What Is A Legitimate Pleasure?

Of course, it's one thing to pontificate about what our issues with pleasure might be, but it is something altogether different when we have to actually decided what legitimate pleasures might be.  Let's begin with a few assertions.

If you are a follower of Christ, many illegitimate pleasures are described in the Bible.  It's simple enough to read that gossip is looked down upon, and thus if I am taking pleasure in gossiping, I am partaking in an illegitimate pleasure.  That's rather cut-and-dry.

However, there are many issues and ideas that are not addressed explicitly in the Scriptures, so we now offer some additional guidelines to think about how to handle pleasure.

- Does this pleasure draw me away from God?  By this I mean does what I am doing - even if the Scriptures do not call it immoral - draw me to or from God?  For example, I may enjoy watching sports but if my interest in sports starts to become more of my focus than God, it has become an illegitimate pleasure.  There are many places from which we can sustain this principle scripturally, but at the core it is simple idolatry - it is having a god over God (Exodus 20:3). 

Now some may argue, "Well what I am supposed to do - think about God every moment of my life?"  Paul seems to imply this in some ways when He talks about being in a continual state of prayer in 1 Thess. 5:17, but even if that is an over-statement, let's consider this. When I get done watching my game, playing my round of golf, reading the updates on my phone - am I now more able to love God and others?  This leads into my second application point.

- Legitimate pleasures prepare and restotre us to serve God more fully.  If I am constantly napping and wasting my life away by sleeping, I could argue, "But sleep is a necessary part of life."  While this is true, napping my life away is not needed or helpful.  However, napping after being up late some night working will result in my work for God (my life for God) being more effective the next day.  Thus a legitimate pleasure might be viewed as one that prepares or restores me for God's work.

More coming.

- tC