Pleasure. Even the word is rather… pleasurable. We love pleasure. We enjoy that delight, that state of gratification we find ourselves in when something really pleases us. We are, after all, pleasure seeking creatures and we’ll go to great lengths to experience it.
From sex to sunsets, chocolate to sea cruises, we spend most of our lives (and a great deal of money) on sensual satisfaction. Even when our lives are over, our coffins are made to be soft, comfy, and cozy so that our corpses have a nice pleasant little box to decay in. I know that’s rather morbid, but we really do live and die for pleasure.
My pleasure? I have a penchant for sweets. Anyone who knows me well can tell you I know the Nestle’s Toll House cookie recipe by heart. I love to snack on the dough while I’m making those delicious chocolate chip cookies and often use the excuse “They’re only fresh once!” to eat two or three extra while trying to make my glass of milk last. And don’t even get me started on warm, gooey brownies (no nuts please)!
Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I love the picture this paints. We can take pleasure in knowing Jesus. I’ve found from experience that this is true. As I spend time with Him, I find it really enjoyable. I experience peace in the middle of stressful circumstances, focus when I’m distracted, and joy when I’m mentally and emotionally maxed out.
One interesting thing about pleasure is that it can be learned. For example, I detested my first cup of coffee. It tasted way too much like, well, coffee. After a while, though, I learned to like it and, eventually, really enjoy it. I like the aroma it gives, the richness of flavor, and the pick me up I get from the caffeine. I can hardly pass Caribou without wanting to grab a tall drink!
The other interesting thing about pleasure is that it can be unlearned as well. If I go for a few weeks without sweets, I actually stop craving them. If I starve that part of my brain that craves chocolate, hot fudge, or Swedish Fish, I can easily pass them up without feeling the need to indulge. I can even reach a point where I know longer receive pleasure from the things I love.
Which brings us back to Psalm 34:8. Over the years, I’ve had the extreme displeasure of seeing some very good friends walk away from Jesus. It’s massively heartbreaking to see them fall away. I wonder how someone could possibly choose temporal pleasures over eternity with Jesus.
About a year ago, a dear friend walked away from Christ, his wife, and children because he found pleasure in the arms of a younger woman. He explained to me how this younger woman made him feel so good and that he just wanted to be happy. I used to challenge this man to spend time in prayer, to “taste and see” every day how wonderful Jesus is. He could never bring himself to cultivate a devotional life because he took so much pleasure in reading the morning paper while watching the sun rise from his back porch. He had starved that part of himself that longs for Christ until it became too easy pass Him by without a glance.
I think that’s why many people walk away from Jesus. They’ve neglected “tasting and seeing” until their appetite for Him has simply withered away. They’ve found pleasure in so many other things until there’s no more room at the table for Him.
I think we all need to do a little more “tasting”. We all need to feed our craving for Christ. It’s easy for days to turn into weeks, and weeks into months without prayer. We need to starve off some pleasures to make room for the Ultimate Pleasure because nothing else compares!
“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” ~Psalm 16:11
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Wow…that’s so true, Lee. Thank you for blessing me with this tonight. I’ve seen it happen all too much in our ministry. It really is sad to see and even to know that many are called but few are chosen. I know there will be many who don’t make it that are in our lives, but my philosophy is that if someone I love is going to try to walk out on Christ, they’re going to have to fight for it. Just like your tweet said, ‘Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.’ He is faithful! 🙂
Well said Ryan. The family of God should be easy to join and hard to walk away from.
Wow. You remind us about devotions and hunger for God in such a cool way. Excellent point-got it!!
Thanks Elayn!
Wow, thanks for this reminder. It’s definitely an encouragement which prevents me from being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb. 3:13)
Just to know that Jesus needs to be what I take pleasure in , and delight in, is so simple and soooo hard to keep a grip on, tempted by shiny distractions and cheap imitations of the true sustenance in God.
I needed to hear this, and just had this Scriture on my mind, which goes right along with what you said:
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” -Isaiah 55:2
Let us always turn at the sound of the Holy Spirit calling us to the better road.
I love Isaiah 55:2! Thanks for posting it!
Very cool, Lee.
Really made me think, especially about the secular views of atheism (which doesn’t seem to taste at all) and hedonism (which makes life all about tasting).
Thanks again for the post.
Thanks Dirk!
Great article, well said! We all need to taste a little more Jesus!!!
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Great post!. This reminds me of a riddle I came up with while ago which, though my wife suggests to keep for rated audiences only, I think it rings true -at least for me (I hope not to offend anyone):
“There is something in common between playing guitar, having sex* and reading The Word of God: The less you do it, the less interest you find in it; the more you do it, the more interest, enjoyment and passion for it you will have”
*within God’s parameters (i.e.: marriage)
So true!
Wow! Thanks for this post, it’s so encouraging. Well, “encouraging” doesn’t describe how blessed I was to read this, but it’s the only word I got right now.
Big thanks to the Holy Spirit to make everything so deep and simple: “taste and see” every day how wonderful Jesus is.
Thanks again.
Great post Lee!
Thanks Tommy!
This is beautiful, Lee! In fact, I like this statement: “The other interesting thing about pleasure is that it can be unlearned as well.”
How I wish every Christian can come to this understanding. That the love of Christ can be greater that the lust of the flesh. That someone can derive great pleasure with Christ than gratifying self.
A man without the understanding of his purpose on Earth will be given to the lure of bad pleasure. Bad pleasure finds a good (but sad) habitation in a purposeless life. A life with no/low sense of duty will enjoy bad pleasure.
But there is also good pleasure. There are people who find the presence of God a good pleasure, where the things of this world fade into oblivion, worries melt like wax and pain becomes numb. It reminds me of Don Moen’s track – “I Will Sing”.
May God help us loose the taste for bad pleasure and get hooked with the good pleasure. Amen.
“the love of Christ can be greater that the lust of the flesh” – Good word Brother John.
This is something I wish we would all have learned at a young age! Just one of those things that gets harder to fight as you get older. If you set yourself on the right course young…if you set those “habits”…if you make those right choices young…it’s so much easier to stick with it than to run back to it. Does that make sense? Hope so…
Perfect sense Laurie!
Love this post, Lee!
Thanks Lee! I have a friend whom I have been praying fervently for, and he is finally starting to engage in prayer again…I am hoping that this stirs up the need in him to chase after Jesus.