When there is drought and trees can’t get the water supply, their leaves dry up. They slow down their growth speed while they store the energy that need to sustain their life. Have you seen the pine trees growing in the cracks of the rocks on the top of mountains? The trees in the large rocks take their roots deep through the cracks to search for water. How deep are the pine tree’s roots? Although the trees are small, they are very long because their roots keep spreading deeply in search for water through the cracks. They sustain life by taking in water one way or another.
Those who have life like the trees growing in the cracks of rocks are thirsty and hungry in order to sustain life. If the trees growing in the cracks grow fast like the trees growing in rich soil, the trees will die soon because they can’t take in enough water through the roots. We can see that even a tree grows using moderation and spending the water as much as provided. How wise they are! It’s all thanks to God who created them to live like that.
But among mankind, there are many people who don’t know how to control their souls’ condition of thirst and hunger. One day, they are full of the Holy Spirit calling “My Lord”, and the other day, they are tempted and don’t come to church. They are very moody. When you can control the joys and sorrows of life, you can say you have a good personality. If you want to live a good life of faith, you have to control your spiritual senses.
When you look at the trees, there is a dry branch among the branches. The dry branch can’t take in nutrients any more even though these are provided through the roots. It’s because its nerves are dead. The dead branch doesn’t know it’s thirsty. Those who are wasting their single time of the flesh and are not getting ready for the time of soul can fill their thirst and hunger from physical desires but their time of soul results in destruction. In contrast, the eternal life of the Kingdom of Heaven is waiting for those who are earnestly following the spiritual things in heaven. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who long to get this life”.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #622
