Finding Our Greatest Pleasure in God
Pastor Dave Monreal, Lead Pastor
The Puritan pastor, Richard Baxter prayed, “May the Living God, who is the portion and rest of the saints, make these our carnal minds so spiritual, and our earthly hearts so heavenly, that loving him, and delighting in him, may be the work of our lives.” 1 Our goal is to find our greatest joy, happiness, and satisfaction in our relationship with God. We are to desire God and, as John Piper notes, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” This world is filled with pleasure, both non-sinful and sinful. I hear testimonies of how awful and miserable their lives were before they were Christians and how they never had fun when they were living in sin and I think to myself, “You needed to find better friends! I had a blast living in sin.”
The problem with sin is not that it is not fun, but that it is empty and temporary. The Bible says that sin is fun for a season. It offers fleeting pleasures. 2 Sin always promises something that it cannot fulfill. The who thinks that giving in to sin will provide lasting pleasure are very quickly let down. Sin is a rush, but it is an empty one. Even non-sinful pleasure, which can be a good gift from God, is still fleeting if enjoyed apart for your relationship with him. It is like eating Cheetos, it may taste good and be enjoyable, but it has no nutritional value. Blaise Pascal said, “These are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God himself.” 3 In other words, we have a God-shaped hole in our hearts that we try to stuff with the things of this world, but it leaves us empty and unsatisfied because this hole can only be filled by Christ. It is like trying to quench your thirst drinking salt water. It may give the appearance of satisfaction, but it will only leave you empty and longing for more.
This doesn’t mean that non-Christians can find no meaning and purpose in life. It also does not mean that people who live lives of sin do not find some satisfaction and happiness in life. But the deepest longings of our heart cannot be satisfied apart from Christ. Augustine said, “You made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it finds its place of rest in you.” 4 The modern world is restless and looking for more. There is this elusive something that people are trying to find to satisfy their souls. They may find the rush of excitement, but true pleasure and lasting satisfaction are only found in our relationship with Christ.
1 Richard Baxter, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1978, p. 17, cited in John Piper. Desiring God. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1986, 1996, p. 11.
2 Hebrews 11:25.
3 Blaise Pascal, Pensées. Louisville, KY: GLH Publishing, 1958. eBook 51 of 125.
4 Augustine. The Confessions of St. Augustine: Modern English Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell. 2005, 15 of 225.
