Satisfaction in Christ

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desire not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, we are like ignorant children who want to continue making mud pies in a slum because we cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a vacation at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

I heard John Piper the other day talking about this concept which he calls "Christian hedonism." I have heard him talk about it before, but it is so convicting to me, because I tend to fall into the same trap Piper spoke of. We so often tend to think that either God will be glorified OR we will be happy. We assume there must be that conflict between God's passion to be glorified and our passion to be satisfied. And I guess there is in the sense that so often my passion for satisfaction can be selfish and worldly and shallow--like the child making mud pies sitting in the squalor of the slum. We so often seek after things that are fleeting, wrong, low, destructive, demeaning, or second rate. And when we get those things or achieve those goals, they never bring us lasting joy or satisfaction.

But, as Piper as said so many times, "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him." Our problem is not that we are pursuing pleasure, but that we are pursuing the wrong pleasure. We are pursuing the pseudo, inadequate, fake pleasures the world offers. We are sitting in the midst of the slim and muck making those mud pies of pleasure when the glorious holiday at the sea awaits us if we will pursue the God of the universe who is ultimately satisfying and powerful and beautiful and glorious.

Psalm 16:11 puts it this way: "You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there if fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Wow. Do we really believe this? If it is a promise in God's Word, then shouldn't we believe it and bank our lives on it? In His presence is fullness of joy. And at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. Sure, in heaven... but if we are in His presence as believers on this earth, then that means right this very minute. Even in the midst of our sorrows and fears and inadequacies and failures. In Him is fullness of joy--even when everything in our lives might seem to be going haywire. I love this psalm! Just the other day I looked at an earlier verse that I love: "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." (v.8) Again, when we seek Him, when we set our focus upon Him, when He is our source of satisfaction, then we will not be shaken.

As John Piper put it, we need to daily seek to truly see Him and savor Him. It's really that simple. Daily ask Him to enable you to truly see Him in His Word. See His power. See His love. See His grace and glory. See His beauty and kindness and wisdom. And then savor that! And as we see and savor the Saviour, we will find satisfaction in Him and He will be glorified.

I don't know about you, but I want to go for that holiday at the sea rather than the mud pies in the slum. I've been slumming quite long enough! It's time to seek the highest pleasure and satisfaction in the One who made all pleasures. And to Him be the glory.