the pleasures of life

God gives us richly all things to enjoy, the life of a believer need not be dull or boring.  Some heathens refuse to convert to Christianity because they think they would never have fun again.  When I was in the world I had “fun”!  I would drink so much beer I would get dizzy and then sick.  The next day I dreaded getting off the floor or wherever I was, because I knew I would have a terrible hangover.  And this was fun?  The only people who thought it was “cool” were the other drunks, my friends.
 
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
Every sin we make must be paid for, in this life and in the one to come.  Our jails and prisons are full of sinners who are being paid for their sin.  Hell is getting full of sinners who are paying for their transgressions.  Now, this is the ironic part, the world does not want the pleasures of this life taken from them, they are willing to pay the consequence!  The wages of our sin is death, we earn and deserve what we get.  But, God is offering us a life where He pays for our sins and He makes it a gift, something we don’t earn. 
 
1 Timothy 6:17 Put your trust in the living God who gives richly (abundant wealth) all things       to enjoy.
 
God has blessed me in so many ways and in so many things I have lost count of and not one time was there any repercussions or hangovers.  The pleasures I had in the world all came with a corresponding consequence, but I was willing to take the risk.  When I lied, I lost all credibility, when I drank I lost all control and when I stole something I was caught and punished.  I am so grateful for my time in the Catholic school, when I got out of line the nuns slapped me and beat me, they were teaching me about the consequence of bad behavior in the world.  My time in the Catholic school prepared me for boot camp, I never once was reprimanded for acting out. 
Galatians 5:13 You have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another.
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Redemption is the gift of God, we have been made free from the control of our flesh.  Sometimes our flesh has a desire for things that are sinful and sometimes we yield to them.  Because of the gift of God we do not lose our place in heaven and if we repent, our transgression is wiped out.  A born-again Christian can enjoy the pleasure of an alcohol beverage and remain saved.  But He will flow only out of a clean vessel.  A born-again saint can enjoy the sinful pleasures of the flesh, but his righteousness cannot protect him from the wages of his transgression.

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