Pleasures of Life
Satisfaction of Life
There
are only two ways to live life;
A life WITH Jesus is forever.
A
life WITHOUT Jesus is short-lived.
In the world it’s
all about me,
my pleasure and happiness.
If we are led by the world, we are all about self-serving and self-indulgence pleasures, like materialism, folly, futile and self-satisfaction.
A LIFE WITH JESUS IS THE REAL PLEASURE FOR ETERNITY,
NOT JUST LIFE HERE ON EARTH.
A life with Jesus is about humility, faith, love, forgiveness and serving others.
A life with Jesus is about love for Him and His Love for us.
Dictionary - self-serving
serving
one's own interests often in disregard of the truth or the interests of others.
Dictionary - self-indulgence
excessive
or unrestrained gratification of one's own appetites, desires, or whims
If
we live our life for pleasure, it is idolization and we are in danger.
Self-serving pleasure is temporary false short-termed satisfaction and happiness for
the few days we are here on earth.
The
more successful we are leads
to an arrogant self-righteous attitude.
To
gain things on earth is profitless.
Self-indulgent
earthly pleasures is like chasing the wind.
With God in our heart, we are about
love for others, humility, faith,
grace and righteousness.
Matthew
23;25
“Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup
and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
Proverbs
18;2
A
fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in disclosing
what is on his mind.
Proverbs
21;17
The
one who loves pleasure will be a poor person; whoever loves wine
and anointing oil will not be rich.
1
Timothy 5;6
But
the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.
2
Timothy 3;4
treacherous,
reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God.
Ecclesiastes
2
Futility
of Self-Indulgent Pleasures
I
thought to myself,
“Come
now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is
worthwhile.”
But
I found that it also is futile.
2
I
said of partying, “It is folly,”
and
of self-indulgent pleasure, “It accomplishes nothing!”
3
I
thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine
(all
the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom)
and
the effects of behaving foolishly,
so
that I might discover what is profitable
for
people to do on earth during the few days of their lives.
Futility
of Materialism
4 I
increased my possessions:
I
built houses for myself;
I
planted vineyards for myself.
5
I
designed royal gardens and parks for myself,
and
I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6
I constructed
pools of water for myself,
to
irrigate my grove of flourishing trees.
7
I
purchased male and female slaves,
and
I owned slaves who were born in my house;
I
also possessed more livestock—both herds and flocks—
than
any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.
8
I
also amassed silver and gold for myself,
as
well as valuable treasures taken from kingdoms and provinces.
I
acquired male singers and female singers for myself,
and
what gives a man sensual delight—a harem of beautiful concubines!
9
So I
was far wealthier than all my predecessors in Jerusalem,
yet
I maintained my objectivity:
10
I
did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted;
I
did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.
So
all my accomplishments gave me joy;
this
was my reward for all my effort.
11
Yet
when I reflected on everything I had accomplished
and
on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,
I
concluded: “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless—
like
chasing the wind!
There
is nothing gained from them on earth.”
Wisdom
is Better than Folly
12
Next,
I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas.
For
what more can the king’s successor do than what the king has already done?
13
I
realized that wisdom is preferable to folly,
just
as light is preferable to darkness:
14
The
wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet
I also realized that the same fate happens to them both.
15
So I
thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me!
Then
what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?”
So I
lamented to myself,
“The
benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”
16
For
the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long,
because
in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten.
Alas,
the wise man dies—just like the fool!
17
So I
loathed life because what
happens
on earth seems awful to me;
for
all the benefits of wisdom are futile—like chasing the wind.
Futility
of Being a Workaholic
18
So I
loathed all the fruit of my effort,
for
which I worked so hard on earth,
because
I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor.
19
Who
knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?
Yet
he will be master over all the fruit of my labor
for
which I worked so wisely on earth!
This
also is futile!
20
So I
began to despair about all the fruit of my labor
for
which I worked so hard on earth.
21
For
a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill;
however,
he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance
to
someone else who did not work for it.
This
also is futile, and an awful injustice!
Painful
Days and Restless Nights
22
What
does a man acquire from all his labor
and
from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?
23
For
all day long his work produces pain and frustration,
and
even at night his mind cannot relax!
This
also is futile!
Enjoy
Work and its Benefits
24
There
is nothing better for people than to eat and drink,
and
to find enjoyment in their work.
I
also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.
25
For
no one can eat and drink
or
experience joy apart from him.
26
For
to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,
but
to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth—
only
to give it to the one who pleases God.
This
task of the wicked is futile—like chasing the wind!
Ecclesiastes
4;8
A
man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet
there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He
laments, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?”
This also is futile and a burdensome task!
Ecclesiastes
5;4
When
you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it. For God takes no pleasure
in fools: Pay what you vow!
Ecclesiastes
12;1
[
Fear God Now Because Old Age and Death Come Quickly ] So remember your Creator
in the days of your youth— before the difficult days come, and the years draw
near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”
Ezekiel
33;11
Say
to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure
in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and
live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of
Israel.
Luke
8:14
As
for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they
go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures
of life, and their fruit does not mature.
Ephesians
1;9
He
did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure
that he set forth in Christ.
2 Timothy
2;1-9
3 But
understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For
people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving,
irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is
good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure
rather than loving God. 5 They will maintain the outward appearance of
religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.
6 For some of these insinuate themselves into households and captivate
weak women who are overwhelmed with sins and led along by various passions.
7 Such women are always seeking instruction, yet never able to arrive at a
knowledge of the truth. 8 And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so
these people—who have warped minds and are disqualified in the faith—also
oppose the truth. 9 But they will not go much further, for their
foolishness will be obvious to everyone, just like it was with Jannes and Jambres.
Colossians
2;20-23
20 If
you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if
you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer
to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and
teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the
appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe
treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
timothy
skon, Chaplain
serving
others, guided by Jesus
6/12/18