Bible Reading Joshua 4
Joshua approaching Jericho set up an altar.

"4:5 And Joshua said unto them Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel…

4:24 that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that is mighty and you might fear the Lord your God for ever."

Bequeathment: To leave (property, items, knowledge, etc) to another by last will and testament, to hand down, pass on.

We can inherit blessings from God or blessings from Satan. It is up to us. We can go step by step closer to God or step by step closer to Satan. It is up to us. If we knew that we decide whether we go to Heaven or Hell, perhaps our life style would be more cautious and considerate.

Today, I am reminded of the Holy Candles and Holy Salt that is being given to all of you here. What are these? In one way, they are a reminder like Joshua arranging an altar that God is with us. We wish to stand on God's side.

Imagine every time you pray. One could say that is such a hassle to pray so much. Yet, every time we take time, it can remind us. It centers our heart on God. It grounds us to be appreciative, grateful, and thankful.

In the Divine Principle, a book which expresses a deeper understanding of the Holy Bible and a deeper expression of our faith, there is a chapter on "The Principle of Restoration". It explains that in order for a person to meet the Lord, we must set up a condition of faith which includes a foundation of faith and a foundation of substance. I would really encourage you to read or re-read this section sometime. The heart of God wished for all of us to in fact lay a foundation to receive the Lord of the Second Advent.

God wishes to bequeath to us the title of His son and daughter. He wishes for us to come into full understanding of the truth. Yet, as for us or any person in the Bible, we are called to set certain conditions of faith. Like Adam and Eve having to obey the Word, Cain loving his brother Able, Noah building an Ark, Abraham offering Isaac, Joshua spending 40 years in the desert are all examples of laying such foundations to gain God's bequethment or His blessings.

We can read in the Bible many times when people chose not to set the conditions of faith and they did not receive the blessing but curse. Their course was prolonged due to their faithlessness.

A. Noah's son's faithlessness in their father receives a curse rather than a blessing.

B. The first spies in the wilderness report faithless reports and prolong the time to leave the desert into Jericho

C. The Babylonian Captivity and Return due to the faithlessness of the chosen people

How many people make an offering to God when they do things? Is God a number one priority in their lives or secondary? Where is God placed in our life? Is He there in our daily lives?

I know that when I light the Holy Candle it reminds me of goodness, bringing a good spirit into my home, a desire to raise the standard in my home. The Holy Salt, like Holy Water for the Catholics, sanctifies the property we have. Imagine, it says to God this is Your property God and I acknowledge it and will respect it.

When we train ourselves in such a way, we create a good standard. When we have such training, we create good habits. We create heavenly habits. These are conditions for God to work in our home.

Our founder, Father Moon, commented recently about building heaven. "Therefore, heaven is not a world found in outer space on the other side of the galaxy, nor is it the by-product of imagination existing only in the human brain. It refers to the substantial kingdom of heaven on earth, which can only be created when you have lead lives expressive of true love." Later he explained, "You should never forget that you yourselves, through your life on earth, determine whether you go to heaven or to hell."

Evil too requires much respect and caution. Evil is like a fish hook that when inside your heart or home, it becomes much more difficult to pull out. Condition after condition that is set for evil to influence you becomes more powerful and influential. Your conscience, that voice from God, becomes duller and duller and harder to hear. Evil's voice becomes more clear and easier to follow. Yet, in any case, it is up to us, it is up to each of us to choose evil or goodness. We have free will and human responsibility.

You know, our children are the product of who we are. As I was talking with a young man recently, he said he does not like to do the religious things like his parents. I said well the standard you set in your home will be how your children turn out.

Basically, a good child is a product of a good parent. A bad child is a product of a bad parent. There are of course some oddities of this rule, but in general I see this fit. We cannot expect anything else out of our children than what standards, habits, lifestyle, religious practices we have set. We should not nor can not be surprised. Likewise, wherever we feel we are at, there is no better time to improve ourselves. Stop, reflect and re-determine to do a better job, be a better grandparent, parent and child.

Thus, as we inherit these religious practices, I can guarantee that they will bring a blessing to your home if you practice them. Set an altar in your home dedicated to Heavenly Father. Hang a picture of Jesus and place the Holy Candle there. Light it occasionally if not every day. Make your offerings and express your gratitude to God at that site when you come home or when you wake up. In all of this, you set the way to gain the blessing to bequeath such blessings to your own children, great grandchildren and all those others around you.

We are living in a new era. The power of God is strong and we can make it stronger. The angelic world or the spiritual world, those saints and sages, those righteous men and women of the past, wish to help us and will help us. We should have a new and optimistic view of life with the greater hope that God is working. Miracles can happen and are happening before our very eyes. Take on the bequeathment of God, receive His blessings and apply them in your daily life. Set good conditions and good things will happen to you and your family and your community.

We must build the kingdom. It starts one step at a time. Be people who love and server God by your daily life of faith. Set up the altar to remind you that God is God and He loves you very much.

Have a Great Week