"The Futility of Pleasure"

  "I 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. So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?" After much thought, I decided to cheer myself up with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 

 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless - like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere." (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 NLT)

  "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O LORD, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this." (Psalms 92:1-6 KJV)

 If you think about it, most of us have tried to find satisfaction in pleasure, at one time of another. Some of us having probably went a little over the top; at least I know I did from time to time. Something is okay, and then there are other things we dare not talk about; but one thing is for sure: Nothing will last, everything gets old, and anything we think gives us pleasure, will sooner or later be a burden and cost too much to keep up. 

 Where we have pleasure is not where our treasure is, as long as it is something attached to this world! I can say with all honesty, the greatest pleasure I get is finding things in God's word; and even that is something that will wear off after a while! The one thing the I keep on bringing up, and it always a topic I am glad to share, is from Job 38:22-23. 

 Whatever it is, it is something that God asked Job to think about, but it is also something which I believe has happened only around 120 years ago, give or take. I have shared this with so many people, but most of them don't really think it really counts. 'Too bad for them,' that's what I say! 

 If you really want to know something that will change your way of thinking, just ask God to speak into your heart and apply His word to your life; life in general, as in, all that He has created and has shown you your entire life. He is such an amazing God! Can you believe that all of this, He created for us to be amazed by? God is so good...

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw everything that he made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Genesis 1:27-31 KJV)