Seeking Pleasure Without God
Paul’s words in the first four verses of 2 Timothy explain how people in these last days seek pleasure without God. He said: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:1–4 NIV)
Did you see the word love there a bunch of times?
Love is a good thing. It’s a gift from God. But love is meant to be pointed in a particular direction. And when our love is misguided, we fall into a bad way.
Choose Greater Pleasure
Paul here talks of those who love themselves, those who love money, and he calls them lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Doesn’t that sound like our world today? There are pleasures all over the place, and so often we see people in our world seeking any pleasure apart from God.
The truth is this is what sin is. Sin is taking something good and using it apart from God’s design. I think one of the tragic bad teachings of the church over the years has been that we are told to deny ourselves pleasure in the name of God. But the Christian life is not meant to be a life of denying yourself pleasure and living a pleasureless life with God. It’s meant to be denying yourself inferior pleasures in order to enjoy the greater pleasure of loving and being loved by God!
Imagine for a second that you were allowed to eat at the greatest restaurant in the world every day for the rest of your life. They’ll bring you the food. You just take the time to place your order, and then take the time to sit and eat the wonderful delicacies that are brought to you. It’s all free, and the supply is never-ending.
But imagine that all your life you’ve been eating McDonalds and fizzers and drinking Fanta and crème soda. And even though there is an offer for better food, more delicious food, more nutritious food, more satisfying food, paid for in full, you don’t want to be done with your Double Macs. You can’t imagine anything nicer. You think - that food will taste like cardboard compared to this burger. So on you go with your takeaways. And you miss out on the best of the best.
Seek True Fulfillment
This is how many people live their spiritual lives. God offers greater satisfaction, greater nutrition, greater joy! But we say I’ll stick to my sin.
What a tragedy. What a shame that we are so addicted to spiritual junk food. We’re lovers of cheap pleasure, when we could be finding deeper and better pleasure at the feet of the one who’s paid for it all.
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy… If you want pleasure, real pleasure for your soul… Don’t seek it without God. It’s a misguided way of life. It will bring you an ounce of happiness followed by a lifetime of emptiness.
But seek your pleasure in God – feasting with Him, feasting on his Word, languishing in His presence, day by day by day…
How full your heart will be!
