I always look forward to summer. The warm sunshine, baseball, beaches, and barbecues are pleasures that bring joy after a long, cold winter. But pleasure-seeking isnt just seasonal. Dont we all enjoy good food, engaging conversation, and a crackling fire?
The desire for pleasure isnt wrong. God has built us for it. Paul reminds us that God gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17). Other passages welcome us to the healthy pleasure of food, friends, and the intimacy of a marriage relationship. But thinking that we can find lasting pleasure in people and things is ultimately an empty pursuit.
Ultimate pleasure is not found in the short-lived thrills our world offers, but rather in the long-term joy from a deepening intimacy with our Lord. King Solomon learned this the hard way. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, he admitted (Eccl. 2:10). But after his pleasure-seeking spree, he concluded: All was vanity and grasping for the wind (v.11). Its no wonder he warned, He who loves pleasure will be a poor man (Prov. 21:17).
What we are really looking for is satisfied only in a fulfilling and growing relationship with Jesus. Pursue Him and taste His delights!
Read: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11