What kind of pleasure do you seek in order to gratify your desires? Pleasure is defined as “enjoyment, delight, amusement, or happiness.” Too often, we seek happiness apart from God. Solomon sought pleasure from wine, women, and song: “I thought in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:1).
Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh (see 1 Kings 3:1) and took a total of 700 wives and 300 concubines who led him astray (see 1 Kings 11:3). This act violated God’s plan (see Deuteronomy 17:17), but Solomon raised his debauchery to another level when he built temples to their deities (see 1 Kings 11:7-8, 33). His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord who divided his kingdom (see 1 Kings 11:4-13). His love for God turned love for worldly pleasure became legendary (see Nehemiah 13:26). Solomon had even penned: “He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich” (Proverbs 21:17).
Solomon’s pursuit of pleasure for the sake of gratification is relevant today in terms of our intimate relationships. Only Christ can truly satisfy our desires. Consequently, we must first pursue intimacy with Him through His Spirit, His Word, and His people. Then we must make our muscles move with our prayers in obedience.
Pass along intimacy with Christ to the next generation. If you parent a teenage girl, help her determine by whom, what, where, why, and how she wants to be pursued, before there’s an emotional connection. Let your teen children know you will measure the success of any relationship by answering these questions: “Does it improve your relationship with God, your parents, your siblings, or your friends? Does it improve your grades or extracurricular activities?” God will use your foresight to guide you and your teen children in the pursuit of His desire for your lives.