There are so many good things to enjoy in this life that we can readily make them the focus of our lives: food, sex, alcohol, movies, etc. These pleasures are so powerful that Jesus warned that “life’s worries, riches and pleasures” are like weeds and thorns that choke the good plant of the Word of God in our lives (Luke 8:14). We easily become “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4).
Pleasures easily become our masters. Paul describes the life before Christ as one in which we were “deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Tit. 3:3). People become slaves to pleasures. They sacrifice their health, their relationship with God, their relationship with people, and their fortunes to these things.
Because of the power of these pleasures, some people make the opposite error. They get focused on rules prohibiting these pleasures. The problem is that this often produces a focus on these pleasures just as intense. Religion becomes all about avoiding these things rather than a change of the heart.
In addition, God created these pleasures to be enjoyed. Enjoying the good things of this world is not just an option. It is a commandment. The Apostle Paul wrote that these are things “God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” (2 Tim. 4:3b–5).
How do we learn to receive these pleasures in a good way that doesn’t make us lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God? How do we avoid becoming enslaved by them?
Lovers of God Rather Than Lovers of Pleasure
First, we must develop a taste for fellowship with God. You only get a taste for the enjoyment of God by spending time with Him. We spend time with Him when we see and interact with Him as our Creator, when we take time throughout our day to interact with Him, and when we connect with Him through communities of believers. We must replace the pleasures of the body with the pleasures of fellowship with God. This only comes through experience. But when we do, we will find the true pleasures of fellowship with Him. As King David wrote in the Bible, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).
Second, we must learn to eat and drink to the glory of God (see 1 Cor. 10:31). When we eat and drink to the glory of God and with a consciousness of God, we will put these pleasures in their proper place. What does this mean? The theologian Herman Witsius wrote about this. He said:
[A] person then eats and drinks to the glory of God, when, confessing himself unworthy to enjoy this life and the conveniencies of it, he praises that bountiful favour of God, which abundantly bestows all things upon him, and above all admires that immense love of the Lord Jesus, who willingly was destitute of all the dainties of life, and submitted to drink vinegar and gall, that his people, through the favour of God, might eat the fat and drink the sweet. . . . [He] also he does not delight so much in the creatures and the gifts of providence, as in the Creator himself and the giver . . .
Such an attitude will help us use these gifts and receive them without becoming enslaved to them.
Third, we should learn to be content when we don’t have them. This may mean that we deliberately do not use them for a time, or it may mean that we just learn not to be upset when we are not able to enjoy the things we want. It is about contentment. As the missionary, the Apostle Paul, explained, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Phil. 4:12). This is the context in which he said, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (v. 13). Learning to be O.K. not enjoying pleasures is one of the best ways to make sure we are lovers of God rather than lovers of pleasure.
Fourth, we should get others to help us. Our misuse of pleasures is often a cause of shame. So, we hide these things. However, it is precisely in community and in bringing these things to the light that we get the help we need to use them aright. We read in the Bible, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). If we have struggled with these things for a long time, it is time to share this struggle with a trusted brother or sister in Christ.
Conclusion
Christ came into this world to bring us to God. He does not want us to be enslaved to various passions and desires. At the same time, He wants us to enjoy good things and receive them with thanksgiving. We do this when we learn to be lovers of God first and enjoy pleasures only unto Him.
Our greatest duty in this life is to love God. But so many things that get in the way of it, so many good things: relationships, work, pleasures, etc. God offers restoration and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Our part is to examine our ways and turn unto Him for healing and restoration.
Where are you finding your ultimate hope, delight, security, and acceptance. Where do you go first to find solace. What are you living for? What fills your mind? These are the things we need to think about it. God will show us our hearts, if we ask Him to, and He will bring us back to Himself. God is not only worthy to be loved. He is also loving. There is always a fresh start with Him. Every day is a day of liberation and restoration. Every time is a time to come back to the Maker and Lover of all human beings.