Is it true that the Christian life and experiencing pleasure don’t mix?

Psalm 16:11You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm 37:4Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

John 10:10“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

God created us to find pleasure in our relationship with him. The pleasures and blessings that come from knowing the Lord are one of the most wonderful parts of the Christian life.

Song of Songs 7:1-13Oh, how beautiful you are! How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!

God created husbands and wives to experience the intimate pleasures of marriage. Understanding and experiencing these pleasures as a married couple are also part of the Christian life.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless.

Not all pleasure is good and often we pursue the wrong pleasures, those that ultimately harm us or that bring no meaning or purpose to our lives. As a result of pursuing the wrong pleasures, life eventually begins to seem meaningless, as we discover we have been wasting our time chasing what cannot satisfy our deepest needs.

Isaiah 5:11-12What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning looking for a drink of alcohol and spend long evenings drinking wine to make themselves flaming drunk. They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties—lyre and harp, tambourine and flute—but they never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing.

Seeking pleasure in ungodly things is self-destructive. The pleasures that come from a self-serving attitude are harmful to yourself and to those around you. Listen for those times when God alerts you to the fact that you have walked into a wilderness place in your life. It is very possible you have entered that place by pursuing worldly delights that cannot satisfy.

Luke 8:14“The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.”

If pleasure becomes our ultimate goal, spiritual growth can be choked out by the pursuit of pleasure or the riches that promise pleasure. Often our greatest growth comes when we must go without certain pleasures.

Romans 8:5-8Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. . . . those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Living for the pleasures of our old nature is not pleasing to God. If you find yourself getting angry when you are warned about the dangers of your pursuit of pleasure, you are likely resisting what God is telling you.

Psalm 1:1-2Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

The greatest pleasures come from pleasing God and experiencing the peace and joy that are rewards of a life faithful to God. The voices in the world around us may be persuasive, but we need to give priority to the voice of God’s Spirit and the truth in his Word.