The Pursuit That Will Leave You Empty

Has there ever been a more pleasure-mad culture than ours today? It seems that we can’t be entertained enough. We have continuous media coming our way with constant imagery and sounds, all things that are supposed to bring us pleasure.

In fact, some people would say, "For me, life means living for pleasure. You know, it’s all about having a good time. It’s all about the weekend. It’s all about the next party. It’s all about the next thrill in life."

That philosophy is nothing new. The apostle Paul’s contemporary, the emperor Nero, believed that the purpose of life was to live as an unbridled beast in pleasure, passion, and parties. And that is exactly how he lived.

There also was a Greek philosophical group at that time who called themselves the Epicureans. Basically, these were people who lived for pleasure. And we still have people like this today. In fact, the Bible tells us that one of the signs of the last days is that people will be "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:4). What a waste to live this way, because the Bible says that "she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives" (1 Timothy 5:6).

The apostle Paul said, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

Joy Davidman, the wife of C. S. Lewis, said, "Living for your own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a man can do. If his neighbors don’t kill him in disgust he will die slowly of boredom and powerlessness."

What do you live for? What gets your blood pumping? What would you say is the greatest passion of your life? Only the person who can say, "To live is Christ" can also say, "To die is gain."