Pleasure Receptors

Pleasure receptors once activated needs quenching. Satisfaction of these receptors is immediate and can never totally be quenched, we have been created with an appetite that needs quelling. The longer we are kept from water the sweeter it becomes. Most of us will know what it is like to be thirsty, at least to some degree. God given pleasure receptors are there to be enjoyed. Quench a thirst and there is an explosion of satisfaction. Some signal sent to the brain that brings with it immense pleasure. We need to go back to the beginning to deepen our understanding on the subject. Way back when God created the universe the time came when he purposed to create man; Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)

There has been much debate on what that actually means but let me conclude with this, we were created with the capacity to engage with God and to understand certain attributes that He holds dear unto himself, such as, “pleasure receptors.” We have our senses that feed those receptors. The problem we had at conception or rather Adam had, was he was not ready to awaken his understanding of differentiating between “good and evil” under the banner of righteousness. That domain belongs to God and him alone. Hence the reason Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from a certain tree; “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  (Genesis 2:17)

We know they ate, sin entered in and death became our reality.  With sin now thrown into the mix we have new receptors that are in play, which opposes the will of God and His character. As Christians we have our spiritual body housed in our earthly bodies. With a constant conflict raging in our minds determining good from evil. However, the problem we have, once a sin receptor has been awakened it is impossible to naturally suppress. And the world is filled with avenues where these cravings can be met. As Christians I am realising how easily we are trapped by so many of them. Our gaze must be fixed upon the Lord Jesus and not the "free", we must align ourselves with His will and not our selfish wants, if not, there is no chance of escape and there is no exception to the rule. Forget what the liars want you to believe, the liberals and the like, it’s the blind leading the blind and they will all fall into the ditch.

How much time in the day do you allocated to our Saviour? Let me leave you with this thought; “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Hebrews 12:1-2)

 

It amazes me that God has allowed such a detailed life, full of indulgence, riddled with sinful behaviour in the book of Ecclesiastes to teach us so many valuable lessons about ourselves. It’s the preacher who exposes every intent under the sun and then he comes to an awesome conclusion, are you ready for it? “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8) – So much time and effort spent on this life, which is temporal and so little of our day is burnt storing up treasures in heaven, which is eternal. So then what is the soul duty of mankind according to the preacher? “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) 

 

Here is my conclusion, God in His BRILLIANCE has made a way for us to live in a body tainted with patterns of sinful behaviour to then wilfully choose His will for our lives at any given time, and sure we fail at times. But that was never the intent, we must learn to “let go and let God”. The Christian has a storeroom full of grace to draw from. But acknowledging  our own sin is imperative, we must own it and look for grace to eradicate it from our lives. Let’s not be fooled into believing that we can live like we once did and then expect a warm welcome into the portals of heaven when our time eventually arrives. Paul gives many warnings to those who habitually continue in sin so that grace may abound as if it’s not that serious, because it is!

 

“To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen” 

 

Signing out

Tyrone