Counter Culture: Making Pleasure the Point

“Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” (Ephesians 4:19)

“Experience everything! Don’t leave anything untried. Feel it all. Taste it all. Release your inhibitions. Don’t be held back by outdated rules. Live life to the fullest!”

ctc_350That inspirational-sounding advice is an attempt to put the positive spin on Paul’s statement in today’s verse. He warned that when people harden their hearts toward God, their minds are left to run in worthless circles. All they have left to make them feel alive is sensual pleasure.

So they “seek truth through experience.” (Have you heard that one?) They throw out every rule book that stands in the way of what might feel good. And they know they’ll need to find a new experience soon to replace the one that’s losing its edge today.

Think: Does this attitude toward pleasure and experience sound familiar? Does it even sound a little bit healthy? What’s so wrong with it?

Pray: Ask God to give you the wisdom to avoid making pleasure the point of your life.

Do: Look for messages in your world this week that seem to say that pleasure is the point of living.