Pleasure Is Not the Enemy

The other day I read a quote that basically said that pleasure must be avoided in order to not sin. Since when is sin and pleasure the same thing? Sin comes in a variety of forms.

The quote might have been trying to say that it's wise to think first about what God wants before making decisions. That is true. We should aim to follow the Bible in what we do. But in no way should we make sweeping statements that make it sound like Christianity is against pleasure.

God wants us to have pleasure. After all he created a world where we find pleasure in looking at the variety of color and beauty in nature and simple things.

Life isn't always pleasurable and surely some wise decisions will be painful in the short term. Following Christ sometimes feels difficult, but it also has its pleasures that include knowing and being loved by him.

The message that we would love to share with non-Christians, and even with each other in forms of encouragement and praise, is the beautiful pleasure of being together in Christ and the knowledge that his commands are good, and there is meaning and purpose in life beyond ourselves.

To be able to show the world the pleasure and freedom we have in Christ, some of us might need to aim to take more pleasure in things.

Satisfaction and Contentment

In life we could always hope for more. The human heart is a limitless chasm of desire.

It is always this or that which the heart believes will make it happy. The heart has infinite wants of which the world has not the quantity of any good thing to supply.

It is of course that we need God. God is what is meant to fill the hole in our hearts. There are many good things in the world, all of them pleasant, but none can adequately fill the gap in the human heart.

God can fill the gap in our hearts. And we find that living our life unto God, the pleasures in the world are increased and not diminished.

It is always one of the most pervasive lies of the human heart to doubt that God has our best interest in mind. If we look to the cross we see that God does have our interests in mind even at a cost to himself.

Biblical Satisfaction

To be satisfied is something which is a biblical good. Dissatisfaction is a result of and in a sense the cause of the fall.

We want more than we have. We are given something good by a loved one or God but we want more.

We see many people who are given great things and want just a bit more. You see dis-satisfaction is a result of the fall.

Many times we have real needs and wants and it is fine to feel that we wish they be filled. Dis-satisfaction is different we have everything we should really need including many niceties but we cannot be satisfied.

At the core dissatisfaction is infinite in nature. The human heart has a hole which can only be filled be the infinite God as known through the person of Jesus.

You see why mankind can never be satisfied is because he was meant for something far larger. He may stuff this or that into the hole in his heart but the hole will never be filled.

We are foolish people and our sin tempts us to believe that this or that small thing will finally make us happy. In the end God is all that matters and only he can satisfy.

Dissatisfaction has a positive side. It points us to our need for a relationship to God. God sits and waits for men to come to him all they must do is admit they have need and desire his company and look to the cross and ask for free grace.

Refreshing Living Water

If it often seems that I try to convince people of things, you are right.  But, I do it because I actually care.  Consider it like this: a life based around consuming and delighting in worldly things is like a life spent drinking semp pond water.  There is nothing wrong with semp pond water, but the glory in it is to point to the living water that is God.  The glories that many Christians enjoy without basing their main joy on God is drinking a polluted, a murky, bacteria filled, green, and scummy drink.  God is all refreshing, all satisfy, all beautiful, all powerful, all loving, and all glorious drink.  One can easily realize that the 'living water' he offers is far better than semp pond water.  Don't get me wrong I love semp pond water.  It is beautiful to walk around, it is great fun to jump in with friends, and I think it might be a great place to eventually propose to a Girl, but I'm glad that girl isn't drinking so much of it lately...  The living water is so much better for you…  I hope some of you get some sense into your heads and stop drinking so much of it too...