Before I was a Christian I had not travelled the world. I had not seen the fullness of the delights of God's creation. However, since I have become a Christian I have been around the world, not once, but three times - and taken shorter trips to some of the world's most beautiful places.
His plans for us are amazing - to bring us joy; to give us hope; to bring us abundance. There is nothing God does not want us to experience of the wonders of this world and the true pleasures in it.
When I was young I thought joy and fun came from sex, drugs, rock-in-roll and fast cars. And boy did I fill myself up with all I could get my hands on. I was very successful and 'lived life to the full' - from a worldly perspective. Yet at 27 I wanted to kill myself.
However, when I began to discover the heart of God, I also discovered true joy - and real peace. Truth be told, if I had told the young me what I know now, I would have thought it was simply an old man talking who was boring and didn't understand a young man's desires. Who was trying to stop him from having fun. In fact, I thought if I gave my heart to God that is exactly what would happen - he would take away my fun. So I ran away from God so I could indulge in life's pleasures.
However, this type of joy simply led to death - literally I wanted to kill myself, or hoped that someone would kill me. I even went out and picked fights with huge gang members hoping they would kill me - instead I just ended up taking my hurt and anger out on other people.
The joy I discovered in The Lord has a name - serenity. No kidding, the greatest pleasure I have discovered in life is doing the will of God. When you do that, there is a joy and peace which passes all understanding.
For example, my wife and I, when we first met, spent some time going door to door in Langus winning souls. We both had such a great time that we decided that this is what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives.
Don't think that I have nothing to compare this to - as I said, I have truly lived the fullness of the life the world offers. I have skied off mountains; raced at over 50 miles an hour on water skis; bungy jumped off a tower; hunted pigs, goats and other wild animals - sometimes with just a knife; raced yachts; driven go carts; raced a hot rod that I built up to 157 miles and hour; dived for fish and crayfish in the ocean; eaten all manner of foods; played in front of thousands of people in a concert; climbed to the top of Megiddo in Israel; been to Disneyland and universal studios in Los Angeles; and much, much more - but the greatest joy I have ever experienced is right here in Langus!
Can I say I would have been satisfied with life if I had never left Langus? No! But God does not want you to simply stay here. He created the whole world for you to enjoy. He even created sex for you to enjoy - but he also knows that the best sex you can get is in the confines of marriage. He made wonderful foods for you to taste and experience and some of those foods are even considered drugs - tea and coffee, for example. However, He wants you to have everything in moderation - including moderation itself. Yes sometimes you need to indulge in the good things he has created for you - in heaven he has even created a feast for us to indulge in. But only for a season.
When we walk in step with the Holy Spirit we truly get to experience the fullness of life. Jesus said, I have come to give you the fullness of joy. - that your joy may be made complete.
Don't buy the lies of the devil, that the only fun things are sins. Rubbish! The God who created the world knows the best way to experience it - let Him be your tour guide in your journey through life and through this world. He can show you the real delights and highlights that he created just for you. He knew you before the beginning of time and made sure he created a few very special things in this world just for you. He even created for each of us a special person that we would share those pleasures with. Someone that would desire the same things we do and help us to get them.
My wife is just as insane as I am - even more so. I like Nama Choma, but she is completely nuts. One cold winters night, with heavy rain and wind, she decided she wanted to eat Nama Choma. So I had to set up the barbecue inside the garage so we could cook meat on a fire. In my country, the girls don't even like to eat meat and would certainly never want to cook it over an open fire - that is something only men get to do very occasionally. Yet God gave me a crazy wife who likes meat even more than I do.
God created you, he created the world and he is the one who truly understands what will bring you the most pleasure, joy and peace. He wants you to have fun!! Lots and lots of fun. Before I was a Christian I was trapped in the limited world I had created for myself. It was full of worldly pleasures, but I was completely miserable. After I became a Christian I have been living in God's world - the whole world, not just the little bit of it that I was trapped in.
Teach me, Lord , the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life. (Psalm 119:33-40 NIV)