Good morning. (Good
morning)
Does everybody want to be prosperous?
Prosperity.
Do you want to be prosperous? (Yes)
In what way? (Laughter) Money? Money way? I'll cut right to the chase.
To me prosperity is a perception, a perception of how ones self thinks of
ones self in contentment. So when are you satisfied? Because
prosperity equals satisfaction. That varies. How do YOU see
prosperity? Because it's a perception of how ones self thinks about ones
self in contentment.
If you see today, like televangelists,
people that are doing very well; they put on a great show. They package them
selves very well and it's an event when you go there. And an
event has, I guess, a certain kind of appeal or expectation. For instance
like on a commercial level, you create an event to sell your product.
In politics you create an event, make
budget promises, and ask for your vote. (Laughter) At times, in
religious circles, you have an event and make a statement, make a
proclamation of some sort, representing the Divine. And it's how you
use that kind of stuff to draw attention that makes the event highly
successful or not. Right? (Yes)
And pretty much, that's how we communicate
with one another on a larger scale. Otherwise it's one-on-one. You have to
literally build things one-on-one. And because of modernization we can
afford that kind of large scale give and take using those kinds of
situations, because we all have that kind of situational awareness of how
things work.
Especially when people put on those kind's
of things, they have certain expectations so to listen better to what the
point is, and they'll try to hold you to it whether they're selling the
right product (or not). And time will tell right? Whether it's a good
politician or not or whatever. Time will tell.
So however in the end what is all that
for? Why is it necessary? You have to ask yourself, ultimately in the end,
if we can find something that is universal. What is that universality
that we can all share in contentment?
And that's important. Because when you
talk about being prosperous it's physical mind and body, and I guess certain
people are stuck on a physical level because that's all they understand
because I guess it might be environmental or whatever.
They're some people that are kind of stuck
in the intellectual level. And they pretty much give their whole life in
pursuit of creating that and getting greater and greater satisfaction in
terms of their expansion intellectually.
And spiritually... And in spirituality it
goes the same way but that's a very broad kind of reality. Because how do
YOU find satisfaction, unless you have a telephone, a direct line to God, a
red telephone, like Batman's Phone. (Laughter)
It's very difficult. If something is
tangible or if something is intellectual at least you can feel it because
there is give and take you can perceive and determine, analyze or whatever.
But how do you go about doing that,
analyzing and defining perception when it comes to having a relationship
with God? How do you ultimately feel that satisfaction?
So you have to take a leap of faith,
right, and try to predict how God will think in satisfaction. NOT YOU! Not
you first, but how HE would… What would He... What would God think that will
make God satisfied, make Him feel that contentment?
When you chase after the notion, the feel
of God, you can't determine based on your self. It's foolish isn't it? You
have to think about how HE would perceive. That's the leap of faith that we
have to take. What would make Him content?
He wanted us to procreate and proliferate
like all the stars in the universe. What would make Him satisfied in the
end? What would make Him happy? Because anything that gives contentment has
all that stuff in there, prosperity, happiness and all that stuff that you
want. But in the end if you want to chase God, that's what you have to do.
You can't ask yourself, you have to ask what would make Him contented.
That's the only way, because you have no idea.
Do you truly know what makes you feel
satisfaction yet? You're still chasing it aren't you? At least I am. I'm not
going to live that long. I'm still trying to figure out what, to this
person, defines contentment. Only then can you truly feel prosperous in my
eye.
Give a bunch of candy and French fries to
children and they think that they're in prosperity. (Laughter) When they
grow up that perception changes. That's about it isn't it?
It's true. I still think like that. I
don't know about you. In my own way, in my own stupid way I do. The desire
keeps you pushing on to try to expand to try to ask questions, what is more
that I have?
Before you talk about giving, I have to
know what I've got. What more do I have. Then comes the part about giving.
That's the choice. It's the choice that made us fall. It's the choice that
can make us successful too. Heavenly.
If it has to come from your
responsibility, me and you, then that determination ultimately falls on you,
and you have to expand your limitations. If you don't, you can never be
prosperous. You're going to make a big booboo. (Laughter) It just
might be criminal.
So prosperity is in you. It's how you
perceive seeing your limitations, but at the same time, don't let the notion
of limitations bind you. You can expand. The world has boundaries, sure, but
expand, right?
Unconditional love has conditions right?
(Laughter) Know yourself and that answer lies in you. No body else can give
it to you. And if we can be the church that can understand more that
just the kind of prosperity stuck on the body or the mind. Maybe a little
higher... Hey let the best man win right? That's about it isn't it.
We'll attract people because that's how we
think, that's how we live and if we can showcase those more in confidence,
trust me; it will be beautiful. And people are attracted to beautiful
things.
It can be done. Others can sort of do it.
We can do it too; we'll certainly do it if we put our hearts and minds
together in our efforts. Faith and effort, hey, to start that's all you
have.
But you have to believe. God still
believes that this world can become an ideal world. We have to believe
right? Otherwise we will all perish right? We can't let that happen
right? That's not an option. So let's see what we got! Okay?
I guess next week is Mother's day. You
guys going to be busy? (Busy fundraising so perhaps Hyo Jin Nim should not
speak. Audience responds "We'll be here!") I'll be here. (Much laughter)
I'll see you next week.
