We are to chase hard after pleasure. Yes! You read right!

The catch is…the fact that we were made for God and specifically to worship Him, we are most delighted in our seeking after pleasure when we chase hard after the pleasure found in the Lord–it is the only true satisfying pleasure we will be able find.

But get this…John Piper, who is the premier encourager of this philosophy in modern Christianity, also teaches that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. (Visit this link to read more from John Piper’s website.)

I love that this is truth. (John Piper calls this “Christian Hedonism.”)

Today’s lesson pointed out that this journey isn’t about squelching our pleasure. This is easy for me to see right now. When I sense the Lord saying, “This…this…this…surrender this…” and I do and then we move on to another “This…this…this…surrender this…” I could easily end up feeling…well, RIPPED OFF!

But He is showing me that the joy and delight and pleasure and satisfaction that I have tried to find in diet soda and sweets (for instance) was never satisfied…never realized…there was always a longing for more…they couldn’t do it for me. It is Him. HIM. He alone can satisfy the longing. He IS pleasure! Delight! Satisfaction and joy!

So as I relinquish my food, my drink, my ______ to the Lord, it isn’t about giving up. It is about that “making room” concept again. Making room for HIM, for TRUE joy, delight and pleasure to flood my heart like a wave!

Today’s lesson in The Lord’s Table workbook offered a variety of scriptures to look up and respond to…all about the pleasure found in the Lord.

HE PROMISES TO BE OUR JOY, OUR DELIGHT. If we chase hard after Him, seeking pleasure in HIM, we will not be disappointed!

Let’s not be Eeyore Christians who wander around, heads down, “Thanks for noticing…” “I am just suffering for the Lord…it is sooooo wonderful. Praise the Lord…” (All said with that low “Eeyore” sort of voice that is totally lack-luster and devoid of sincerity…)

Let’s rejoice that God is revealing Himself to us! He is making HIS PRESENCE, POWER, and PROVISION known! As we become empty, he floods all the empty places of our lives. There is no room for longing except for more of Him and He answers gladly that call!

What can so motivate my heart with love and joy that I don’t want to go back to overeating? We have a Savior Who has come to us in passion! He has come not only to suffer and die to remove the penalty of our sins, but to live in our hearts and ravish us with love. Oh, how He does delight the soul and stir the affections. Oh how pleasurable it is to live in love with Him. (TLT, p. 125)

Once we taste of the joy that is found in Him we won’t want to go back to the pleasures of overeating. (TLT, p. 126)