"Yet the proof of God's amazing love is this: that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8 Phillips).

"There is no greater love than this - that a man should lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 Phillips).

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life" (John 3:16 Phillips).

"But I hold this against you, that you do not love as you did at first" (Rev. 2:4 Phillips).

(Simply Sacred by Gary Thomas) Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Copyright- Gary Thomas, 2011.

God-Colored Pleasures

One of the United States founding mothers, Abigail Adams, endured years of separation from her husband, John, while he represented the colonies overseas and then the young United States. Someone once asked Abigail if she would have allowed John to leave had she known beforehand how long he would stay away. She responded, "I feel a pleasure in being able to sacrifice my selfish passions to the general good."

            If our decision to embrace pleasure focuses on giving pleasure to God, then what gives us pleasure will ultimately reveal our spiritual maturity and the depth of our relationship with him. To the unformed soul, immediate feelings of pleasure represent the quickest and surest path to pleasure; to the child of God, pleasure becomes the destination we reach when we walk the path of obedience. Pleasure is the end result of a process, which is why we can take as much pleasure in sacrifice as we do in having fun.

            Walking this journey for any significant period gradually shapes our hearts to look for the deeper side of pleasure rather than the appearance-oriented pleasures that used to captivate us. Which of the following statements, for example, strike you as most honoring to God?

            "I have a nice car" or "I enjoy driving."

"look at my book collection" or "Let me tell you how a book has recently challenged me.

"Guess which college my kid got into?" or "I love spending time with my kids."

"Look how attractive, important, capable [fill in the blank] my spouse is" or "I know my wife intimately and enjoy her company."

            A vital relationship with God colors our pleasures with a holy passion and leads us to value relationship over possession, intimacy over ambition, and service over selfishness. God sets us free to revel in what he has designed for our enjoyment; eventually, as we mature, we begin to detest what goes against his nature and will.

            We do not need to fear pleasure; we need to fear the alienation from God that corrupts our sense of pleasure and that makes the pleasure drive potentially dangerous.

p. 145

(The Spiritual Combat by Lorenzo Scupoli) Mesa, AZ: Scriptoria. Copyright- Scriptoria Books, 2009.

            Then, filled with wonder and joy at the thought of God's high esteem and love for you, and knowing that He, by His Almighty Love, seeks and desires only to draw your whole heart to Himself, detach yourself from all creatures, and from yourself also as one of them, and offer yourself without reserve as a whole burnt-offering to your Lord, that His Love and His Divine pleasure may henceforth guide your understanding, your will, and your memory, and may regulate all your senses.

p. 107