ICE BREAKERS:
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If you could liken your mood right now to a ride in an amusement park,
which would it be? Why?
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What are some ways you encountered truth last week?
READINGS:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does
not look at the things a man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam: 7)
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If I speak in the tongues of angles and don’t have love,
I am only a resounding gong…If I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all my possessions to
the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain
nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the Truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never
fails. (I Cor 13: 1-8)
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We should live according to the truth and we should
love others. Without the fundamental way of living for the sake of others,
we cannot prosper. The person who lives the truth will become the subject,
with more power for life. Also, the subject must have the power of love.
The responsible leader and central figure must become the embodiment of
truth, life and love. All these things can be summed up in one simple phrase:
Live for the sake of others. When you practice this way of life, you create
harmony. (7/1/84)
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In our world, selfishness ruins everything. Selfishness
in the family causes disharmony, which then erupts into bitterness and
strife. Everyone wants to be served instead of serving others. Wives tell
their husbands what to do and then seek to be served. Husbands want to
be served by their wives. Parents expect service from their children and
the children take their parents for granted. This is demonstrated in our
families, in our societies, and in our nations.
(Jesus’ Standard of Goodness, GWI, page 31)
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God wanted Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, to
mature in purity, centered on true love. He wanted Adam and Eve to become
true people. He created this beautiful and delicate natural world as the
environment for their biological growth. Human beings were to grow and
develop within this environment.
God's central concern, however, is with human beings'
internal character. By experiencing true love, God intended that we would
come to reflect His true love and grow to perfection. God created the power
of love to be the strongest of all forces. Through the experience of such
power of love within the realm of Heaven's love and law, people are to
increasingly resemble God, their Parent. To possess unlimited true love,
people first must learn to be responsible.
When human beings come into oneness with God through
true love, they resemble Him and become the perfect embodiment of true
love, with wholesome character. Thus we can say that God's love is the
essence of human happiness, life and ideals. (8/31//96)
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DISCUSSION:
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The Bible says that love is patient and kind, that it protects, hopes,
trusts and perseveres? Think of a time you can remember when one
of these aspects of love in came to you in someone you know.
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The Bible also says that love does not envy, does not boast, is not proud,
is not rude, is not easily angered and is not self-seeking. Think
of a time you can remember when one of these aspects of bad character was
shown in someone you know.
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Remember a time of love in your family. What conditions let to it?
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Remember a time of difficulty in your family. What conditions led
to it?
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What aspects of character are most important for us to become loving person?
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Rev. Moon states that we should become “true people.” How have you
seen this “trueness” in someone you know? Think of specific people
and avoid abstract answers.
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