Holy Obsession
As humans, God created us for pleasure. So what does pleasure actually mean? In our society we have defined pleasure in all sorts of way and many in the church actually associate pleasure with something negative or something that is reserved for the world and not for Christians. I looked up the word pleasure in the dictionary and here is what I found.
Pleasure- enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to ones liking; recreation, or amusement, diversion, enjoyment.
Now here is an interesting concept. As Americans we have recreation and amusements available to us at any moment. Going out to eat, going to the movie theatre, socializing, and shopping are among the few. I myself find all of these things pleasurable, but I have had to ask my own heart; do I find these things that are so readily available to me more pleasurable than God? Of course most us right off hand would answer- no! God you are number one. And I do believe that is the sincere cry of our hearts, which God sees. But, as the Bride of Christ it is of utmost importance that we begin to move out of the mentality of good intentions/ noble words and into mature partnership with a life-style to back up our noble words.
I sense that we are in a season where the line is being drawn and the bar is being raised. I have been asking God to reevaluate several things in my life. I want to be a young adult that considers the pleasures of heaven to have more appeal than the secondary pleasures of this world. So how do our weak hearts enter into heavenly pleasures, when we are so easily distracted and prone to wander? For me, it is this – I fell in love with a man named Jesus and now I am obsessed with Him. Yes, that is the only word I can come up with to define my relationship with this Man Christ Jesus. I am unashamed to admit this reality. He is my driving force, my reason for living and breathing, my reason for being a Christian. I know for some these words that I have chosen might sound a little taboo, a little intense, maybe even scandalous. But I have learned that there is no other way to live.
Prayer: God, help us. Let us taste the pleasures of heaven and the pleasures of knowing you. Let it drown out all the distractions vying for our attention and devotion. Give us grace to be authentic, for we can do nothing without you and your strength. May you become our Holy Obsession.