Fourth, being a family which embodies God and True Parents means to become a royal family. This concept was already explained in the discussion of the third pledge. We have the pride and dignity of belonging to the royal family of God and Jesus Christ. Just as the True Parents' family is a royal family, every true family should become a royal family to the members of its clan and the people in its community. We have been appointed tribal messiahs, charged with bringing all the people in our clan and in our community to God. We can hardly expect to do this unless we embody God within ourselves, practice self-denial, and give sacrificial love to the people. By our example and by our sacrifice, we should win the people's hearts and thus earn their respect and gratitude. We should become like parents to many thousands of people, who look to us for leadership, guidance and example. They will then naturally lift us up as kings and queens. Don't we respect and honor the True Parents for the same reason? As we come to embody their essence, we should be able to do as they do.

Already many families are achieving success as tribal messiahs. They are well respected in their hometowns. Some have attained public office. Others are teachers, social workers, or ministering to the poor and downtrodden. They are giving spiritual guidance and leadership to hundreds of people in their communities. For example, one brother in Brazil has a successful radio ministry that reaches over ten thousand people. His home is a central meeting place where people come for help and advice. He has brought hundreds of people to the Blessing. This older man had been a dedicated church member for many years when one day at a meeting the church director asked, "Who has a foundation he can offer to the True Parents?" Looking around the table, he saw that there was no one. From that day, he determined to create such a foundation by himself. He went to his hometown, leaving his church mission amidst some criticism it was in the days before Rev. Moon began teaching about tribal messiahship. He took up his former teaching position at the local college and began a modest radio program. It started as an ordinary talk show with interviews of sundry guests, but over the years he developed it into a vehicle for teaching spiritual truth. Now the people in his district see him as embodying the heart of Christ and divine wisdom. Though without political power, he has become their spiritual king. When people inquire deeper into the source of his spiritual wisdom, he points them to his Teacher.

To spread God's Blessing to others, we should also become a family which moves heavenly fortune. Heavenly fortune is defined as the power of God which upholds the cosmos. It upholds those who move in harmony with the cosmos in accordance with its universal laws. The design of the human body, with its bones, muscles and ligaments, takes advantage of the laws of physics to enable an athlete to run, jump, turn and throw a ball with pinpoint accuracy. By those same laws, if that body steps off a cliff, it will fall. Likewise, God designed the spirit to grow to maturity through observing the spiritual laws. It will grow when there is good interaction between life elements, vitality elements and spirit elements in the individual. It will shrivel if the flow of these elements is blocked. The universal laws which govern all entities include: balance and harmony of the dual characteristics, giving and receiving in harmony, and living for the sake of the larger whole. They include the law of growth, whereby an entity must grow to completion before uniting with its partner. All the individuals and systems in the universe interconnect, thereby endowing all things with energy and a common direction. As long as an individual keeps his position within the universal ecology of life and upholds its principles, he receives the protection and support of God and the entire universe.

Every religion teaches that God or Heaven protects those who are faithful and live according to the Way. King David had faith in God's protection:

The Qur'an exhorts,

The Upanishads teach knowledge of the Absolute as a secret key to protection from all evils:

Taoist thought teaches that through conformity to the Tao of heaven, one can tap the source of infinite energy:

This is the same strength in the Lord which Paul urges each of us to take on, the "whole armor of God." We can stand against evil having girded ourselves "with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness... the shield of faith... the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Eph. 6:11-17) Paul endured numerous imprisonments and beatings, three shipwrecks, and many days and nights without food or shelter. (2 Cor. 11:23-28) Yet God always protected him, for he lived his life in service of the gospel.

Our family can move heavenly fortune when we live by faith and live with God. The power of God can come to us when we let Him work in our lives. Whatever the situation, the living God will tell us what to say and show us what do. Responding as God's object partners, we become the mediators for God's power and grace. God will unleash His power through us to transform heaven and earth. Whatever the area of life in which we build our foundation, we can move heavenly fortune to work there for us and through us.

In the Bible, Moses moved heavenly fortune. He took up the call of God to liberate the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Having seen their affliction and heard their groaning, God called Moses to be the deliverer, saying, "I will be with you" (Exod. 3:12) and proving Himself with the three signs. From that point on, Moses served God with absolute faith. He became the focal point for God's power to act on the earth. When the Israelites were encamped at the shore of the Red Sea and an Egyptian army was fast approaching, they cowered in fear. Yet Moses stood firm and said, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still." (Exod. 14:1314) He stretched out his rod over the sea and it divided, opening a way for the Israelites to cross on dry ground. In Moses, the Israelites saw the power of God. But it was Moses' indomitable faith that allowed God to work powerfully through him. Later at KadeshBarnea, when Moses struck the rock twice, he lost his heavenly fortune. In his anger at the people, he disobeyed God and defiled His holy rock. Hence, heavenly fortune left Moses, and he was fated to die in the wilderness. (Num. 20:7-12)

Joshua and Caleb also moved heavenly fortune. When they brought back faithful reports after spying out the land, God blessed them on this condition of faithfulness. (Num. 14:30) So the Lord appointed Joshua to succeed Moses, declaring that he was "a man in whom is the spirit." (Num. 27:18) God declared to Joshua that he will have victory everywhere he goes (Josh. 1:3); he only must "be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither dismayed" (Josh. 1:9); and he must follow all the laws which God had given to Moses. In other words, Joshua inherited the heavenly fortune and would be victorious as long as he remained faithful to the law of God, as had Moses before him. He defeated thirty-one kings and conquered much of the land of Canaan for Israel. (Josh. 12:24) Caleb also remained strong throughout the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness and led the tribe of Judah into Canaan. (Josh. 14:6-14; Judg. 1:20)

How can we become families which can move heavenly fortune? There are several conditions we should meet. First, we should sever all ties to Satan by paying indemnity. Whatever persecution we may face, we should endure and overcome it with gratitude, patience, love and forgiveness. Second, we should receive the True Parents and be born again as true families, embodying their pure nature. Third, we should be unified within and without, thereby conforming our lives to the Principle. Finally, we should spread God's blessings to others, thereby participating in the great cycle of expanding blessings.

We become families which can move heavenly fortune when we live in accordance with God's design and Heaven's laws. This was to have been humanity's natural state. As the center of the cosmos, God intended the entire creation to revolve around true families. The angelic world was to protect us and guide us to a life full of love, blessings and abundance. The Fall, however, threw this entire design out of balance. As the Divine Principle puts it, "Tragically, the universe lost its center when human beings fell." (Creation 2.3.4) Consequently, the fallen world lacks heavenly fortune. Regaining and moving heavenly fortune requires that we first overcome the effects of the Fall.

Therefore, the first step to moving heavenly fortune is to sever our ties with Satan by paying indemnity. Satan's control on humankind has been so deeply entrenched that, still today, cutting our links to him remains quite difficult. The Bible severely condemns idolatry because idols represented the false god Satan. Yet Satan's hold is actually far more subtle, penetrating the depths of the human heart. After all, Satan planted his original hook into Eve through the power of love, the strongest force in the universe. To separate Satan from ourselves, we must demonstrate absolute love for God, overriding all the attractive loves of this world. As Rev. Moon says,

Cutting our ties to Satan requires that we pay indemnity. We must actively oppose Satan and deny his false love. Not even the most perfect Pentecostal experience of spiritual liberation can avail the person who does not make the requisite indemnity conditions. Though all manner of evil spirits may be cast out, if the condition to relate with Satan still exists, their fellows will soon return. (Luke 11:24-26)

To demonstrate absolute love for God and to wholly deny Satan's love, we should be completely obedient. Living by faith and obedience lifts us up to where we have no dealings with Satan. Rev. Moon says,

Obedience does not mean that we cease to think for ourselves. Far from it! The most serious thought and committed action is needed if we are to fulfill our responsibility in obedience to God and our central figures. It might seem more difficult to fulfill one's responsibility under the yoke of obedience than to go one's own way. Nevertheless, the road of self-centered individualism is more hazardous; one will likely lose track of the Principle way and lose everything.

To master the requirements of duty is a great virtue. In the Orient, the virtue of fulfilling one's duty regardless of one's station has long been prized; external wealth and honor count for little in comparison. According to Confucian philosophy, the superior man concerns himself with achieving a state of inner equanimity, even as he is ready to meet the demands of his position in the outer world. He is the master of himself precisely because he can deal with whatever circumstances and challenges his duty requires. Thus Confucius wrote:

A filial daughter who endures hardships for the love of her elderly parents-in-law and the soldier who offers his life in defense of his nation have each taken on the yoke of duty. Each is refined through the crucible of his or her service to separate from Satan and becomes a person of virtue.

Religion provides another context in which people can demonstrate obedience and thereby sever their ties to Satan, particularly when followers of a religion receive persecution for their faith. Persecution helps people deny themselves and deny all worldly loves. By overcoming Satan's attacks, the faithful affirm that they belong to God alone. According to Rev. Moon:

Going over persecution surpasses even years of meditation in the mountains as the highest road to perfection. Those who demonstrate victorious faith in the face of bitter persecution rest in the bosom of God's love and receive the aid of heavenly fortune.

Suffering and persecution avails us not unless we digest it with patience and love. Our suffering loses any value if we get crushed by it. Some people glory in their suffering and take self-righteous pleasure in the role of a victim. With their minds bent on vengeance, they are caught in a satanic web of accusation. In their fixation on getting even, they lose their own souls. The suffering of the righteous and the suffering of self-centered people thus have completely different significance. Those who endure suffering and even death while pursuing goodness and living in the service of others, like Rev. Martin Luther King, we regard as saints. Conversely, when suffering is not accompanied by repentance or striving for goodness, it only becomes an occasion for more sin. The riots in Los Angeles that followed the beating of Rodney King might be cited as an example of the latter.

Spiritualists report that hell is populated by the victims as well as the perpetrators of crimes. The victim is chained to his murderer by bonds of hatred that are as palpable as bonds of love. Here is one such account of two inmates of hell, one a cruel judge from the days of the Spanish Inquisition, the other a poor merchant whom he had wronged. On earth, the judge had coveted the merchant's beautiful wife. He imprisoned him on trumped-up charges, took his wife, and killed her when she resisted his advances.

And so this poor man had died, but he did not join his wife who, poor injured soul, had passed at once with her little innocent child into the higher spheres. She was so good and pure and gentle that she had forgiven even her murderer... and between her and the husband she so dearly loved there was a wall created by his bitter revengeful feelings against the man who had destroyed them both.

When this poor wronged husband died, his soul could not leave the earth. It was tied there by his hatred of his enemy and his thirst for revenge ... Devils from hell clustered around the wronged spirit and taught it how through the hand of a mortal it could strike the assassin's dagger to the judge's heart, and then when death severed the body and the spirit he could drag that down with him to hell. So terrible had been his craving for revenge, that... it was he who inspired a man on earth to kill the judge; his hand guided the mortal's with so unerring an aim that the judge fell pierced to his false, cruel heart. The earthly body died but the immortal soul lived and awakened to find itself in Hell, chained to a dungeon wall as he had chained his victim, and face to face with him at last ...

Should a person be crushed by his trials, no one can help him. Even if he had been of good character, he is liable, like the poor merchant, to multiply evil by seeking vengeance, either on earth or from the spirit world. The only way he can break his chains is to forgive his enemy and turn his heart away from the mean business of vengeance to the all-embracing love coming from above.

Besides severing our ties to Satan, overcoming suffering and persecution with patience and love will move heavenly fortune. When a righteous person is struck unjustly, it creates a debt which must be repaid. It puts blessings in his heavenly bank account which will be reaped in the future. Should he die without reaping his reward, his children will inherit his merit. The merit of the early Christian martyrs ultimately brought Christianity to dominion over the mighty Roman Empire. The blood spilled by the slave-owner's lash ultimately brought liberation to the Black slaves in the United States. The martyrdom of millions of faithful Russian Christians in the Soviet Union stored up merit which finally caused that godless tyranny to collapse. These phenomena, which have occurred over and over again in the course of history, accord with natural law. They illustrate the operation of heavenly fortune.

The second condition to move heavenly fortune is to be united with the True Parents. The True Parents possess the highest, cosmic fortune. Though many people have fervent faith and stand offering their lives to God, the True Parents are intimate with God's heart. They have the same mind as God, knowing God's heart, God's situation, God's purpose and God's hope. They stand at the center of God's providence. They have endured suffering with grace and perseverance, and God has protected them through every adversity: imprisonment, torture, concentration camp, governmental inquisition, and numerous assassination plots. The True Parents are God's delight, and He gives them unlimited heavenly fortune.

Today the True Parents stand at the hub of the wheel of the divine providence, at whose rim revolves the entire cosmos. Both the spirit world and the earthly world heave in the throes of a great transformation, driven by a power far greater than the ordinary forces which move the lives of individuals and even the courses of nations. When we unite with the True Parents, we affix ourselves to the hub of the providence, turning with it. We can ride with the providence and keep abreast of its changes. Therefore, we cannot go wrong. Catching the wave of God's providence, to use another metaphor, can be a thrilling experience. Those who catch the wave will be sitting on the top of the world.

In the history of the Unification Church, there have been many capable people who joined for a time and then fell away. These were often the most intelligent and capable members who quickly found themselves elevated to positions of responsibility. Nevertheless, some grew impatient, believing that they were smarter and more qualified than their leaders. Others, faced with unrelenting persecution, lost hope that anything would come of Rev. Moon's ministry. They figured they could reach a higher status in society if they disassociated from him. Meanwhile, members of modest ability remained and labored on for the providence. Eventually, some of them grew to occupy high positions. Now, thirty years later, some of those lapsed members have returned to the church. Ashamed of their past, they have taken up lowly positions while their former comrades of humble native ability stand high above them. Thus does heavenly fortune smile on the faithful, who place God's will and the True Parents before their personal desires.

We have discussed at length what it means to be a family which embodies God and True Parents and is a member of their body. By fulfilling this aspect of the Family Pledge, we simultaneously inherit their heavenly fortune. We have the power of God at our disposal, to be mobilized for the purpose of goodness.

Even though we walk on the way of faith and dedicate ourselves to God and the True Parents, sometimes we find ourselves cast adrift, impotent and helpless in the face of adversity. When assailed by misfortune, disease, financial ruin or death, it may be difficult to believe that we have any heavenly fortune whatsoever. To claim the fortune that is our rightful inheritance, we should examine whether our lives conform to the way of Heaven. Heavenly fortune only operates for those who live in accordance with the laws of the cosmos.

Therefore, the third condition for moving heavenly fortune is unity. The energy flowing through the universe is generated by countless interactions between subject partners and object partners. At every level they are making oneness. Likewise, we should examine whether the subject and object partners which constitute ourselves and our families are interacting in healthy oneness. Is there unity between my mind and body? Between husband and wife? Between parents and children? Am I in unity with my church leader, who represents the True Parents with regard to my area of responsibility in the providence? Without unity on all these levels, Heaven's energy dissipates. As a consequence, difficulties of all kinds assail us. Furthermore, we may become so benumbed to our lot that we are no longer aware of how Satan and evil spirits are in fact troubling us. These spirits exploit our disunity as a condition to invade our lives.

Despite such adversities, we should never forget the reality of God and His power to save. Rather, we should repent for our failure to live according to His Principle, and redouble our efforts to resolve the disunity in our life. God stands ready and willing to forgive us and help us in restoring our families and ourselves. By returning to the way of the Principle and indemnifying our sins, we can recover heavenly fortune and find abundant blessings.

"Those who act kindly in this world will have kindness." (Qur'an 39.10) "Give, and it will be given to you... for the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Luke 6:38) "He who gives liberally goes straight to the gods." (Rig Veda 1.125.5)1° "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (2 Cor. 9:6) All religions teach the fundamental spiritual law that giving brings more wealth in its train. Love grows when it is shared. When we spread God's blessings to the people around us, we receive heavenly fortune in even greater abundance. This is nothing but a simple application of the principle of give and take action, by which love and blessings constantly circulate throughout the cosmos. We thus conform to universal law and can move heavenly fortune all the more.

In the Bible, the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had the tradition of moving heavenly fortune in order to spread God's blessings to others. Abraham put his life in God's hands, leaving home and family to journey to a new land. As a consequence, God blessed him with tremendous heavenly fortune, saying, "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great..." Yet Abraham's blessing was not only for himself: "and by you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen. 12:1-3) Abraham was solicitous for the welfare of others, interceding before God on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen. 18:20-33) Through Abraham's steadfast faith, he became the source of blessing for all the peoples of the earth through the three great religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam-which stemmed from him.

Isaac, too, because he offered himself on the altar of sacrifice in obedience to his father (Gen. 22:6-10), was blessed with heavenly fortune. He became very wealthy, and even his enemies blessed him. (Gen. 26:12-13; 26-29) Jacob so prized God's blessing that he fought to receive it from his father, even at the cost of alienating his brother Esau. Though he had to flee from his brother, at Bethel God affirmed that Jacob indeed was endowed with great heavenly fortune. (Gen. 28:13-14) He found prosperity in Haran, working for his uncle Laban and gaining wives, children and flocks. But Jacob was not content to keep his blessing to himself. He determined to share it with his brother Esau despite all the enmity between them. Returning home to face his brother, Jacob melted his hatred by giving him a substantial gift: "two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten he-asses." (Gen. 32:13-16) Jacob serves as a good model of a person who conveyed God's blessing to others, even to a man who had been his enemy.

All the biblical patriarchs qualified themselves to inherit heavenly fortune through their faith, sacrifice, and obedience to God's command. They then willingly shared God's blessing with others. Joseph followed this same tradition. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, he overcame the temptation of Potiphar's wife and so became qualified to receive heaven's blessing. Even in prison, the Lord was with him, and he became the warden's trusted assistant. Gifted with the power to interpret dreams, Joseph rose to a high position in the Egyptian court. Yet he did not have a mind to enjoy his good fortune by himself, but shared it with his family, including the brothers who had sold him into slavery.

Moses, too, lived to convey God's blessing to others. The focus of his concern was entirely for his brethren, the Israelites. Moses put his own life in danger when he struck and killed the Egyptian overseer mistreating a Hebrew slave. (Exod. 2:11-15) He later returned to face Pharaoh after God called him to liberate the Israelites, whose cries had reached up to heaven. Yet the people were not grateful for Moses' help, but murmured continually against him. While he was fasting for forty days on Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, they fashioned a golden calf. Yet Moses' love for his people never wavered. In the aftermath of that incident, God offered to raise up a new Israel from Moses' own family, but Moses would have none of it. Interceding for his people, he fasted for another forty days to prepare another set of tablets. Through Moses' desperate intercession, God gave the Israelites a second chance. (Dent. 9:9-19)

A life of giving is the heavenly secret to success. For example, St. Paul braved many perils during his continual efforts to spread the Gospel, yet God protected him and prospered his ministry. Rev. Moon has followed this pattern. Forty years ago he was a penniless refugee; today he directs a powerful movement. His way is never to keep anything for himself. Before they even arrive, whatever funds he receives in donations and earnings he earmarks for spending, to further the many providential activities around the world. He places the Unification Church on the same altar of sacrifice, so it can follow the same principle. Instead of building up the church with splendid buildings and fine religious schools, he has taught his followers to think only of the salvation of the wider world.

Hospitality to guests, helping relatives in need, kindness to strangers, volunteering for charitable community work: these activities mark a family which conveys God's blessings to others. They are the virtues of good families in every society. For instance, the Qur'an praises such people:

The family that extends itself to others is enriched many-fold. The varied experiences and warm friendships which accrue to such a family are treasures more precious than gold. Beyond that, the family is showered with divine love beyond measure.

Whatever wealth we possess first belongs to God before it becomes our own. God gives us wealth for the sake of all His children in need. Paul pointed out, "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work." (2 Cor. 9:8) As long as we help others, we will always have enough for ourselves.

Beware of hoarding your blessings! The family that hoards its blessings to itself, that practices nepotism in business and dotes on its private life at home, is guilty of selfishness on the family level that runs counter to the universal law of nature. It may not be many years before it becomes poor, reaping the fruit of its deeds.

In particular, blessed families who focus on their private lives, raising children and enriching themselves while withdrawing from the duties of the providence, are in danger of losing their heavenly fortune.

Sharing our blessings with others is the natural way of life. It conforms with the way of all God's creatures, who are constantly giving and receiving in the interconnected web of life. As my family lives for the sake of the community, the community prospers, and my family shares in its prosperity. As the community lives for the sake of the nation, the nation prospers, and so does every community within it. As the nation lives for the sake of the world, the world's prosperity extends to all nations. This is the great circle of life, giving and receiving the energy of love. As people practice this way of life, the Kingdom of Heaven grows. Rev. Moon teaches:

It is God's nature to give of Himself to all His creatures, both evil and good, as it is said, "He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good" (Matt. 5:45) and "If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself." (2 Tim. 1:13) As Jesus illustrated by the Parable of the Prodigal Son, God loves even the worst criminal; when he repents and returns home, his heavenly Father welcomes him with joy and feasting. Moreover, while God is ever willing to convey blessings, He always honors human freedom. This is one measure of God's respect for our potential dignity and value as sovereign beings. Hence, we can only be facilitators in conveying God's blessings and can never determine another's free choice. Should we try with every ounce of strength to turn someone around, and still he remains stubbornly fixed in his ways, we should not feel as though we failed. To respond or not is ultimately his portion of responsibility. Our responsibility is only to be clear, centered and united that God may work His will through us.

When we spread God's blessings to others, we manifest the nature of God. As families which embody God and True Parents, this conforms to our own natures. The more we strive to spread God's blessings, the more we become God-like, and the more we resemble the True Parents. This is, in fact, the royal way to embody God and True Parents: witness to the Truth and spread the salvation which they have labored to bring into the world.

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