According the dictionary.com the definition of a Hedonist is “a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification.” This does not sound very Christian, does it? Hedonism is the philosophy that I would say is ruling in this World. Everyone wants joy and they will do anything to get it and they want it right now. I believe that every human has a natural desire for joy. However, we all tend to find joy that is superficial and not lasting in this world. The funny thing is, it "satisfies" us even when there is a greater joy to possess.
That brings me to the answer to my question, why a Christian Hedonist. As I have been reading Desiring God by John Piper I have learned what a Christian Hedonist is. A Christian Hedonist is a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure in God. John 10:10b tells us that Christ came to give us life, abundant life. Psalm 103 is a psalm of David and it starts out by Praising God and then it comes to verse 5 where it says that God satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. My purpose in living is to give glory to God. Therefore, “God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him.” (John Piper) When I am most satisfied in Him, He gets the most glory and I get real lasting joy, unspeakable joy, inexplicable joy, REAL JOY! Therefore I will devote my life to the pursuit of pleasure(joy) in God and not in anything this world has to offer. This is very difficult to constantly do, but it can be accomplished because of who Christ is and the provision He has made for each of us.
4 comments:
Yea - the old lady gets to go first!
Amen and amen, brother! It delights my heart to see the passion you have for abandoning all lesser pursuits for the joy of knowing Christ and becoming a trophy of God's grace.
Just for gins and giggles, I did a concordance word count from Online Bible (KJV - sorry Joel!) for hedonism-related words.
1. Joy (joyful, joyous, enjoy, joyfully) -- 102 times
2. Rejoice (rejoiceth, rejoiced, rejoicing) -- 179 times (many of these are commands for God's people)
3. Pleasure -- 62 times (the bulk of these referred to the pleasure God takes in his creation)
Seems to me this is plenty of evidence for God being a hedonist (and perfectly entitled to be!) And who are we to deny Him that aspect of His character? Being made in His image, shouldn't we take just as much unmitigated pleasure in Him as He takes in Himself?
Keep the encouragement coming. I look forward to my faith being challenged to grow. And please continue to visit and post on my blog, as well. I really want the feedback!
Jenny
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