title heart
Let your eyes see straight, and your eyelids look straight ahead of you, make the course of your feet straight, and make all your paths secure; do not turn to the right or to the left, but turn your feet from evil."
Today, I would like to share the word of grace with you under the title of ‘heart’.
The mind is the foundation of our life. If you put your mind to it, you can be at peace in everything. However, if you make a mistake, great misfortune can come your way. A peaceful mind is like a calm lake, but a dizzy mind is like a stormy sea. God said that he who rules his heart is better than he who takes a city. The Bible tells us to guard your heart more than anything else, for it is the wellspring of life.
1. A bad heart is the root of unhappiness
First, a wrong mind is the root of all of our misfortunes in life.
There are times when people harbor an evil heart in their hearts and face great misfortune. An evil heart is a state in which the devil has taken over the heart. In Matthew 12:45 of the Bible, it says, "He went and brought in seven demons more evil than the other, and they entered and dwelled there, and the man's future condition will be worse than before. So it will be with this evil generation as well." He said that if you do not keep your heart in order and keep it after casting out the evil devil within, seven evil devils will come in and your situation will be worse than before.
The source of all your suffering is evil. Evil afflicts itself and afflicts neighbors. It is said in Matthew 15:19, "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, and blasphemy." Romans 2:9 says, “There will be tribulation and distress for every spirit of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek.”
The reason great tribulation and distress is coming to us is because we have evil in our hearts. Look at the evil deeds of Hitler in Germany. Because he harbored evil in his heart, he destroyed the whole of Europe, slaughtered 6 million Jews and killed 50 million of his own people. If you look at the evil deeds of Japanese imperialism, it has turned all Northeast and Southeast Asia into a bloody sea. It has brought unhappiness, pain, frustration, and despair to many peoples. Isn't that the fruit of evil? The evil deeds of the communists are all too well known to us. How many people did the communist movement that started with Soviet communism spread around the world sacrificed through that revolution? It is the result of evil. There can never be peace in evil.
Isaiah 48:22 says, "There is no peace with the wicked, says the Lord." Isaiah 57:20-21 "But the wicked are like a tossing sea, whose waters are constantly gushing up mud and filth, where the wicked cannot rest. For the word of my God says, There is no peace with the wicked."
The wicked have no peace of mind. Even if you have wealth, fame, and resonance, there is absolutely no happiness without peace. The greatest source of happiness is in peace in your heart. Therefore, God's judgment and wrath are always upon the head of the wicked. In Isaiah 3:11, the Bible says, “Woe to the wicked, for the works of their hands will be a reward.”
Psalm 37:1-2 says, “Do not murmur over evildoers, and do not envy those who do wrong, for they will be cut down as quickly as grass, and wither like green plants.” And also, when our hearts are caught in sin, it causes unhappiness.
Even if you know that you will be happy if you keep your mouth shut even after committing a sin secretly, the root of sin brings unhappiness. Sin is like leaven. It corrupts the mind. Who can be happy in the midst of corruption? Judgment of conscience leads to suffering and conflict. Concealing our sins constantly brings judgment to our conscience.
Psalm 38:2-5 says, "Your flesh pierces me, and Your hand is very heavy on me. Because of your wrath there is no place in my flesh, and because of my sin there is no peace in my bones. My iniquities overflow over my head. It is like a heavy burden and I cannot bear it. My wounds are rotting and stink. It is because of my foolishness." This kind of pain and suffering comes when you have sin in your heart.
During the Joseon Dynasty, Daegun Suyang was a cruel man who killed six innocent loyalists and his young nephew Danjong to become king. However, when he actually ascended to the throne, his heart was anxious and fear never left, and he could not sleep at night because of his wild dreams. So, I built a temple on the site of the pagoda park and offered a Buddhist memorial service, but my heart was not at peace. According to the legend, every night Danjong's mother appeared in the dream of Grand Prince Suyang and said, "You killed my son. I will take revenge.” However, a few days later, the son actually contracted a strange disease and vomited blood and died. He appeared in a dream again and said, “You filthy bastard!” and spit on the back of Grand Master Suyang.