purpose. Therefore, behind that history of struggle are people who have devoted themselves sincerely. Their devotions are centered around their own thoughts and beliefs. When they invest all their sincere dedication, heart, and love into the opposing world, the results of their efforts, patience, and struggles become evident as historical facts. From this perspective, if we consider that all current environments or social systems exist because we need them, we come to understand that such connections are embedded behind them.
First, you must be dedicated and become someone who embodies sincere devotion. To do this, you must have a single-minded, unified heart and a deep love for others. When you have this loving heart and single-mindedness, you can set your sincere devotion and achieve your goals. To achieve these goals, effort, patience, and struggle are necessary. Without going through this process, you cannot stand at the standard of sincere devotion nor rightfully possess its value. This is evident not only in human history but also in the central figures established by God.
What determines the history of salvation? It is decided based on the standard of sincere devotion. When the sincere devotion to heaven is elevated, even the society in the world of death can be absorbed by the sincere devotion to heaven. In other words, greater sincere devotion can absorb lesser sincere devotion. The human’s original mind seeks greater sincere devotion. This is the standard of our conscience. Therefore, it is natural for humans to desire greater sincere devotion and to move from a lesser realm of sincere devotion to a greater one.
Every human being has the desire to become a patriot, a loyal subject, a dutiful son or daughter, and a virtuous person. If there is a way to be loyal to a certain society or nation, people hope to become such individuals. Who would not love their own people or country? While there may be differences, the heart of love is the same. However, when someone represents a group, tribe, or nation and puts sincere devotion into it, the majority cannot participate to the same extent. Therefore, those who are appointed as representatives carry the ideological standards of that group, tribe, or nation and organize their environment around it. This is how the providence of salvation can be realized.
Then, if God wants to save the world, what must God do? He must put sincere devotion into it. He must put sincere devotion into it with a single, undivided heart. With an unwavering heart, filled completely in every corner, that no one can invade. You must recognize that there is God who carries out the providence of salvation in this way
We must put our sincere devotion to the task of expelling injustice with heartfelt love. Whether day or night, wherever we go, we should not be bound by human emotions. Even if difficult circumstances and the weapons of our enemies surround us, we must endure and press on. However, we must not endure like spineless people. We must move forward with the mindset, 'Just wait and see. When I appear with my true self, anything will vanish like the morning dew.' In this way, the trials we face will eventually come to an end.
Unification Church members must prepare offerings with sincere devotion. Until now, you may have considered all the conditions presented before this nation in the course of restoration as your own achievements, but you must combine all those achievements and establish a foundation of sincere devotion before Heaven. By doing so, as the Unification Church that can be more loyal than anyone else in Korea, you must establish a foundation that can surpass Korea. You must understand that this is the primary reason you have faced difficult conditions and trials until now.
So, where does sincere devotion quickly show its effects? If you offer devotion while playing the flute, dancing, and singing in a comfortable and easy place, it will not be effective. A single day of sincere devotion offered in the midst of adversity, where tears flow, the scent of blood lingers, and your body is worn out, can compensate for ten or even a hundred years of devotion offered in comfort. Knowing this, we have voluntarily abandoned comfortable places and struggled to take the opposite path. Why? To show our utmost sincere devotion in response to the heartfelt tears of Heaven. Even if one does not have any particular achievements, what is needed is a heart full of sincere devotion and earnest loyalty to God. If you have not become such sons and daughters, then at least be the messengers who find such sons and daughters among this people, lead them to the Father, and then, call upon the Father yourself.
Never mistreat a person who offers devotion to Heaven. When a family member from the countryside brings me even one apple, I do not eat it casually. Treating an object offered with devotion in the wrong way cannot be forgiven. Ignoring the heart of God’s single-minded devotion and God’s utmost efforts is an inexcusable sin against the heavenly law.
Do not treat things that contain someone's devotion carelessly. If something contains 100 degrees of devotion, you have to offer 110 degrees of devotion before you are qualified to touch it. Suppose the leader of a certain group accepts things offered with much devotion but does not connect them to Heaven. Then the more the members of that group offer devotional conditions, the more quickly the leader and the group will decline. That is why some spiritual groups prosper for a span of time but then quickly go to ruin. It is because they disregarded Heaven's way.
You must understand that these heavenly principles are officially applied to your daily life.Then you will realize that the path you are walking in life and the environment you are living in is also inevitable.
You should not do such things only for yourself. You should shed tears for your nation rather than for yourself and for the world rather than for your nation. Even if Korea, the Korean people, or the Baedal people disappear, the world must remain. It must remain as a world of humanity that pursues and hopes for peace. Even if you cannot dedicate yourself to your nation, you must dedicate yourself to the world, and if you cannot dedicate yourself to the world, you must dedicate yourself to God.
What kind of devotion should true sons and daughters offer? It should not stem from a life of mundane reality. Instead, you should offer devotion of hope, glory, loyalty and attendance. If this is the kind of legacy you leave behind when you pass over to the next world, the kingdom of heaven will belong to you and Heavenly Father will be your Father. Until now, you have offered devotion while going the course of indemnity. However, from now on you should offer devotion to join the realm of attendance, so that you can offer attendance to Heaven. Those who are able to do this will join the first resurrection.
In order to join the realm of attendance, you must possess the quality of heart to comfort a sorrowful God and to experience together with Him His painful circumstances in having devoted Himself. The principles of restoration reveal this and teach us how to establish indemnity conditions before God.
Therefore, you must discard thoughts like "In the past, I did such and such for Jesus," or "I've worked so hard since I joined the Unification Church, and if I become a leader, I'll do this or that." You must realize that those who look back and lament even though they still have their own path to walk have already lost everything and are now hoping for unfounded conditions. There are many such people. If you wish for such thoughts to disappear from within you right now, you must destroy the enemy's stronghold that blocks you and equip yourself with the glory of a victor.
A person with shallow convictions cannot set a subjective standard in pioneering the future. Believing in God means to lead with conviction and to keep going without rest.
Don't relax until you reach your goal.
I am grateful to God. If God had made me the type of person who only wanted to rush forward, I might have ended up in a life-or-death situation or caused some kind of accident. But God blocks our way at certain points, making us prepare, because there are many stages to go through. Knowing this, even if I can't easily overcome a particular obstacle, I never lose hope. The past experiences we've accumulated become valuable historical evidence. If you loosen your belt after reaching the top, many hardships and trials will come your way. Because the rule is that if you fall once, you must get up once, and after enduring many hardships and trials, you will eventually reach your destination. Therefore, believers should not spend more than a week smiling. If you have a good day, you should pray and ask, "God, how long will this last?" and only then smile after receiving God's assurance. You need to know how to pray like that.
God uses people who have the background and environment to be effective, the ability to adapt, and the strong standards needed to be the center.
There is no heavenly law that can break the thread of sincere devotion.
Let's say God announced a tree-climbing competition. Overly ambitious members of the Unification Church would fight to climb the biggest tree, but in the end, the competition would finish without results because of their fighting. This shows that having big ambitions without results is futile. A clever person would first find the tree that suits them and climb it. However, an overly ambitious person will try to climb the tallest tree beyond their ability and end up falling. The point is to climb step by step, setting standards as you go and completing them. Don't start too big from the beginning.
If you diligently build results and pour sincere devotion corresponding to your true loyalty, standing in a place that can uphold the standards of the offerings of sincere devotion built by Heaven and leave a mark for generations to come, then even if your hopes are not realized in your time, they will certainly be fulfilled in future generations. When you build a foundation of sincere devotion that can be passed on to the world, the reputation of both you and your descendants will spread across the world.
If you were unjustly harmed, you deserve compensation. When I was in Seodaemun Prison, I slept soundly with my legs stretched out and even snored. This meant that as long as they couldn't break me, I had the upper hand. In pursuing this path, there were times when I had to appear shabby, and times when I was criticized. I faced all kinds of hardships while pioneering this road. Each time, I thought, "God has endured greater hardships than this, so how could I not endure this much?"
You can only stand before God after making promises and dedicating your sincerity, to the point where you would not trade it for anything, even several worlds.
Anyone who tries to enter without passing through the door of sincerity is a thief.