I love apples! That first bite into a crisp yet juicy apple is amazing! Every time I get one of those apples it is like a “celebration” for my mouth and taste buds!
Unfortunately, however, the opposite is also true. Many times I have bitten into a shiny, bright apple expecting to get that crisp, juicy taste only to be left disappointed. Oftentimes, the apple looks good on the outside but is soft and mushy on the inside. Yuck!
Last Sunday, I had a “God-moment” about the above apple story as I was talking to a friend after church. Our discussion was around a great sermon our lead pastor had just given. His message was on pursuing our joy. He showed us from the Word of God how the Lord has “hard-wired” us for pleasure and placed within us a drive for delight. And because that is something God created within us, there’s nothing wrong with that desire – it is eternally right and spiritually essential.
But Satan, the enemy of our souls, knows this drive and desire within us and uses it against us. He takes a “legitimate need” we have – for joy and pleasure - and tries to get us to satisfy that need in an “illegitimate way”. He has been using this ploy since Eve saw the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
And Satan has not needed to change his methods since then. If you look closely at every temptation you and I wrestle with, you will see at its root a call to joy. We are deceived and vainly believe that – in that moment – that particular vice will bring us the delight we long for.
But that temptation we face, if given in to, is just like that first bite into that shiny, bright apple – disappointing and tasteless and “yuck”. It promises that it will satisfy but only leaves us with a bad taste in our mouth. It can never give us real satisfaction.
God wants you to have pleasure. He has hard-wired you for joy. But that is ONLY found in a relationship with Him!! To find out “the rest of the story” on having joy and pleasure God’s way, click on the link below. You will hear the sermon by our lead pastor, Bill Elliff, from The Summit Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The sermon was given on 10/31/2010 and is entitled, "Here 4 U...to delight you".
Unfortunately, however, the opposite is also true. Many times I have bitten into a shiny, bright apple expecting to get that crisp, juicy taste only to be left disappointed. Oftentimes, the apple looks good on the outside but is soft and mushy on the inside. Yuck!
Last Sunday, I had a “God-moment” about the above apple story as I was talking to a friend after church. Our discussion was around a great sermon our lead pastor had just given. His message was on pursuing our joy. He showed us from the Word of God how the Lord has “hard-wired” us for pleasure and placed within us a drive for delight. And because that is something God created within us, there’s nothing wrong with that desire – it is eternally right and spiritually essential.
But Satan, the enemy of our souls, knows this drive and desire within us and uses it against us. He takes a “legitimate need” we have – for joy and pleasure - and tries to get us to satisfy that need in an “illegitimate way”. He has been using this ploy since Eve saw the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
And Satan has not needed to change his methods since then. If you look closely at every temptation you and I wrestle with, you will see at its root a call to joy. We are deceived and vainly believe that – in that moment – that particular vice will bring us the delight we long for.
But that temptation we face, if given in to, is just like that first bite into that shiny, bright apple – disappointing and tasteless and “yuck”. It promises that it will satisfy but only leaves us with a bad taste in our mouth. It can never give us real satisfaction.
God wants you to have pleasure. He has hard-wired you for joy. But that is ONLY found in a relationship with Him!! To find out “the rest of the story” on having joy and pleasure God’s way, click on the link below. You will hear the sermon by our lead pastor, Bill Elliff, from The Summit Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The sermon was given on 10/31/2010 and is entitled, "Here 4 U...to delight you".
http://thesummitchurch.org/media.php?pageID=31
(Most of the above was taken from Bill Elliff’s introductory notes to the sermon)
(Most of the above was taken from Bill Elliff’s introductory notes to the sermon)
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