Confusing pleasure with happiness - II
Did you miss Confusing pleasure with happiness - I?
Happiness rests upon contentment. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” One blessing that comes from contentment is an indescribable happiness which cannot be easily subverted. On the other hand, pleasure is often driven by boredom or being malcontent. When we are malcontent we seek for something to stimulate our senses so as to create bodily pleasure. We simply end up unsatisfied after the experience has ended, or craving more in an addictive like behavior. Solomon experienced this as recorded in Ecclesiastes 2:1 “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.” Proverbs 14:13 states, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.” Let us learn contentment if we desire to be happy.
Happiness is satisfied with “clean fun.” It is interesting that the word “fun” is not in the Bible. We do find, however, that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). In that regard, God’s gifts are pure and unadulterated. James 1:17 states, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” On the other hand, pleasure often delves into sinfulness. Paul spoke to Timothy of a time when men would be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4) and the Hebrew writer spoke of Moses who chose not to “enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25). Sinful activities may produce pleasure but ultimately provide no lasting happiness.
Let’s resolve to seek happiness regardless of our circumstances, to base our happiness upon contentment, and to enjoy the good things God has given while shunning sin in our lives. By so doing, we can avoid confusing pleasure with happiness.