April 02, 2024

Peace I Leave With You - Morning Devotion on Apr. 1, 2024

Peace I Leave With You

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not he afraid."

John 14:27

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city; he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace -- but now it is hidden from your eyes."

Luke 19:41-42

All people in the world long for peace and for a unified world. But where does such a world of peace and unification begin? This is the critical question. We know that had mankind and God become one in the beginning, then a world of peace and unification would have come into being. Then why was this world of peace and unification lost? Because of the Fall. The center of the world of peace and unification is God Himself. Therefore, by following the same direction as God, the world of peace and unification would have been established automatically...

There is a war between the mind and body going on within you continually. Whoever speaks of peace without recognizing this doesn't really know what he is talking about. When God looks at humankind, longing for peace and unification, He sighs. Without finding the base of peace and unification within ourselves, how can peace and unification dwell with us?

How can a human being, born out of the absolute holy God, be so imperfect? Something must have happened between God and man, some separation must have occurred, something went out of order. We can suppose something went wrong within the relationship. Satan came in between, causing us to inherit false love and lineage.

In the Bible, Jesus explained by saying that those who want to die will live, and those who want to live will die. How is it that when I want to die, I can live? Now we understand that to die means to suppress all the satanic attributes and raise up even the faint and small godly attributes within me -- and then I will live. If there is anyone who truly wishes for godly attributes and peace, there is no other way to go except to let the satanic part of oneself die and he reborn to the life of God.

The Ideal Family is the Base for Peace and Unification

July 24, 1994

Before the unification of the world can be achieved, the unification of the country, the unification of the family, and the unification of the individual must precede. The unification of the individual means the unity between the mind and body in love. On this foundation husband and wife can achieve unity in love, and unification of the country and the world will follow. This is the only way to realize world peace and a new civilization.

Absolute Values and the New Cultural Revolution

November 28, 1986

Originally human beings were meant to live with their mind and body united, responding to the complete love of God. It is because human beings were created to be God's sons and daughters, resembling Him that their mind and body should not fight. Instead, they should create true unity. God's mind and body are not in conflict: Almighty God could never have any conflict within himself.

The human ideal of unified mind and body is realized when a person is fully possessed of the true love of God. The words, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matt. 5:9) also promise that the ideal of unity of mind and body is to be attained on the basis of our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

It was due to the human Fall that people lost the standard of unity and harmony of their mind and body, and have thus been living in self-contradiction and conflict. Moreover, the battle of the mind and body within the individual has expanded to the level of the family, society, nation, and world. Cain's killing of his younger brother Abel originated from this. All the conflicts and wars that the world has witnessed since the beginning of history have been, in essence, the battle between the Cain side, which is relatively on the side of evil, and the Abel side, more on the side of goodness. The struggle between the Cain and Abel sides should be terminated and everything restored to its original state.

Likewise, the confrontation between our mind and body should be brought to an end, and harmony and unity regained.

We have to apply the principle of individual mind-body unity to the global level. Since the root of human problems is not merely, political, social and political solutions alone will always be insufficient. While most societies are politically governed, religion lies at the root of most national and cultural identities. In fact, religious loyalties far outweigh political loyalties in the hearts of most people.

It is now the time for religion to exert genuine leadership in the world. I believe that religious people should feel responsible for the situation of humankind, and for resolving the vinous inequities of this age. Profound self-reflection is surely prerequisite to this.

Inaugural Address of the Inter-religious and International Federation for World Peace

February 6, 1999


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