I look forward to eternal life in the age to come when we
will no longer have to choose between loving pleasure and loving God. In that
glorious time, God Himself will always be our greatest love and joy. Speaking
about God, David said, “at your right hand are eternal pleasures” (Psalm 16:11,
CSV).
But in this age, in the world we live, we do often have
to choose between being “lovers of pleasure” and being “lovers of God.” Let’s
think together about what this means and about why we should choose God over
pleasure.
Why do we have to choose?
God is not against us enjoying the good things He has
created for us in this world (1 Timothy 4:4-5). Even in this dark world, He
blesses us with many forms of pleasure: good meals, family, spouses, beauty in
nature, friends, and much, much more can be enjoyed as we thank God for these
blessings. So, it is not all pleasures, or pleasure in and of itself, which we
must often reject in favor of God.
Due to our fallen nature and the influence of our own
sins, the evil world we live in, and the devil, we have to battle evil desires
(Colossians 3:5; James 1:14; 2 Peter 1:4). These desires are associated with
our “flesh.” Even mature Christians who
have been walking with the Lord for many years have to be on guard against such
desires. These desires tempt us to seek pleasure in ways that are not pleasing
to God and are harmful to ourselves and others.
There are many types of sinful pleasures. We can be
tempted to eat too much or the wrong kinds of food. We sometimes feel pulled to
seek sexual pleasure from sources such as pornography or someone other than our
spouse. We might want to enjoy some extra sleep or leisure time instead of
doing some task God wants us to do (some rest and leisure is good for us, but
like food, too much of it is harmful). Some people are tempted to try to feel
better through drug or alcohol abuse. The list goes on and on.
In addition to being tempted by obviously bad things
(like pornography or getting drunk), even good things can turn bad if we love
them more than we love God. God wants to be #1 in our lives. Hopefully we will
rarely be forced to choose between things like our close family members and
faithfulness to God, but when we are forced to choose, God calls us to choose
Him (Matthew 10:37-38). In fact, He calls us to choose faithfulness to Him even
if it means losing our very lives. More often, God asks us to give up things
like worldly safety and security in order to serve to Him and the gospel.
In this life, we do often have to choose between various
pleasures and God. Some of these choices are small daily choices, and some of
these are major life choices.
Why we should
always choose God?
There are many reasons we should always choose God over the
pleasures of this world.
1. The pleasures
of this world are fleeting (Hebrews 11:25). The pleasures that flow from
knowing and obeying God are eternal!
2. Even in this
life, following God will lead to increased fruit of the Holy Spirit like peace,
joy, and love in hearts. On the other hand, partaking of worldly pleasures leads
to things like fear, anxiety, depression, doubts, confusion, and anger in our
hearts. Worldly pleasures are deceitful (Ephesians 4:22).
3. God does not
forbid certain ways of seeking pleasure because He is keeping something good
from us. Just the opposite! Sin harms us and it also harms people around us.
4. Choosing God
over worldly pleasures will make us available for God to use for many good
purposes which will bear much good fruit (2 Timothy 2:21).
The key is loving
God
The passage we started with, 2 Timothy 3:2-5, doesn’t merely
contrast God vs. worldly pleasures. It contrasts love for God vs. love for
worldly pleasures. The key to growing in holiness is growing in love for God.
The more we focus on how good, trustworthy, wonderful, wise, and loving our
Heavenly Father and our Savior is, the more we will love Him, and the easier it
will be to say “no” to lesser pleasures. The more time we spend time listening
to God through the Bible, communing with God in prayer, praising God with our
lips, and serving God, the more we will love Him. Following the first and
greatest commandment is the key and foundation which empowers us to follow all
the other commandments:
“Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and
most important command.”
(Matthew 22:37-38 CSB17)
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