| “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” |
| —Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 |
Have you every wondered why pleasure is so … err … pleasurable? I mean wouldn’t it be a lot easier if “pleasure” had a bitter taste, or an obnoxious smell, attached to it?
King Solomon admitted that he was testing his subjects with pleasure, just to see how they would respond, as recorded in Ecclesiastes 2:1-3:
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.
“Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?”
I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
Of course, not everything we deem pleasurable is bad for us. God has given us some things we find filled with pleasure that come as a direct gift from Him. But usually, such things have some regulations attached to them—they can be “good for us” only under certain circumstances where these pleasures are experienced in the proper time, the proper place, and with the proper motive.
Contrary to what some think, living a life dedicated to Jesus does not take away all pleasure. Instead, serving Christ makes experiencing the truly pleasurable things that are good for us, even better. Consciously following in the footsteps of our Savior enhances the pleasurable things in this life.
As we begin a new day, let’s learn to enjoy God’s gift of pleasure, within the framework that He has also given us. Instead of pursuing pleasure in the selfish way that normally marks us as sinful humans, let’s determine to follow God’s plan whenever He gives us pleasurable gifts. If we do this, we will truly experience the very best God has to give us. And, we will do so in the best possible way.
