Over the weekend I had an opportunity to relax by an inland lake.  For that, I must thank Jim and Judy for their gracious hospitality.  We swam, we ate, we enjoyed fellowship, and at one point we went tubing.  For those who have not gone tubing on a lake, it involves situating yourself on top of the large tire tube and floating there listlessly.  Moments after you begin relaxing on the water, the person in the boat hits the throttle and does their best to drag the tire tube out from under you by means of the rope attached to the tube.  Now, to give you a bit of hope, they’ve gone to the trouble to add handles, which do wonders to prolong the battle.  Eventually, in my case, the battle ended with the pilot of the boat succeeding and me floating in the water sans tire tube.  In truth, it is great fun.  It is also a great amount of work.  And so, in the morning pains and aches settled in.

This got me thinking of the dichotomy between the pleasures of this world and the joy that comes from our Lord.  With the pleasures of the world there may be pleasure for an evening, but in the morning, pain to the one who sought that pleasure.  Now tubing is a fun, recreational bit of exercise, so the pain that comes in the morning is not necessarily bad, it’s just my body rebuilding and perhaps adding to the muscles that were used.

But how different from the pleasure of the world is the joy found in our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that the God of the Bible is quite the opposite of the pleasures of the world in this very aspect.  Where some of the worldly things we seek pleasure in bring us joy in the evening and pain in the morning, Psalm 30:5 tells us that with the Lord there may be weeping in the night, but joy comes in the morning!

The way in which the world’s pleasures leave us lacking, wanting, or even in pain serves as a reminder that our greatest and most lasting pleasure will always come from the Lord.  Undoubtedly that is why John reminds us in his letter 1 John 2:17, that “the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”