- Ecclesiastes 12:1-2 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”— before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;
- Ecclesiastes 12:7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
- Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
One day, joy suddenly disappeared from my thoughts. When ‘the thought’ was erased from my brain, ‘the joy’ disappeared also. Just as when a document you stored in a computer is deleted, everything gets deleted without leaving even a single character, Joy disappeared [from my thoughts] like that. As I walked out after washing in order to pray, the days of the past came to mind vividly and I remembered. When I remembered the days of the past, the joy came to me once again. At that moment, the word ‘memory’ came to mind and I realized. I said [to myself], ‘Ah ha~ I have to remember in order to be joyful! I am not joyful because I have forgotten!’
Whether they are things of the past or things of the present, you must be sure to remember the things you should remember. Then you will have joy too. If you forget [something] from your thoughts even after being happy, the joy will disappear right away. If you remember it again – then the joy will spring up. If you remember, there is something to be joyful about because it is like having ‘delicious food or valuable items’ contained in the vessel of your heart. On the other hand, if you forget it and don’t remember it, there is nothing to be joyful about because it is as if the vessel of your heart is empty.
‘A history of love between you and God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son’ too – You are joyful and happy when you are remembering it and taking action. Then when that memory disappears, the joy and hope disappear at the same time. For example, if you talked with your beloved every day but stop doing that, the joy that comes from that person will also immediately disappear just as electricity will not flow if the cord is broken. People live their lives feeling everything through their thoughts. Therefore, ‘thoughts and memory’ are life for the mind. If a person cannot remember, he is like a vegetative person*. That person is like ‘an empty vessel’ and thus, has no hope. (* Translation note: a person in a vegetative stage or a coma.)
When a person forgets things from his ‘brain and thoughts,’ he is just an empty head. Even the things you received from God, even the things you used to be joyful over while living your life of faith, even the love for God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son Lord, even the things you realized while listening to the Word, even how you used to be joyful while praying after receiving the Holy Spirit, if you forget all of them from your ‘thoughts and memory,’ you will become like a person with an empty brain. If you forget this, the joy that comes from that will also disappear at the same time, and the things you gain from that will also disappear together.
‘Memory’ is life and a basic component. You have to train your memory and thoughts by continually remembering and memorizing. Only then will you remember well. Also, you have to write down the things you remember, think about them without forgetting them and take action while making them a part of your daily life. Instead of just thinking about them, you have to keep taking action. Then your body will feel them more and benefit as a result of that.
Even if you have a lot of things, the joy and hope come from ‘the things that you like and center on.’ Money, gold, silver, and gemstones too, if you don’t like them, there is no joy even if you possess them. You are satisfied and joyful only when you possess the things you like and do the things you like. Each person likes the things they are accustomed to and likes the things according to what they know. Each person has different ‘standards for the things they like.’ However, you have to choose the standards well. You have to set [the things] within the Will of the Almighty God as the standards.
You have to take action with that as the standard. Then you will not come to ruin forever. If you don’t do that, even if you are doing something because you like it, you will get sick, come to ruin, and even be judged by God’s laws. In the world too – even if you live any way you like, if [what you do] hurts other people or violates laws, then you will pay the price for that. The same is true before God. You have to be careful with setting the standards for the things you like and must remember them and take action with joy so that they will not violate earthly laws or God’s laws.
Some people have ‘high level thoughts’ and thus, they live loving God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son Lord and rejoicing because of it. On the other hand, some people consider that to be insignificant, love alcohol, cigarettes, money, love of the opposite sex, and pleasures of the world more, and live rejoicing while engrossed with their own hobbies. Compare the difference between living for the things of the body on earth and living for the things of the spirit in Heaven. You must surely realize just how much difference there is between them.
How can you compare ’something that will end’ with ‘something that is eternal’? The period of time when you are enjoying the things in the world with the body is only about 1 second compared to the eternal things. It is so short and vain. It is truly sad and pitiful for those who don’t know the things of Heaven but only hold onto the things of the earth, enjoy them, and take action on them. Even though the person who knows is eating poorly and starving next to them, he is full and overflowing with joy and happiness.
You have to remember. You have to think. What [should you remember and think about]? You have to always remember the eternal things, the things of the spirit, and your soul and spirit. You have to always remember God, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Son Lord, and the Heaven. Since spiritual things are not visible to the eyes, you will forget them completely if you don’t [actively] remember them. Even if the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s spirit are right next to you, if you don’t remember them, you will not communicate with Them at all. If you remember and call them, you will connect with both the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s spirit whether they are far or near, and will converse with Them right away. I hope that you will surely remember the Holy Trinity and eternal things, remember the Word that God gave you through the Lord, remember God’s Will toward you, and put those thoughts into practice with your body. You must not just remember but take action. Then at the same time, joy will come and you will also gain things.