Pastor Kyle Idleman continues his discussion of pleasure in Chapter 7 of Gods at War by observing that the god of entertainment, rather than inspiring our “bored and apathetic” existence, in truth makes us feel more bored and apathetic. In fact, several years ago Neal Postman wrote a book titled Amusing Ourselves to Death, in which he argued that popular culture is dumbing us down at an alarming rate.
We’re all searching for something. C. S. Lewis captured the essence of our search in his book Mere Christianity:
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.”
Pastor Idleman adds that the pure, unadulterated joy we seek is found only in God. Until He is our greatest pleasure, all other pleasures of life lead only to emptiness. The author states he’ll always remember the first church service he attended in Haiti, where worship services usually last for 4-6 hours. Hoping for a profound answer, Kyle asked a local Haitian pastor what character quality enabled the Haitian people to worship for such an extended period. The pastor laughed and said, “In Haiti, we have nothing else to do.”
Imagine what might happen if we eliminated God’s competition and turned our eyes to the Lord!
Today’s question: Have you ever tried turning off your TV or unplugging the game console? How did that help you focus on the Lord? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: The “divine” attributes of money
