Thoughts On Enjoyment and pleasure

Enjoyment and pleasure are dangerous things.
When we leave our minds unguarded and seek after fun things that serve our own needs and enjoyments, our hearts are kept from being fully devoted to the Lord.
We are satisfied with ourselves and feel comfortable with where we're at in life.
Soon earthly and self-serving idols spring up and take over like an invisible wildfire...
Getting caught up in the things of this world, we inevitably stray very far from where the Lord would have us be.
I know this from personal experience...
I want others to see the Uncreated One and give him the glory, instead of stumbling into serving mankind like I so easily tend to do!
God is truly *the only one* who deserves our worship and affections.
To live is Christ, to die is gain! What profit are our works if they are simply to glorify mankind and our own pleasures?
All these things are passing away. None of it will last through eternity!
Christ has not created us to live for ourselves, or the things we find enjoyable. He created us to glorify, love and serve him. How can we do that when we are so caught up with all these activities we enjoy doing?
Yes, He desires us to experience joyful feelings. But that joy is supposed to come from being fulfilled and fully satisfied in Him. Not from things we do, or stuff we make. This true joy stems from a worshipful heart that is actively loving and seeking *Him* above *all* else! (Even the "good things" in life)
One area I have been specifically convicted in is the area of working with animals, 4-H and competitions. While participating in these activities I started to find my identity in them. I quickly became puffed up with pride, thinking I knew it all. I won many showmanship competitions and could impress any judge with my animal knowledge, grooming, handling skills and my use of jargon... My "friends" weren't even really my friends, in the truest sense. In some ways we were just each other's competitions until showing season was over, then we went back to practicing and learning more animal knowledge simply to do it again when the next show rolled around, using them as the groundwork of how much knowledge I needed to know to beat them in the show ring.
What a terrible, fleshly, unloving (and most importantly unbiblical) way for me to treat others and my brothers and sisters in Christ!
In light of what has been done for me at the cross, none of these attitudes or ways of behaving should have been going on.
Seeking after fun and enjoyment is a huge distraction and temptation to take God off his throne, to instead seek after worldly things and human ability instead of resting in Christ's work and all-sufficiency.
These things I used to live for in the flesh, have since lost their appeal in contrast with the incomprehensible Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
He is the Great I AM! Our uncreated father. Self sustaining, all knowing and all-powerful. There is no limit to his power or his loving kindness.
No matter how much of Him we seek, even to the point of expending every fiber and ounce of energy in our being, we will still NEVER be able to comprehend the greatness and majesty that is our God.
How could anything else satisfy?!
What in your life distracts you from loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?
I'm pretty sure something popped up in your mind as you read this.  Only you and God know what it is.
Are you willing to give it up and replace it with something better?
Consider this: would you refuse a freshly baked loaf of garlic bread to instead go eat moldy crumbs under a dusty table because you thought they might possibly taste better? I think you get the correlation. ☺️
Guys, God is so amazing, we just need to take the time to gaze upon Him - We'll never see it with our blinded eyes.

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