You will be filled with the godly joy only by receiving salvation from believing in the Jesus Christ. Were you filled with the joy of salvation through the grace of Jesus? Then you already possessed the amazing and marvelous joy that you will enjoy after end of your lives in heaven. However, just by a slight distraction, you can possibly miss the joy of salvation. You could step in following worldly benefits even heading toward godly joy, staying in church's community. Then, in a moment, you could put worldly pleasure first in your lives and get backslide for your faith lives. Still, you would listen to the word of God and realize that ‘I should not go this way. I shall change my direction.’ You regret in a moment but could not step out from the bodily pleasure and joy. Then, the word of God that you listen become like seeds in the thorn bushes. The worldly pleasures are like the thorn bushes that chokes the word of life in your soul not to make any godly fruit. “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature."(Luke 8:14) The seeds, thrown in thorn bushes implies that you cannot bear the perfect fruit even after listening to the word of God. Here are the reason that the seed of the word of God could not make fruit. The first reason is life’s worries, the second is excessively pursuing the wealth, and the last cause is trying to enjoying worldly pleasure. Those people cannot make godly fruit out of the word of God that the Lord gives. Making the things worse, in near future, you will say, ‘Did I believe in Jesus?’ You will get back to the day when you did not know Jesus and live without Jesus. You will say, ‘I had been there. I experienced receiving lots of grace already.’ Even recalling the days that you received grace, You won’t be able to turn back to the Lord because you already got swept by the massive wave of worldly pleasure and indulging the bodily wants. Then your soul will end up falling into the eternal death. God is still looking at you, seeking the worldly pleasure that lead you to destruction and becoming an enemy of God. If you don’t do anything pleases the Lord but seek your own pleasure, you shall know how you are breaking God’s heart.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #871
