What does God’s wisdom say about my pleasure and leisure?
Rarely do we discuss what God says about “pleasure” and “leisure” in church—but Proverbs does have a quote about it.
Proverbs 21:17 (NIV) Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.
There it is.
We have already learned that Proverbs has many wise sayings about many subjects that are all over the board. Some make perfect sense to us logically; some challenge our thinking. But like all proverbial sayings from that amazing book, they are there to give us insight into a wise way to live, ultimately pointing us to living a life that reflects a posture of reverence and fear of God. Remember the key marker proverb:
Proverbs 1:7 (NLT) The fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
With all proverbs, you start with this foundation, then take a look at the subject addressed. In this case, the subject of Proverbs 21:17 is pleasure and leisure in our lifestyle.
As you prepare for Sunday, read this proverb. Contemplate your own lifestyle in terms of leisure, pleasure, vacation, relaxation, and rest. Is God against a life of leisure? Does God want you to have some “time off”?
We are going to look at the theology of some key words that we are so used to, then examine a few key words you may not be as familiar with:
- Vacation
- Rest
- Time off
- Leisure
- Pleasure
- Indulgence
- Sabbath
- Time alone with God
We will make some distinctions, try to understand the biblical truth in this proverb, and tie it all to living in a way that represents God. How does this proverb connect to a posture that I can take in my life that reflects Him?
See you Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Join in online if you cannot meet us in person at the property!
Keep reading this summer through Proverbs. Mark up and highlight some of the proverbs that stand out to you. This coming week, read Proverbs 13-16.
