Pleasure Destroys Pride
Sep 03, 2009
John 15:11: These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
I Corinthians 1.28-31: God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
I Corinthians 4.7: For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
Last week, I said that the Bible gives us a much more radical vision of Christian life, namely that God commands and calls us to seek our pleasure in Him. This week, I want to say just one way this makes a difference to you.
The command to delight in God or to pursue our pleasure in Him levels pride and makes us desperate for Him. I used to think of my relationship with God like this: If I get up in the morning, have a time of devotion, pray, follow the 10 commandments as best I could through the day, and end the day with some prayer, then I’ve had a pretty good day and satisfied God. I am convinced that this view of God has killed or is killing our drive, passion, fear, trembling, reverence, joy, and love for God. It is creating generations of apathetic and complacent Christians by turning God from the majestic, beautiful, glorious, radiant, self-sufficient center of the universe to a to-do list that we check off when possible. As long as we checked off the list for today we can be assuaged of our guilt and continue on practically as if God did not exist. As we get better and better at our checklist, we become prouder and prouder of how we have “served” God. Now, that may be religion but it is not Christianity. Christianity does not say that I am living to “satisfy God;” in fact is says the opposite—God’s desire is to satisfy us with Himself forever and ever (see Psalm 90.14 for just one reference to this). Christianity says that Jesus has already satisfied God because it was a task you and I could never complete. Therefore, God will not be merely placated by us like some tribal deity, He will be worshipped, honored, glorified, and enjoyed!
Do you see how God’s command to delight in Him destroys our pride? See, if I take my wife out to dinner and then smugly think to myself that I am a good husband for taking my time from my busy schedule to satisfy her demands, then I become prideful in myself, resentful of her if she doesn’t respond or reciprocate, and passionless in my love for her. But if I take her to dinner because I love and enjoy her company and I thoroughly enjoy the evening, then what do I have to be prideful about? I simply enjoyed the pleasure of her presence! So it is with God. If our obedience is pleasure, we can never take pride in it. This is why the verses noted above show clearly that the gift of salvation and the preciousness of knowing Christ is a gift from God, not something we create, earn, or merit. If God gave you a good gift, it is all of Him and your only boast should be in His goodness and all satisfying sufficiency. He is the fountain and giver of life.
Seeking our pleasure in God also makes us desperate. We all recognize pretty quickly and clearly how terribly we fail the test to “love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.” We might have bare obedience, but few of us have transformed affections that everyday take greater pleasure in God’s presence than in the gifts he gives. Many of us are following the commandments of God, but this is short of the commandments themselves! The command is to delight in the Lord (Psalm 37.4) and to love mercy (Micah 6.8) not just to obey and do. For instance, I might be able to convince you to obey my command to give me $10. It may take some coercing but I could probably convince you. But how would I convince you to delight in giving me $10? I can’t. So, we see quickly that this command raises the bar much higher, and while it removes any ground for boasting, it also makes us desperate because such a gift can only come from God Himself. “He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37.4).” When we see what God truly requires, we will become people desperate in prayer to receive from God’s hand all He is and all He has to offer.
So, let God’s command to delight in Him and Jesus’ purpose to give you His joy shoot an arrow into your view of faith in Jesus. Where are you trying merely to placate God? How have you treated Him like a to-do list? Have you lost your passion and desire for Him? Are you desperate for Him or just desperately trying to stay afloat with bare obedience? In what areas of your life are you boasting of your goodness? Let this command, renew you by leveling your pride and making you humble to beg the Holy Spirit for changed affections, for new feelings, for greater longings after God in Christ. Once you are desperate for Him, he will answer your call, give you His joy, and invigorate your passion for Him.