The problem of pleasure – part 5
“Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labours. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” (NLT) Ecclesiastes 2:9-11
Review: The problem of pleasure - part 1; The problem of pleasure - part 2; The problem of pleasure - part 3 ; The problem of pleasure – part 4
Armed with these three godly principles on pleasure, I would wrap up with these last two conclusions.
Conclusion # 3: The closer you draw to pure pleasures, the closer you will draw to the heart of God. The closer you draw to impure pleasures, the further you move from the heart of God.
David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Probably, no body loved God in the nation of Israel than David. And indeed God loved him too, choosing him as the future king. However, after fulfilling his impure pleasure with Bathsheba, David felt shattered in his bone. He could feel God had abandoned him (Read Psalm 51). David, the giant slayer, a feat which was unprecedented in the history of Israel, was chased away from the palace by his own son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15:14-16). “Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ears too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore (Isaiah 59:1-2, NLT).
Conclusion # 4: The greatest pleasure of all is to find beauty (truth) and integrity (spirit) in worship.
The truest, purest and greatest form of pleasure is worship to God. God is an All Sufficient Being but if there is one thing He can't do for Himself then it is worship. What is worship? William Temple provides us with an indepth explanation:
Worship is the submission of our nature to God.
It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness,
Nourishment of mind by His truth,
Purifying of imagination by His beauty,
Opening of the heart to His love,
And submission of will to His purpose.
And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expression of which we are capable.
Yes, we are capable of fulfilling this greatest form of pleasure and it is only when we have reached this height that we can realise the meaningfulness of life.
THE END