james
4.1 states that arguments and fights come from selfish desires. one of those found in verse 2 of james 4 is
the desire to have or possessions and then verse 3b gives another one which is
the desire to feel or pleasure. (tlb), you
want only what will give you pleasure.
i
want to feel good. i want to have fun. i want to enjoy my life. and there is nothing wrong with that. 1 timothy 6.17 (gnt) says, GOD, who generously gives us everything for
our enjoyment. GOD wants us to enjoy our life. but the problem is when pleasure
becomes the number one goal in your life – if it feels good, do it – you’re
asking for conflict. pleasure out of
control can cause problems in your relationships.
when
it takes the place of my responsibilities, of things that are necessary, then
i’m in trouble. the truth is, if i’m
more interested in my comfort than i am in yours and all i think about is what
makes me feel good then there is going to be conflict with you. that is an fight in the making. the desire to feel good creates conflict.
the
desire to have and the desire to feel good are two of the desires that when
they are thwarted cause conflict. why do
you think people argue about sex in marriage?
the desire for pleasure is strong.
when it’s thwarted, resentment builds up.
just
a thought from the front porch…
2 comments:
Hi Bill,
You make everything so simple. Okay I accept I have desires and I want to have pleasure out side my marriage and it's obvious that it is going to create conflict or fight especially with my wife if she came to know about that. I agree with all of this. I have no problem even with your belief in God and that God wants us to enjoy life. But for a moment think about man without God as a human being and to be more precise as a mammal. There are no sexually-exclusive monogamous mammals (or birds), even among pair-bonders. True monogamy is a ticket to extinction as far as your genes are concerned. Thus God has a higher purpose in our desire to have pleasure that is to propagate our species and to produce as many children from different partners as possible. Since doing that would create chaos and confusion in society as we need to bond with our partners so that the smallest unit that is our family may function well in harmony we have been forced by our reasoning and rational mind not to indulge in our desires. Thus the real conflict is in the way human beings have evolved. We retain the most primitive part of brain of a typical mammal and the rational brain is the latest development.
So, now if you want to have fun and pleasure then have it, but do not let it be known to your wife. True knowledge frees a man from all conflicts and "sins." Use condoms, have fun, and do not fight.
yogendra, i so appreciate you giving a clear example of the fact that selfish desires, the desire for pleasure causes arguments and fighting. you said, but do not let it be known to my wife. i'm sure if she knew there would be a big fight or she would feel deeply betayed. thank you!
Post a Comment