The human heart has a problem with moderation. We tend to binge on whatever we
enjoy. This is why there are so
many calls to self-control in the Bible – our tendency to over-indulge needs to
be reined in (Pro 25:28; Gal 5:22-23; 1 Tim 2; 2 Pet 1:5-7).
We might say that this is due to our idolatrous hearts, but
it may be more appropriate to say it is due to our propensity to worship in
general. We have been designed to
be enamored…with God. But due to
the Fall, our impulse for fascination chases after the creature to the
exclusion the Creator (Rom 1:25).
Certainly, there is nothing wrong with being fascinated with the
creation, but only in moderation and only in appreciation for the Creator. In excess, that fascination crosses
over into worship, which should be reserved only for God.
Our culture pushes this to the extreme by making
over-indulgence a virtue. Christians
beset by as-yet-unsanctified flesh can feel frustrated by the constant pull in
two directions – the pull by the flesh to enjoy the creation in excess and the
pull by the Spirit to live a self-controlled life (Gal 5:17). Perhaps
the key to overcoming this frustration isn’t resigning oneself to a life of
deprivation, but rather indulging to the fullest in the one thing that cannot
be enjoyed to excess – the love of Christ.
The Puritan John Flavel, in his short treatise, Christ Altogether Lovely, wrote:
“The beauty and holiness of creatures are ensnaring and
dangerous. A man may make an idol
out of them, and indulge himself beyond the bounds of moderation with them, but
there is no such danger of excess in the love of Christ. The soul is then in the healthiest
frame and temper when it is most overwhelmed by love to Christ.”
When it comes to enjoying the love and fellowship of Jesus,
we never reach a roadblock that says, “this far and no more. You’re going to overdo it.” Rather, listen to what Paul prayed on
behalf of the Ephesian church:
[I pray that you] may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length
and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:18-19)
Don’t miss that – Paul prays that they would know something
that can’t be known! He prays that
they would know the love of Christ…that surpasses knowledge. And he prays that they would be filled
with all the fullness of God – another impossibility. Finite creatures can’t be filled with an infinite God. What can this mean other than that
Paul’s great desire for the church is for them to keep knowing and keep knowing
the love of Christ – an unending journey – AND that they would keep being
filled and keep being filled with God – an unending filling?
The reason that overindulging is a bad thing isn’t because
too much joy in itself is a bad thing.
No, overindulging is a bad thing because the object of that joy is bad for you, when enjoyed in excess. NOT so with Christ. Your innermost desire to indulge in joy
was created for this very thing – to know and love Christ. Therefore, there is no such thing as
OVERindulging in Him. We might
call it super-indulging, but never overindulging. There is no overdosing on Jesus. It’s only, only good for you. That’s fantastic news.
Our impulse for joy, when focused on the wrong thing, leads
to overindulgence, which must be reined in by self-control. But when it comes to enjoying Christ,
all restraint can be laid aside!
For it is in Him that our created desire for joy finds its intended
purpose.
Further, obsession with Christ is the one area in which
moderation is not only not called for, but is positively dangerous. One
of the most common causes of spiritual malaise is that believers enjoy things
other than Christ to excess, while enjoying Him only in moderation, if at all. Is it any wonder then that they fall
under the weight of anxieties, depressions, besetting sins, and spiritual
apathy? Moderation in enjoyment of
Christ will drown the soul!
It would not be a stretch to say that the lion’s share of
sorrow and pain experienced in this life is due to overindulging in created
things and underindulging in the love of Jesus. What a tragedy to be frustrated by the confines of moderation
regarding lesser joys, when Christ calls for unrestrained enjoyment of Him. He came that we may have life and have
it abundantly (John 10:10).
Believers, by focusing on the one thing we were created to
enjoy without limitation, can out-indulge and out-enjoy the world. And in the process, we can point the
way to true life and worship in Him through the gospel of Christ.
Comments