“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Rev. 4:11
“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Colossians 1:9-10
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
How tragic it is how much of our lives is consumed with seeking life’s pleasures, to satisfy our desires, please ourselves, make ourselves happy, to feel good and feel better, seek and find and secure for ourselves ever more pleasure, in countless ways, while all along we encourage others, too, to passionately pursue life’s pleasures, our eyes, hearts, and minds focused on ourselves, and on others, on heaping up treasures and pleasures for ourselves, when in fact, in the Truth of the Word of the Lord God almighty, we were created to bring pleasure to God. To please Him with our words, actions, and our hearts and minds. Is not His greatest command, even before He commands us to love others, to love Him with all our hearts and minds, all our strength and all our souls?
“You’re in Sodom,” a precious brother in the Lord said to me shortly after I arrived in the outskirts of Washington, DC, the nation’s capital area.
How could I argue? Everywhere I look and turn, and go, in what has become a melting pot of the world, I see endless opportunities for pleasure, with ever increasing growth to produce more of it, with people everywhere chasing after it for dear life.
I can’t honestly remember, here or anywhere, when I last heard someone say he or she was living with the highest purpose to bring pleasure to God. Is it possible even many of those who profess to believe in Christ are more focused on life’s pleasures than seeking daily to live in a way that pleases God? Sure, we dash off to a church service. Cram in a Bible study. Toss a few prayers to heaven when desperate. Say thanks before eating. Squeeze in devotional time. But is our highest desire breath by breath, in our thoughts, words, and actions, our choices, decisions, how we spend our time, how we handle ourselves in relationships, on the job, in prison, in a homeless shelter, in a store, on the phone, wherever, whenever, to live to bring praise, honor, glory, and pleasure to God almighty? I have found no greater pleasure in life than living for Him. How about you?