Have you pondered the possibility that God may have made pleasure such that the closer one gets to legitimate pleasure, the closer one gets to the heart of God?
C. S. Lewis gave us this perceptive hint in his book, The Screwtape Letters . We read in the exchange of letters between a senior devil and the junior devil being coached how to befuddle a man considering God. “Keep him from going over to the Enemy,” was the senior’s charge to the young imp.
Some days later the junior devil gave the grim report that he had lost the man to the other side. “Could you not have seduced him?” roared the senior devil.
“No,” came the reply, “because he did two things that took him away from us. First, everyday he took a walk, and also read good books. And the more he did that, the enemy seemed to draw him closer. “Ah that’s where you made your mistake,” said the senior devil. “You should have had him take a walk for exercise, not for pleasure. You should have had him read a book not for the goodness of it but to quote it to others. You see, by not distracting him from the sheer enjoyment of good things, you brought him closer to the voice of the enemy.”
What a thrilling insight from Lewis! We have become so conditioned to a morbid interpretation of the Christian life that we have robbed ourselves of the sheer delight and pleasure that God has made possible for us. The closer we get to legitimate pleasures the closer we are to God. In fact, all legitimate pleasure is a gift from God. Receive it with thanks, dear friend, and draw near to the Author of Joy.
May I offer one more hint as we bring this series on a philosophy of pleasure to a close?
In the biblical teaching we observe that worshipping God culminates and unifies the breadth of our experience. Worship of God is what ultimately binds the various inclinations of the heart and gives them full expression. This is where life and enjoyment converge and from here all affections emerge. That is why the Bible says that our heavenly father seeks that we worship Him in spirit and in truth. As one writer puts it: In my glorifying of God, I find my true happiness. He is the author of joy, and He seeks to share that with you. That is why C. S. Lewis titled his Christian conversion: Surprised by Joy .
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Copyright © 2002 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. “A Slice of Infinity” is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.