Hi Deardean2, actually, I think the Lord 'is' interested in having us seek pleasure in our lives, and to have the things that we truly desire as we walk through this life with Him/in Christ
For instance, this very important command, that just happens to carry a wonderful promise with it too, comes to mind first:
.........Psalm 37
.........4 ..Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Also, an event that included both Mary and Martha comes to mind quickly as well.
.........Luke 10
.........38 ..As they were traveling along, Jesus entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
.........39 ..She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.
.........40 ..But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that
.........my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
.........41 ..But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
.........42 ..but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
So it seems to me that the Lord intends something else for us in this life than sacrifice and discipline, in fact, I think He very much intends us to enter into His rest with joy .. e.g.
Philippians 4:4. This does not mean that we are not to be godly servants who know and obey/live out His word, who are focused on pleasing Him 24/7, and who are also a help & blessing to others. Sacrifice and discipline are an undoubted part of the Christian life, but not at the expense of the joy that I believe He intends for us, and the rest that we can find only in Him .. cf
Matthew 11:28-30.
So I guess I see two important sides in this, and neither one should be allowed to overrule the other, IMHO.
You know, I remember when I was a kid, people always wanted to know what the "
meaning of life" was. There always seemed a plethora back then of cartoons and images depicting some guy or gal struggling to get the top of a mountain to meet with the guru (who apparently lived up there), and to have that question answered, but they never seemed to get one, at least one that was in anyway believable or useful.
As Christians, we finally know the answer to that question, PTL
And it seems to me that it is best (or perhaps most concisely) summed up in Q & A #1 from the Westminster Standard's
Shorter Catechism which reads:
.........Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
.........A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,
[1] and to
enjoy Him forever.
[2]
~Deut
.........John 10
.........10 ..The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might
.........have it more abundantly.
.