Chapter 31 - Attendance: Striving Every Day and Utmost Effort

Chapter Summary and Introduction

"Striving everyday" and "utmost effort" are two important principles which filial sons and daughters of God adhere to as they attend God and True Parents. "Utmost effort" in terms of restoration describes the extra effort one must exert in order to separate from Satan. Just as the space shuttle must exert extra force in order to separate from the gravitational pull of the earth then similarly utmost effort must be applied in order to separate from the hold Satan has on human beings. It is similar to the extra effort that one has to make to break an addiction to drugs or even from the habit of overeating. Once we separate from Satan's force we begin to orbit around God, that is we become one with God and centered on true love.

"Striving everyday" means that the energy one invests daily and constantly builds up to create a force. The energy from constant give and take action generates a force. It is the force generated by constant give and take action which produces the result. "Utmost effort" and "striving everyday" as filial sons and daughters attending our Heavenly Parent leads to progressive development. The opposite, which is idleness and stagnation, leads to spiritual death and hell.

The way of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience is the course to which we must apply "utmost effort" and "striving every day." It is the course by which we are perfected and by which our relative love becomes absolute love. In the history of the providence of restoration human beings have had to go the way of "utmost effort" and "striving everyday" with absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience. Such is the course that one must pass through in the restoration of the eight vertical stages and the eight horizontal stages. True Parents have brought total victory and now with our absolute faith, absolute love, and absolute obedience in attending True Parents we can inherit their victories.

"Striving everyday" with "utmost effort" is the process for restoration, for separating from Satan, and for Kingdom building which is the expansion of God's providence across the eight horizontal stages. "Utmost effort" and "striving everyday" are important principles that need to be recognized in order to understand the way of a life of attendance. They are most important principles for personal growth, family growth, church growth and restoration and development of God's providence. However, religious literature does not directly discuss these principles.

The secular world also embraces a concept similar to "utmost effort" and terms it "no pain, no gain." "No pain, no gain" means to employ additional will power for the sake of development and advancement for oneself. The term "utmost effort" as it is taught by True Parents, refers to a son or daughter's degree of filial piety in living for the sake of God and others. It expresses the degree of heart, love, devotion, dedication, sincerity and investment in living for the sake of God and others and not merely the level of intensity of will required for living for one's own sake. "Utmost effort" employs will power, but it is the will empowered by the motivation of the heart of love. The additional effort creates a greater force which is necessary to produce the result.

"Utmost effort" and "striving everyday" are central components of a life of attendance of filial sons and daughters of a family, patriots of a nation, saints of the world, and holy sons and daughters of the cosmos. "Utmost effort" and "striving every day" are absolutely necessary in order to separate from Satan, in order to perfect our love and in order to grow, substantially establish, and expand the nation of Cheon Il Guk that True Parents have founded.

Like many other core principles of filial piety, "utmost effort" and "striving everyday" are principles of restoration as well as absolute principles of God's creation. In terms of restoration, "utmost effort" refers to the dividing point between Satan and filial sons and daughters of God. There are barriers of heart which Satan failed to go over and still cannot go over. These barriers can be overcome with the standard of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience. Through the standard of "striving everyday" and making "utmost effort" we transcend these barriers created by sin end enter a realm of liberation and complete freedom where Satan cannot enter. It is the standard where filial sons and daughters of God live for the sake of God and others, serve and sacrifice, give, forget and give again, forgive, persevere and endure past the point where Satan cannot. In this way restoration occurs and God's Will is advanced.

When these filial sons and daughters of God become centered on true love they strive everyday and make utmost effort in living their lives centering on true love. What true love does is it breaks down the barriers that separate God from human beings, and break down the the barriers created by sin which separate parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren. It is the way with which all the barriers can be broken down that exist due to sin, which prevent expansion across the eight horizontal stages. "Striving everyday and "utmost effort" also play a major role in establishing unity between the heavenly spirit world and our actions and activities in our physical world.

There have been many holy men and women throughout history who during their lifetime have gone the way of "utmost effort" and "striving everyday" in their attendance of God. The Heavenly Parents remembers and loves them dearly. Such individuals carry that love with them eternally.

In terms of the original principle of creation "utmost effort" and "striving every day" are necessary to accomplish anything one wants to accomplish. Such a way of give and take action with our task generates a force. It is the force generated by give and take action which produces the desired results. Regarding the progressive development across the eight stages towards the establishment of Cheon Il Guk and the Kingdom of God, True Parents have been "striving everyday" with "utmost effort" and with absolute faith, absolute love, and absolute obedience. Holy sons and daughters of God, living a life of filial attendance to God and True Parents, take on the same way of life. These are the representatives of God and True Parents who take responsibility on their behalf and advance God's providence.

The Words of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

You must exert yourself in great devotion. You must take the place of my devotional heart, which has always been deeply concerned about the future of this nation night and day, and since I am not in this nation, you should inherit this Principle and exert yourself to the utmost. Next, you must realize that the time for you to exert yourself and cry out on the street has come, because this people that is asleep is headed toward its doom and you must wake them up. You should realize that this is my plea as I am about to leave on a long journey soon. I would like to ask you to center yourself on this and, grabbing on to the people and heading toward the future, try your very best to leave behind the will of the heavenly laws until I come back. Do you understand? Those who pledge that they will do so, please raise your hand. (50-183, 1971.11.6)

Regardless of what the people next to us are doing, whether eating or resting, we must go that way. In front of us, thousands are constantly going forward. If you strive to go forward and exert yourselves to the utmost without rest, while pulling the rope, then other people will also pull the rope for you. In the meantime, you will see many people falling away. (32-144, 1970.7.5)

How did the universe begin? It started with God serving and pouring Himself out for the sake of the other. It started with God expending Himself. Then, what is the purpose in devoting oneself to creating one's partner? After both have given all they have, what we gain is love. As long as we have love, we are happy, no matter how much we have invested. Since this is the love principle, God started the creation based on love. God would not invest in anything that would not produce a benefit. Giving all one has creates a minus, so why do you think He did it? Because love has the power to more than fill up any void, after expending and investing Himself, God gained love in return. True love does not become smaller as it is invested, but grows bigger and bigger the more it moves. Conversely, if the principle were that true love would grow smaller, God would be depleted through His investment. But the opposite is the case. True love grows bigger and bigger the more it is invested. (237-124, 1992.11.13)

It is progressive. We must always go forward. We cannot stop. "Striving to advance" means that this advancement must be pushed for. (274-114, 1995.10.29)

I worked hard with the mind of loving God and loving humankind…I have raised up members of the Unification Church by giving the utmost effort. I raised them up as if they were my own children. Because Christians, who could have been God's children, and all the religious people, were falling into Satan's trap, I have bound them together again by giving the utmost effort. (Blessing Pt. 2 -- 32)

To strive every day to advance this unification means to develop and progress. We are prompted to do it quickly. We must not stop. If we do, we are already falling away toward hell and death.

Stagnation leads down to hell whereas pushing forward leads to development. To sleep long hours and be lazy, gluttonous and self-indulgent are not acceptable in relation to God's providence. We should keep ourselves busy. Life is short. Run without resting, just like me. Run even without sleeping. Only then can you be connected to the world that you hope for. How can you be connected to the world that you do not even think about? This is how oneness is brought about. (Messages of Peace 14 -- 217, 2007.6.13)

Is there not a way of awakening? This age requires a prince of the age who is consumed with a public anger that hates and resents the present circumstances. He must embark upon a great adventure, if such a way exists, with a determination to be more loyal and filial than anyone who has dedicated himself to expelling sinful history and the world. Only when there are many like this will the day of hope come for this nation. The moment of hope we have desired will open for the world.

Heaven does not do such work. This is not a job for Heaven, but for us. Thus, you cannot be satisfied in your present place. You should look for the one who is crying out to awaken humankind, possessing the eager shimjung of Heaven, concerned about their being in the realm of death. You should be able to hear that crying out. After hearing the sound of it, you should be able to see the one who is crying out and then initiate action. (Sermons Vol. 6 -- 110, 1959.4.19)

We must progress daily and cannot retreat. Strive to advance. (266-150, 1994.12.22)

This is what we pledge: advancement. We must strive to advance. Push yourself again and again to make progress. I am telling you to advance quickly and accomplish things quickly. (261-90, 1994.5.22)

We must always go forward. We cannot stop. "Striving to advance" means that this advancement must be pushed for. These are important words. We are living on earth, which is a world standing as the object partner to that world that is the subject partner. Although the scope of your living environment is smaller than that of the spirit world, we must create a model that can be in accord with the model standard of the spirit world. We should go to the next world only after achieving this. There is nothing we can do about it. This is not something I say half-heartedly. The Family Pledge has come into being because, considering the spirit world and physical world altogether, this is the way that God wants us to go in such manner. (274-114, 1995.10.29)

We have to establish God's nation. Our living place can be prepared only when God's nation is established. In order to prepare our living place, we must fight, investing our utmost effort. If we do not establish God's nation, our descendants will be pitiful people. We should not be the ancestors who leave such a burden to our descendants. (66-281)

It is advancement: becoming new people, people who are alive. Is your heart that rejoiced when you joined the Unification Church growing bigger and bigger or diminishing? It should grow bigger. Strive to advance. Living things grow. Those who fail to grow will die. They will be lost because they will have lost their value in relation to the spirit world. This is why I am telling you to strive to advance. (273-69, 1995.10.21)

We should progress every day. If we stop, death awaits us. We would perish. So we cannot stop. "Strive…to advance!" We must go forward day by day, even if by just one step. We pledge to do so. So we must advance forward so that everything required in the spirit world is achieved in the physical world without even the slightest deviation. (260-305, 1994.5.19)

We should harshly drive ourselves forward. We must push ourselves hard. If we slow down on earth we will fail to keep pace. We must drive forward strongly. (301-83, 1999.4.16)

Where does God exist in the spirit world? He exists at the absolute center, the center of love. That love is the true love which takes the shortest perpendicular path. First of all, you have to know God. Second, you have to know eternal life, and third, you must know true love. This is an investment of more than one hundred percent. Eternal life exists where there is an investment of more than one hundred percent. Eternal life cannot exist without true love. Those who do not attain eternal life cannot meet God. (205-128, 1990.7.29)

The more quickly you act, the faster everything will be fulfilled. By giving your utmost effort there, you shall totally advance! (Tribal Messiah -- 114, 1989)

In Family Pledge number five we say that we will "strive to advance," don't we? It is good to create unity and go forward, but if we apply the stick we can go more quickly. We apply some force. If you push people strongly, make them stand like cattle and bless them, when those blessed people go to the spirit world they won't end up in hell. And before long they will be in heaven. So this is why I am saying that you should use compulsion. (293-318, 1998.3.18)

Even in the environment of persecution and chaos, grandpa Noah was able to win over such an environment because he gave his utmost effort. He went forth with the humble mind that he can only try his best in front of God's law to fulfill the duty of filial piety and loyalty. As he went closer in front of God, he felt the cruelty of his environment and became sorrowful. In such moments, because the grandpa Noah went on shedding the tears of repentance and feeling sorry to God, there was no one who could stop his way. Do you understand?

Think of Noah who lived in such way for 120 years. Even though the satanic world mobilized every possible means to hit this one person, Noah, he never deviated from the standard which God established as the center. That standard is established as the absolute center of the cosmos, as the righteous man of the cosmos, and as the victor of truth. Therefore, God wanted to cleanse the elements of all enemies which go against this standard. Likewise, if one is hit until the end then a great thing may result. (18-159)

With this view, in response to the call of God, I came to this country, the United States of America. I have been making my utmost effort to revive America, by educating the youth for a country that is faced with a moral crisis and declining Christianity. (World Peace -- 216, 2000.1.22)

There must be advancement toward their unification, -- development that progresses. We pledge to strive to advance forward. We strive on and make things move quickly, quickly, quickly. We should not stop. If we stop, we will immediately fall back. We will be connected to hell and death. Stopping leads us down to hell, and striving forward leads to advancement. So run and run without resting. Run and run without sleeping just like me. If you do that, won't you be able to relate to the world you have been thinking of? How can you relate to a world you have not thought of? Only then will unity be achieved. You have to think along with the spirit world. You have to think relationally. (260-193, 1994.5.8)

You must overcome individual or family hardships in order to work for God's unity, and Heaven will recognize your merit when you fall in exhaustion from your effort. (Unification Pt. 1 -- 224)

In order for us to be able to enter heaven, we must show proof that we have overcome Satan. Without that kind of certificate, we cannot go to heaven. When we try to overcome Satan, he does not just let us; rather, he resists and opposes until the end. Because Satan resists this way, God must be concerned about it. When we walk God's path, we have to face all kinds of difficulties. Did you ever see a woman delivering a baby? When a woman gives birth, she does so with her utmost effort, being ready to die. We, the Unification members, are now in this kind of situation, so we must not retreat. (God's Will -- 59, 1971.12.5)

Jesus, who felt such pangs of indignation in his heart, knew that God was deeply concerned about his situation. This is why he tried to suppress any expression of such feelings and demonstrated the utmost filial piety toward Heaven. When we reflect upon Jesus, we can understand that he felt the heart of God, who transcended the betrayal of Adam in the Garden of Eden and expressed deep concern for him. It was natural that Jesus would pray to alleviate his sorrow; yet he suppressed his anger and tried to comfort God. This is why he was able to open the door of hope through which he could remove the grief of the fall and guide fallen people toward God. Jesus made the determination during the thirty-year preparation period that he would live his life in service of this goal. (Sermons Vol. 5 -- 152, 1959.2.1)

We pledge to expedite the progressive development. Do you understand? We pledge to promote progressive development. If we move slowly we will stop, therefore we must have a thrust. Once we stop and no longer advance, we are automatically in hell. We are reaching towards this goal of heaven; once we slow down or stop, we go down. Having a comfortable and easy life has no place here. Life is short, and during this short span of life we must work towards progressive development…Father's life, in the past and today, is always on the move. He never wants to slow down but always wants to move faster and faster. This is the pledge that Father is explaining to us.

You can only connect to the world that you are thinking of. If you are not thinking of something, you are not connecting to it. If you pledge, My family, centering upon True Love, pledge to accelerate the progressive development of bringing the heavenly world, which is subject, and the world we are living in, which is object, into oneness. (1994.5.8 Unofficial)

Pledge number five says, "Our family … pledges to strive every day to advance the unification of the spirit world and physical world as subject and object partners, by centering on true love." The advancement mentioned in this part of the Pledge refers to progressive development taking place daily. It should not stop. If it were to stop, everything would become related to hell. Therefore, a progressive development must take place. We must strive for this.

There must be no stopping along the way; only continuous progressive development. Whatever is alive continues to advance, and only that which is dead stops advancing. In addition, we must accelerate this process. Whatever stops, leads to hell, and whatever continues to grow leads to prosperity and God's Kingdom. We have no need for the word "stop."

When you first joined the church, you were overcome with joy; however now that a decade or two has passed, how do you feel? If you stop, you will only descend. Stopping leads to hell whereas growth leads to heaven. Stopping is what is most desired by Satan. Therefore, every day you need to add something to yourselves. These are important words. People in the world strive to save more money, but we strive to save more lives every day. (260-159, 1994.5.2)

In the phrase "strive every day to advance the unification", the advancement is an ever-progressive one. "Our family … pledges to strive every day to advance the unification…" We must strive to accelerate the process, that is, we must try to bring about the advancement as quickly as possible. There can be no stopping. If we stop, we will only fall behind. Stopping leads to hell and death. Stopping puts you on the path to hell, but striving forward leads to development. Striving on, we need to speed up the process. Sleeping and lazing around, eating and enjoying yourself do not contribute to the providence. You must lead a busy life. Life is short. Though the universe may be vast, it still has only one central axis and if that were to revolve once, the whole universe would also revolve once. It needs to follow suit. Therefore, you need to align to the central axis.

That is why this part of the Pledge states, "Our family … pledges to strive every day to advance the unification of the spirit world and physical world as subject and object partners, by centering on true love." You need to run without pause, just like Father. You need to move forward without even sleeping. If you do that, wouldn't you be able to build the world you have been thinking of? You will not be able to make a world you have never thought of. (260-194, 1994.5.8)

Up till now, I have been restoring this world following the providential directions of God and have made the utmost effort to realize God's ideal on earth. I have mobilized the entire capacity of the Unification Church and supported the purpose of world peace through unity among the faiths. I truly hope that your religions will also actively support this. This does not mean that I will cease my efforts in this area, nor will I hold back the financial resources of the Unification Church. By mobilizing all the spiritual resources and creative abilities of all the faiths, focused in the direction God's desire, we will advance toward the realization of a world of peace. (135-222, 1985.11.16)

Because human beings fell, the path of having to liberate themselves from the fate of the fall lies before them. Although until now countless prophets and enlightened men have exhausted their sincere hearts, patience and utmost effort for the sake of the path mankind must walk, that path has not been traveled to the end yet. It remains as the fateful, universal path. (Sermons Vol. 3 -- 3, 1957.9.8)

One iron rule that you must know is that you have to do more than any loyal servant, filial son or church minister have done who were born in that region. If you do more than them they will all support you. (Tribal Messiah -- 123, 1988.6.15)

You should strive to advance. You should not live playing around. (266-150, 1994.12.22)

If we cannot be successful even after exerting ourselves to the utmost, we will come up with some new way. (23-310)

What kind of example should we leave on earth? filial son? Loyal subject? Even though you become a filial son or loyal subject, or if you leave your name in the history of your country, that does not give you real meaning. This is because a filial son and loyal subject in the fallen world do not have the original heavenly standard. Accordingly, in order to reach the original heavenly standard, one has to be the most filial son among filial sons, the most loyal subject among loyal subjects, and the most exemplary woman among exemplary women. When is that time? Now is the time.

Therefore, those who want to enter the Kingdom of God should live miserably and die miserably. Are these good words or bad words? [Good words!] Then, are the words: "Go out and desperately lead people to the church!" good or bad words? [Good ones!] Then, why don't you go out and work hard? (Spirit World 2 -- 31)

In order to lay that foundation, I have poured so much of myself to work in the factory. I have worked with the diligence that no one else can match. You only have to suffer to a limited extent, enough only to rise to the national standard. But because I, the leader, have to be responsible for the future, I knew that I had to make economic preparation for you who would lay the foundation from now on. So I have been making the utmost effort night and day. (89-278)

What is the uncompromising dedication left behind by the loyal ministers, filial children, and devoted wives in history? You may not have realized that our ancestors dared life-risking adventures, regardless of the opposition of the evil cliques. As there has been no one serving the heavenly will who has not followed this path, and there has been no loyal minister, filial child, or devoted wife who has not walked this road, those who seek to become citizens of the heavenly kingdom, heavenly sons and daughters, should follow this way as a matter of course, choosing between life and death and beholding the final glory.

Have you ever made such a determination and pledge? If not, you are the most despised traitor before the historical providence. Only when you have such a determination can you find your new selves. You should know that the moment you start on this action is the time when you wake up and kick out the six-thousand-year course of history in which you wallowed in sleep. (Sermons Vol. 6 -- 111, 1959.4.19)

A sage who sacrifices more than others also becomes the central figure of the sages. This is the heavenly rule. (113-326)

Likewise, the great movement of restoring the kingdom of Heaven is exhibited through you of today. Therefore, you must increase your efforts toward the realization of that will and never become servile before Satan. Just as Jesus Christ did all that was possible as the loyal subject and filial son of God, we must also complete our duties as the loyal subjects and filial sons. (Sermons Vol. 1 -- 260, 1956.12.30)

When the resolution to a crisis came, it came not based on the merit of one individual, but because the nation and its people, united as one centering on the destiny of the whole, made their utmost effort. When a nation was overcoming a crisis, it went through the process of resolving the difficulty by the vertical and universal unity of the whole, and on that foundation brought the continual result in development. As a result, it was able to build an advanced nation. We cannot deny this fact. (27-272)

Only through an utmost effort to accomplish mind-body unity and family unity can we achieve perfection. (World Peace -- 187, 1994.3.27)

You must fulfill your responsibility by giving your utmost effort. I am handing down to you the supreme gift, the result of 10,000 years of faith, and the fruit of all the pioneering that God has done for billions of years since the creation of the world. (Tribal Messiah -- 82, 1992.1.26)

In the 6,000-year history leading up to today there are many people who have displayed filial piety before their parents. There are many sons and daughters of filial devotion in the bosom of Satan. Nonetheless, in order for God to be able to take pride in Jesus and in order for us to receive God's love as Jesus did, we need to have more value and accomplishment than all the sons and daughters of filial devotion in history within the satanic realm. Only then can God say "This is my beloved son," and then one can become the son of filial devotion who is the only one in heaven and earth representing the Heavenly truth. (Sermons Vol. 1- 25, 1956.5.16)

We who are alive today are living in the Last Days. We should cultivate a humble heart and make the utmost effort to receive divine inspiration through prayer. (Exposition -- 108)

In order to fulfill such a responsibility, had God asked you for 10 years of your life, during that 10-year time period you should do your best with all of your heart and soul. How can you shorten the 10-year restoration time-period to make it into a 7-year course of value? In order to shorten the 10-year time period planned by God into a 7-year course, my own sweat, my own blood, my own effort, and my own toil are required. Unless you can add quantity and quality to it through your extra efforts, you cannot absorb the national and worldwide foundations. Unification Church members are the ones who should live such a life, carrying that kind of responsibility.

Today, such an era has arrived on the worldwide level. The exterior or external foundation work has been completed, and we are now in the era in which the interior or internal design work is being done. Since the interior or internal design requires last minute touch-up work by the owner, I am needed. I do not need to worry about the walls, but in order to place all of the necessary conditions together, a time period on a different stage of work is required. That is why a preparation era, a practice era, a fulfillment era, exists.

For this reason, we should make an appropriate plan for each stage in our life. During the preparation period, we should make utmost effort to make the right preparations; during the practice period, we should do our best to put the preparations into practice. And during the fulfillment era, we should fulfill our responsibility with all of our heart and mind, and only then will the interior design be done right. Whoever sees the inferior design, should compliment its quality and the effort and details of it.

For this, when a preparation era has arrived, you should not be in a position where you fail to fulfill your responsibility after you were appointed to make preparations. The next period will be followed by an era where you put it into practice. When that time comes, you should work hard day and night. Next, a fulfillment era will arrive, which is the time of hope. (32-71)

As a representative of love who can represent a true country centering on God, the owner of true love, I represent an individual and lead the family, tribe and nation. In an environment where a multitude of evil spiritual entities negates this fact, I exert myself to the utmost in order to climb over the peak with a positive attitude. Therefore, I make my accusers sincerely repent, and they admit it is a true fact. On becoming my witnesses, if they do not build on this earth a base for peace that can testify before God and humankind, the foundation for a peaceful family, tribe and nation will not appear. Furthermore, the base of a unified nation that mankind has long cherished will not put its root down on this earth. Realizing this fact, I have never ceased to fight for it. (174-44, 1988.2.23)

When you go out and work hard, you do it out of love for me. When you fund raise, for example, you think, "I really want to do my utmost for Father." That is your motivation. Then whoever gives you a donation receives the benefit of that love. (True Love -- 231, 1982.6.27)

Truth never violates the heavenly principles, and God never forsakes truth. Therefore, to resolve all the things that bring doubt in your mind, you must have the determination to cling to God and appeal with a heart of devotion, loyalty and utmost sincerity…

Because human beings fell, the path of having to liberate themselves from the fate of the fall lies before them. Although until now countless prophets and enlightened men have exhausted their sincere hearts, patience and utmost effort for the sake of the path mankind must walk, that path has not been traveled to the end yet. It remains as the fateful, universal path…

If you want to receive the words, then you must display your utmost loyalty for the sake of Jesus, just as Jesus displayed his utmost effort for the sake of Heaven. Moreover, you should understand that in the same way you need some vessel to hold the gift you are about to receive, when the valuable words which can explain all the doubts appear, you must have already become people who can receive them.

With what then can we receive these words? It is nothing other than with your devotion and loyalty. As Jesus practiced the utmost loyalty toward Heaven, you must also be loyal to Heaven and Jesus on behalf of the 6,000-year history. If you cannot become like this, then you can never step forward into the era when comprehensive explanations are given. (Sermons Vol. 3 -- 5, 1957.9.8)

You must also exhibit the heart of uttermost sincerity, exert all of your strength and demonstrate the highest loyalty for Heaven, to set a standard higher than the loyal subjects, filial sons and women of fidelity who pursued goodness for the sake of salvation of humanity until now. Furthermore, bear the mission to awaken humanity in the future and usher in the new morning, then exert a more sincere heart than any other people for the sake of God's will. If you who are here feel the sense of mission and responsibility on the world level to pioneer the new course of faith, then to manage that mission in your life you must be trying harder and live more diligently than anyone else in the world.

Similarly, can you demonstrate more loyalty and sincere heart than the ancestors who have done their utmost to be loyal and sincere toward Heaven? This is the problem. (Sermons Vol. 2 -- 152, 1957.5.19)

You should know this hard and fast rule that you must work with greater devotion than that shown by loyal subjects, patriots, children of filial piety, and former church ministers who were born in your hometown. If you work with more intensity, they will all help you from the spirit world. This is the condition you need to make. If this is done, you will stand above the realm of satanic accusation; Satan will not accuse you, and the ancestors of your hometown will spiritually cooperate with you, guiding their descendants to join the Unification Church. (179-17, 1988.6.15)

We, for the sake of comparison, will not fully love something for which we have not invested our utmost efforts and given our blood and flesh. We make something the object of our sincerest hope because we have invested into it the core of our bone, the core of our flesh, the core of our thought, and the core of our entire being. (78-111, 1975.5.6)

Women should undertake the solemn task of establishing a basis from which the beauty, nobility, and emotional tradition of women can shine forth. In order to accomplish this, you should give your utmost heart as a truthful and genuine person. (39-217, 1971.1.10)

We want to live -- not in the process of restoration -- but rather in the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, our desire to realize the Kingdom is about preparing our abode. Our abode will come into being only when the Kingdom is established. If we cannot establish it, our descendants will always be an oppressed race. We must devote ourselves to the utmost so as to become ancestors who do not burden their posterity. (66-281, 1973.5.16)

If God gave you ten years to fulfill such a responsibility, during those ten years you should offer your utmost loyalty and devotion. How can you shorten the period of restoring the children's path that can illuminate history and make it a valuable path? To reduce a ten-year period scheduled by God to a seven-year course, you must invest your sweat, blood, effort, and toil. Without exerting greater quantity and quality of effort you cannot have dominion over the nation and world. Unification Church members must become people who can fulfill such responsibilities. (32-71, 1970.6.21)

If you invest your utmost effort, the results of that effort will be brought to you. There is no speculation. You will not make a fortune without effort. (244-322, 1993.3.1)

You should offer something pure in which you have invested your utmost devotion as a tithe. That is a sacrificial offering. Sacrificial offerings should be something pure. Why is this so? It is because an offering is something that takes your place. (48-85, 1971.9.5)

Humanity's bitter pain exists because it has been impossible to live in a world where there is no indemnity. The tragic and astounding fact is that we are descendants of the Fall and we have the painful, unfortunate destiny of having to change our lineage. In order to free ourselves from this, we must exert our utmost effort to emerge as sons and daughters who have fulfilled their responsibilities so that we can call God our Father without hesitation. (197-115, 1990.1.7)

Why should we attach importance to the law of indemnity when we walk the course of restoration? From the viewpoint of God's providence, since human beings destroyed everything God created, each person must re-create everything. Since God invested His sincere devotion during the creation, for the sake of re-creation you must also re-create that condition of sincere devotion. While creating the universe, God was not playing around or dancing. He invested His utmost devotion, 100 percent of it, when He was creating. The way of restoration means re-creating; this time is the same as the time when God was creating, and so can you play around while going this path? (96-114, 1978.1.2)

Those who are seeking God must shed sweat. Then, with parental hearts and the bodies of servants, they must sacrifice and serve from the position of Abel for humanity, and give everything they have with utmost devotion. In giving, they should not boast of it to others, but instead feel ashamed that they cannot give something better. This is what Godism is all about. (38-328, 1971.1.8)

God exerted His utmost effort in creating the universe, dreaming of a great enterprise full of hope, but when His great endeavors and foundations of life and ideals were destroyed, heaven and earth became completely dark. (27-60, 1969.11.23)

Now that the spirit world has become very close, there will come an age in which good spirits will live permanently on earth. They will come and live among us. Do you understand what I am talking about? Until now, Satan and devils have divided and ruled over the earth. But now good spirits will wrest those areas away from them and take control over them. For this reason, Unification Church members should do Home Church activities even if they have to shed their blood, sweat and tears. We should offer our utmost devotion. We should pray with ardent hearts, more earnestly than the devotion shown by Christianity, or any other religion including Islam and Buddhism. (169-9, 1987.10.1)

Despite being humiliated by the United States federal government and unjustly brought before a court of law, I nevertheless devoted utmost effort to give life to that nation. (CSG -- 2127)

If you successfully devote yourselves steadfastly, you will receive a blessing, but if you do not, you will regret it deeply.

There are some people in the Unification Church who say, "I worked with utmost devotion to carry out the commands of Heaven," but you need to realize that the factors determining whether your efforts will create an extensive foundation on the earth are your standards of compliance, your actual accomplishments, and to what extent you are able to absorb heavenly fortune. Even if it is not an extensive foundation, I personally must leave at least a footprint in the world before I go. This is the way of restoration through indemnity. (CSG -- 2198)

Who will liberate God? Filial children resolved to fulfill their duties of loyalty and filial piety with utmost devotion must appear and bear all responsibility for His anguish associated with the cross. Such sons and daughters must appear. (101-255, 1978.11.1)

Your loyalty will be immortalized by your descendants, and when you go to the spirit world, you will be commended for your merits of your efforts. (38-126, 1971.1.3)

Now is the time to mobilize your ancestors. You must mobilize them to cooperate with you, and in order to do so you need to clearly understand the contents and structure of the spirit world and how returning resurrection takes place. Then you should become the flag-bearers to set the direction and become an example for your ancestors who are devoting their utmost sincerity. The physical world stands as the elder brother -- it must become the example. Do you understand? Hence, do not think that you are doing this alone. If you mobilize your ancestors they will help you. (370-132, 2002.2.19)

I have stirred the winds of heavenly fortune because I know it. Where there is a low-pressure area, wind from a high pressure area will blow in. If we exert our utmost strength and devote the greatest efforts of low pressure, God's high-pressure love will rush in, causing a typhoon. You have not believed such words, have you? We should catch the wind of heavenly fortune. (234-160, 1992.8.10)

In observing the great universe, I am sure you will find stars made of precious stones like diamond stars. It all belongs to us. We can live with that joy. This is the ideal world where all the groups that love the universe -- God's loving family -- will be able to live and move together. You should join this group and become a part of that family. Those who willingly sacrifice themselves will become the leaders and people in charge in the spirit world. However, the ones who live with a lukewarm attitude will become failures there. (126-144, 1983.4.12)

You have to invest your heart and soul, and offer your life for the people of the world. If you do so at the risk of your life, you will have done your work.

In order to realize the hope of tomorrow you should devote yourselves while shedding tears. You should exert your entire effort and mind, passion and devotion. My mainstream thought, as the founder of the Unification Church, is to go forward without regard for my life in order to create that one point of unification that can correspond to this goal. Adventure can be experienced both on and off this path.

We are now unfolding a ruthless and bloody fight. If a foundation for which you risked your life survives, it will be a model for history, and a foundation for the happiness of the world's people. The entire universe will regard that foundation as the starting point of harmony. It will be a point for an axis and the unfolding of a great movement, a place which could move God and bind together the hope of humanity. Those who live in such a place will feel the cosmic responsibility; they will make everything stand still during their times of inaction and activate everything during their times of action. They will never be small-minded people. (49-303, 1971.10.17)

The question in loving God and people is how much we have exerted ourselves. This will transform into maturity of character in the spirit world and become the foundation of glory. (42-228, 1971.3.14)

Did you ever stay up all night in order to do witnessing? I stayed up numerous nights. They will ask you in the other world how many nights you stayed up to do witnessing. You should exert yourself in doing witnessing. (10-252, 1960.10.21)

The path to heaven is opened by loving the members in the same way that you love God. You are trying to follow me, yet, with that same heart, you should strive to go together with your siblings. In this respect, we can conclude that the one who teaches the highest, quickest, and best way to go to heaven is neither God nor me but your siblings. The one who exerts himself with love greater than parental or conjugal love becomes the supreme subject being of love who then searches for his object partner. (66-125, 1973.4.18)

Have you ever felt gratitude for the words "portion of responsibility"? On the the path that those who have not fulfilled their portion of responsibility walk there are walls and potholes. It is the path of bitter sorrow that remains as the indemnity payment by which to obtain liberation. Since you know this truth, you must become Unification Church members who strive to progress along this path. Because this way exists I am also exerting myself every day to make it smoother. (138-120, 1986.1.19)

One must cling to God with a power several times stronger than the power he or she uses to strike Satan. In order to strike evil you must exert all your strength. At the same time, you must cling to God with even greater force. (31-18, 1970.4.8)

Would God have created the universe if He only thought of Himself? The act of creation required a huge investment of energy. The wish of any artist is to create the greatest masterpiece, and he spares no pains, putting everything he has into making it. The perfect masterpiece can only be created when he has totally invested in it. A masterpiece can only be complete when there is nothing more that can be done with it. The process of creation begins and is only made possible through the input of energy. Nothing can be made without exerting energy. Taking into consideration the principle that the complete object is created from the complete input of energy, God invested everything He had as the Subject in order to create His object. Through the act of creation, He began to exist not for Himself but for His object. (78-111, 1975.5.6)

Taking into consideration the principle of the dissipation of energy, can input be equal to output for human beings? Energy enters the body to carry out actions; can that energy be equal to that left after the action has been carried out? Is it consumed in the process of action? Does motion consume energy? Thus, output cannot be equal to input, but is always less than before. Evolutionists imply that energy increases with action. Such a formula does not exist. If it were true, this world would be turned upside down. Hence, an external source of additional energy would be necessary. (55-254, 1972.5.9)

Evolutionists say that the amoeba evolved gradually into a higher animal, the monkey, and that the monkey evolved into the human being. Think about it. In order for a human being to exert superhuman force, he needs to have the extra energy supplemented from somewhere else. Such is the principle of energy. Energy is inevitably consumed with action. Only when extra energy is added can action be carried out anew. (38-155, 1971.1.3)

You should exert yourself with devotion and fulfill your responsibility (289-193, 1988.1.2)

The person who takes on the mission of Home Church is like the last marathon runner in history. He is like the runner in the last marathon. Imagine a marathon runner who is representing his nation and wiping sweat off his body. Compare these two cases. One runner starts with the thinking, "I should try to run without sweating. Maybe I should run moderately, within my comfort zone while using a fan and drinking some cola." But the other runner exerts all his power until the end, even falling down dead and covered in sweat. How are they different? God is invisible and supports His champion, but all of the Satanic world opposes the runner and says "Hey you! Collapse! Hey you, fall down! Hey stupid, just eat a little food as you go! Hey you idiot, take a rest!" Is the spirit world visible? Is God visible? In the midst of the world's coming and going, heaven and earth are cheering and encouraging the runner to keep running, but he cannot hear it. On the other hand, the satanic world opposes the runner, saying, "Come on man, what is God? You're a fool! Just eat some food before you run. Take a little rest before you go. Don't be stupid, just take a car. What is the point in walking? I mean, what is this?" However, until this runner crosses the finish line and wins, even Satan cannot interfere. (108-205, 1980.10.5)

Knowing it intellectually is not enough. Living in the world of peace and happiness is not enough. You must be able to go directly to the heavenly world. "Our Family Pledges to strive every day to advance the unification of the spirit world and the physical world as subject and object partners, by centering on true love." You must strive to advance this pledge. You must not sit around and watch the world go by. How could you sleep and rest when the world is as noisy and clamorous as it is now. One second, you need one second! How to gain one more day is the question. You should not be concerned about rain and darkness. The entire heavenly world is out of order. (280-35, 1996.10.13)

"Our family pledges to strive everyday to advance the unification of the spirit world and the physical world as subject and object partners, by centering on true love!" This is daily, once a day and not once a year. It states that the spirit world is the subject partner every day. There is the spirit world -- the heavenly nation. Next, there is the physical world as the object partner. Then what? We strive to advance the unification. So without resting, we should have stimulation and excitement to develop their unification. There is no time to rest. If we want to be an extended family of the spirit world, we must unify heaven and earth. (267-152, 1995.1.4)

I myself have climbed over sorrowful peaks shedding tears and blood all my life in order to surmount this. You do not know the secrets submerged in the background of the Unification Church. No one knows and no one needs to know. If you knew them, how burdened you would be!

True Parents are suffering like this, and you would shed tears while even having lunch. I do not want this. Neither God nor your Parents want you to reflect on their suffering in an effort to remove all historical sorrow caused by indemnity conditions. You should forget about it and call out the name of God's Kingdom on earth that is full of hope; as representatives of God and the True Parents, you must exultantly fly high with the whole world as your sphere and heaven and earth as the sphere of your nation. You should live energetically, running with a desire to fly rather than just leap high. (283-242, 1997.4.13)

There is to be unification. The fact is that the spirit world and earth can be unified. Through this, the gates of both hell and heaven can be opened up and we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We should strive to do this, trying to shorten the process even by one hour. (294-130, 1998.6.14)

What is Family Pledge number five? It states, "…strive every day to advance the unification of the spirit world and the physical world as subject and object partners..." We need to progress quickly and in addition what are we to do? It is time to strive forward. Yet when you are hungry, don't you think, "I'd like to do it after lunch"? I do not live like that. I would rather try to extend something by an hour than to leave early. (280-38, 1996.10.13)

"…strive every day to advance the unification...," advancement does not mean just to become as one and stay still. It means making progress. From the age of the family to the age of the tribe, and then to the age of the people -- in this way we should go toward globalization. If this did not happen, everything would be scattered and become a big mess. Always, whether we work, go somewhere, sit down or take a rest, we as object partners must become one with the spirit world as the subject partner, and, without staying there, advance continuously. In this way, we can stand in the position of surmounting the peaks of the family, tribe, people, nation and world and finally enter God's Kingdom on earth and in heaven. We will clean up all the rampant activities of Satan and realize God's original unified ideal world. We must strive to hasten this on. This is how the order is set up. (261-90, 1994.5.22)

In advancing forward, we strive on with all our strength. We strive to advance toward unification. We are already advancing toward this, but still we strive on, hitting it with our stick. Do you know why Family Pledge number five has come into being? It means smooth passage on earth and in heaven! It means that the gates of hell in the spirit world and physical world have been set aside, and the march for entering the gate of heaven has started and is in progress. To strive to advance toward unification means to strike hard. If you have many younger siblings, you should bring them to the Blessing even if you have to push them. If your children do not receive the Blessing, problems will arise. (294-105, 1998.6.14)

We do not just achieve unity and then sit still. We must move forward and advance. The spirit world remains for us to deal with. After we achieve the unity of just the physical world we cannot settle down. We must go even further. We must strive to advance. Do it quickly. We are pledging to strive on. (283-82, 1997.4.8)

Although fallen, human beings originally have the character to connect with the eternal heavenly nature, and in each person's mind there exist elements of the ideal of creation. Therefore, human beings can become one with God by unshackling themselves from sin, perfecting themselves, and lead an infinitely happy life. The believers today are not aware of this fact.

What is the purpose of our prayer, or the purpose of the believers of Buddhism seeking the state of self-denial through Zen Buddhist meditation? It is an attempt to awaken the elements that can become the nucleus of the mind. If you set that one standard and establish the center of mind of all that you see, hear and feel before the heavenly laws, then you can make a full bow before God and return the glory. But, among the human beings today, there is no one who is penetrating into it with dead seriousness to reach that state in search of one's original nature, even if they desire this state of mind. Moreover, there is no one who is abandoning everything for the sake of causing the rise of this mind. Although people today can abandon everything they have and step forward for the sake of some ideology or thought, they do not abandon everything for the sake of the truth, which is more important and raises up their mind.

Even if there are some people who forsake everything for some doctrine or give up their own assertions for the sake of some ideology, if they are not doing this to find the truth that can raise their mind, then they cannot make any valuable relationship with the heavenly laws. Then, what must you do to enter this nucleus of the mind and cleanse the defiled mind inherited through the ancestors' lineage of sin for 6,000 years? Just as Jesus said, "The first commandment is that you exert all of your heart, will and character to love the Lord God," you must be in the position of doing your utmost.

Moreover, you must become someone who can step forward at the cost of your life, no matter what kind of work you do or what kind of problem you face. You must do this in the place of your dwelling. You must do the same for all things that are unfolding, centering on the hope that you hold. Even in the forked road of life and death, you must exert all of your mind and body. You have to understand that if you do not do this, then you will not spark the nucleus of the heavenly mind, which enters motion based on the purpose of doing the utmost. (Sermons Vol. 2-151, 1957.5.19)