Based on 2 Timothy 3 (New King James Version)
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Tacitus said: “It is less difficult to bear misfortunes than to remain uncorrupted by pleasure.” One of the greatest dangers in our society today is pleasure. Like Rome, and prior to its decline, people are more invested today in trying to indulge in pleasure. It’s not that having a good time every now and then is a bad thing. The problem is that it has become people’s focus in life. It has become the hope that most people aspire to. Many feel that if they achieve some form of pleasure, then their problems will go away. It involves trying to satisfy the insatiable urge of selfishness. It’s this kind of mentality: “I’m going to make myself happy, and I don’t care what I have to do to get there!”
Does this sound horrible? To the folks that still have some sort of conscience, maybe it sounds bad. To the common person, they might think, “So what’s wrong with that?” And I’ll reiterate once more. It’s not a problem to enjoy the things that God gives you, but not at the expense of others, and of course, certainly not at the expense of forgetting who (God) allowed for you to have them (if they are attained honestly).
There are those folks that have attained the means to fund their pleasures through dishonest avenues such as stealing; and there are different forms of stealing. Taking from people in any form is wrong. And there are obvious ways of stealing. There are other means of stealing such as those that cheat the government, by taking advantage of programs that are not meant for them to use. Cheating on your taxes (not playing within the established rules). Some people just don’t want to work, so they take advantage of whatever or whoever they can. And of course, there are folks that capitalize on the misery of other people such as getting involved with the sale of drugs and alcohol. No matter how you look at it, or how much a person thinks they are in control, the use of substances to get through life will cause you misery in one way or another. These people are more than fine with that, as long as they can make a quick dollar off of your misery. Do you think the folks that sell these products are worried about your well-being? There is no such thing as enjoying something that is not good for you “responsibly.”
There are less obvious ways where pleasure is just as damaging. In relationships, for instance. Most people get into a relationship with the goal to get something out of the other person. Love is not part of the formula; or at least there is no real love for the other person. People look to resolve their issues by using other people. They think about how much better they can be off if they are a two-income family. Children are born into this world not as a product of two people in love, but rather; to just experience something different, or cross off an item from an invisible list somewhere. How can I tell? There are people that look miserable with their kids. The few times that I have gone into a super market during regular working hours, I have noticed dissatisfaction, anger, frustration, etc. on people’s faces when they are carting around their kids. They treat their kids like the puppy dog they bought last Christmas. It was exciting at first, but they can’t wait to get rid of them. They don’t spend time with them; counseling them, teaching them, giving them love (love doesn’t mean spoiling them and turning them into little parasites).
The problem is that most people are only concerned for themselves. They may seem like they care about others, but they don’t. They only seem to care for someone as long as they are useful to them somehow. It’s like what most people do nowadays when they dump their parents off at an elderly care facility, right after they take the last cent possible. Marriages are broken when one of the two don’t feel like they are happy anymore, or they are not getting what they anticipated they should be getting. The moment some sort of hardship occurs, people are looking for the way out. Children are abandoned by pushing them off to school activities, to hang out with friends, etc. It’s easier to buy stuff for the kids or keep them busy, than to give them “proper” attention. And along the way, with this parade of selfishness, people are getting hurt left and right. Bad things are happening everywhere! This is what makes this planet very difficult to live in! As people forget about God and their fellow man, they sink deeper and deeper into the lie, that pleasure will make them happy. What people don’t understand is that living for themselves will only destroy them and everything around them. It makes a person incapable of living a good life.
The only way of enduring these perilous times is by standing in the Word of God. Since God made us, then He is the only one that knows how to make things work the best they can; the way they were designed to work. Living for Him will not only put proper perspective in your life, but will also teach you how to live a full life where God through you can bring hope and joy to the world that surrounds you, especially within your own life. Are you allowing for God to guide you through these perilous times, or are you still willing to live the lie? Lord bless! John