Aside: Remember that when the devil grabs God’s sweet fruit and talk us into using these good things in wrong ways, God does not instantly cause the fruit to rot and stink. No, it tastes good going down. The sin is seldom in the pleasant thing but the sin is in our using it to run from relationship with God, from God’s right to tell us what to do, from using it for pleasure, a sense of worth, sense of control and security.
No one can tell me what to do! We proudly boast, “I thank whatever gods there be for my unconquerable soul!” (William Ernest Hemley and all the human race). Ah, there’s the rub! (Shakespeare) We have no unconquerable soul, we are already conquered!
Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Hebrews 11:25 We may chose sides but then we are slaves, 1. Slave to God or 2. Slave to the devil. The devil promises that we may chose to keep our identity and control and
“freedom” but he lies! God says that he wants total unconditional surrender, wants us to put our all on the altar but then we find our identity and power and worth and even joy in the suffering and fellowship one with another.
So here is a list of neutral pleasant things that we can run to instead of running to God.
These are in no particular order but as you read remember that “I am to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness then all these things can be added or not and he gives pleasure and adds no sorrow with them.” Proverbs 11:22
TV/ video games/ You tube videos/ Emailing, texting, etc./ Sports: watching, playing, coaching, / Food fussing, cooking, overeating, or just eating to deal with depression and ignore problems/ Work /Education/ Family/ Nature/ Children/ Alcohol/ Sex/ Exercising/ Home repair – grounds maintenance /Reading/ Collecting/ Shopping/ Vacations/ Hobbies/ Sleep/ Politics/Helping at church or at charities/Travel
One of my favorite poems is “The Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson, in which he points out that everything we run to will let us down because God created them and will prevent them from fulfilling us until we yield to him. He then show us that he has kept all these in reserve so that “all these things may then be added without damage to the most important thing–relationship with him.
In other words LIFE
In ALL my ways I need to acknowledge him (seek to know him through the shared experience) Proverbs 3:6 But for this to happen I will need to not trust in my own understanding and trust him when he guides me I will need to take my life activities and either seize them< for him and with him, with great enthusiasm, or fast for now, or give them up, or come at them differently. I need to hold all activities and relationships in an open palm so that the Lord may give or take without tearing them out of my death grip. Then he will direct my ways. Job1:21
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3 replies on “Ah! the pleasures of sin”
Bravo! Very well said! Exceptionally hard to follow. But alas, guidance. Thank you teacher.
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Please remember that the word “Hard” does not belong in the Christians’ vocabulary. The proper word is “Impossible”. For without him I can do nothing! The word, hard, leads me to try harder or to yell at myself and give up when I fall short. The word , impossible, drives me to put my hand in his and walk in the strength of the Holy Spirit. May God demonstrate his power through doing the impossible through your yielded self.
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“Through my yielded self”
Now that is hard. To yield as a mental health patient in a world gone completely mad.
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