These are the words of King Solomon, one of the wisest kings in the world...
Ecclesiastes 2
Pleasures Are Meaningless
1 I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I've been thinking on the issue of enjoyment lately. Perhaps cos i'm not working now so i'm free to think about such stuff again. It's hard for me to reconcile christianity and pleasure. Don't get me wrong, i don't believe that God doesn't approve of us enjoying ourselves, or doing things we like so long as it's not immorally incorrect. I believe God created many things on earth for us to enjoy. I still take time to relax and do things i enjoy once in a while. Who doesnt want to have fun? I'm not exception... If i had the money and time, i'd love to do so many things... But my conscience pricks me at times, am i focusing on enjoyment and pleasures so much that i neglect what's truly important in life? Why should I spend money on making myself happy when there are so many other poor people in the world who worry about what to eat next? Or as in saw in china, how the kids use mud slopes as slides to entertain themselves. And here i am thinking of spending money on expensive entertainment... I could use the time and money to invest in more lasting and meaningful things. It just troubles and disturbs me. Some people may think i'm too extreme, or legalistic perhaps. I guess it's one of those grey areas, and not for me to judge others, but to let the holy spirit teach me, how to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, but not to crave after pleasure.I'd like to think how you guys view this? I'm open to discussion and comments :)
3 comments:
heyho pam, i feel awful sometimes when i see how everyone (myself included)is so preoccupied with temporary things such as the latest electronic gadget, cars furniture etc..when so many ppl are suffering and crying out for attention + love + concern. If only we can give a lil' portion of our attention to someone that needs our attention, the world will be so different. At the same time, I see how selfish i am, prefering to spend time in my cosy lil' room, entertaining myself while many ppl are hurting out there... sigh...
hey hey test test..hello pammy and rockerbye i think i know what u are saying pam.. i also have that struggle.. i just recently gave up on some gaming (DOTA) and some other silly stuff which others define entertainment... i used to treat it as entertainment myself as well.. but sometimes things like this can get out of hand and bottom line doesnt edify or build up anyone.Just feeding our spirits with wrong stuff.. but however i have friends who challenge me asking where do we draw the line? anything could be bad also and not worth doing. this caused me to ponder also... and got me thinking.. however my stand is still the same... if this kind of pleasure pulls u away from the Lord, or causes another to stumble.. why do it? if this kind of pleasure, eats up your time spent praying or reading the bible why do it? there are so many other pleasures of which the Lord gives us to enjoy... ! our God is not boring either, He is colourful!
as for me , GOOD food! is already like wow.. haha...
I dont know la.. this is my stand... do voice out any opinions ... would love to learn from each other :)
Dear Sinli And Pheng Aun,
Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts with me, i really appreciate it. Really :)
Guess we all have our own areas that God convicts us of. I was discussing this with a friend recently and i've realized that there's no clear cut answer to this. The lines are very grey, and who am I to judge others? By what standards? It gets me very disillusioned and frustrated at times, to see the vast difference in how christians live their lives. But i guess i need to take that log out of my eye first, and i need to focus on Jesus rather than being like the pharisees to criticize others...
A friend wrote this in response to my entry on my blog. Hope it helps:
Ecc 5:18-20, 'Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.'
'...when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God.' my stand is we need to acknowledge that all things come from God. He is our sole Provider who in His own good pleasure, gives us good things to enjoy and we should receive it with thankfulness and gratitude. but we must watch for is that we enjoy it consistently with His will and whatever pleasure it is that we are enjoying (even godly ones) must not take first place in our lives and rule us such that we become slaves to it and it becomes an idol in our lives. we should not want the gift more than the Giver.
this is matthew henry's commentary on the ecc5:18-20,
Life is God's gift. We must not view our calling as a drudgery, but take pleasure in the calling where God puts us. A cheerful spirit is a great blessing; it makes employments easy, and afflictions light. Having made a proper use of riches, a man will remember the days of his past life with pleasure. The manner in which Solomon refers to God as the Giver, both of life and its enjoyments, shows they ought to be received and to be used, consistently with his will, and to his glory. Let this passage recommend to all the kind words of the merciful Redeemer, "Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." Christ is the Bread of life, the only food of the soul. All are invited to partake of this heavenly provision.
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