Maximum Intensity and Duration!

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27 ESV)

So, this might be a little deep for a Tuesday morning, but I think it will help us to understand how God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied with God. Now, I know this sounds like the start of the prosperity gospel, but it is not. What I speak of is the concept of happiness and satisfaction in God alone.

First, full satisfaction in God or, as John Piper puts it, Christian Hedonism, is not seeking maximum pleasure. It does mean we seek our pleasure in our maximum intensity and duration in our pleasure in God. Now, this might seem like a very small difference, but as always, when dealing with God, words are specific and distinct.

When we hear “seek maximum pleasure,” we think pleasure is the object sought. Pleasure is received through the object sought, not in the object itself. We do not make a God out of pleasure. However, we do make a God out of what we take pleasure in money, music, children, or whatever gives us maximum pleasure. That is idolatry, but that is what many do.

The something we enjoy gives us pleasure; it is not the something itself that we enjoy.

Let me put it this way: with our ears, we hear, but our ears are not what we enjoy. Through our ears we hear music that we enjoy, yet it is not our ears we are enjoying. Your favorite food is a nice juicy peach. Our sensations of taste allow us to enjoy the peach. It is not our sense of taste we are enjoying; it is the peach we taste because of our sense of taste. When we worship, we are not enjoying the act of worship, but we enjoy the God that we worship.

Let us see this in scripture, Matthew 10:37-39; Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” The love Jesus talks about is not a need meeting love. Jesus does not have needs to be met, especially when He walked the earth. So, what kind of love is Jesus talking about? A love of delight, worship, a love of desire in that we desire Him as our Savior. A love of satisfaction is the love He speaks of. If we love our spouse, our children, our fancy car more than Him we are not worthy of Him. We have belittled God and are no longer worthy of Him. Christ is no longer the center point of our life.

In Philippians 3:8, Paul’s answer to this call is, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Paul found complete satisfaction in the Lord. Nothing else mattered not to him. It was all rubbish except for His love and satisfaction in the Lord. Just knowing the Lord surpassed all other things. Everything else was worthless.

God the Father told us this same thing in Jeremiah 9:23-24,  “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Let him boast that he knows Me! God also told us that when we treasure Him duly, when we are most satisfied in Him alone, God delights in it. He is most glorified in our being consumed in Him for the merciful God He is.

Put away your toys; do not be consumed with money, cars, houses, or any other tangible item. These things will disappear or lose their shine. Place your hope, dreams, and satisfaction in the Lord. Count all else as a loss. Be a Christian Hedonist, take all you pleasure in the greatest treasure there is, Jesus Christ. He must be the center of your life, and when He is, He will be enough you will be completely satisfied, no more hunger, no more thirst, no more idols. When we are so satisfied in God, and we die knowing we have gained as we go to be with Christ, we are most satisfied, and Christ is most glorified.

Is he your treasure? Are you most satisfied with Him? Think about it, who is your priority?

Peace and Grace!