clcgh.org Building The Capacity Of Christian Leaders, Equipping The Saints For The Work Of Ministry, Redirecting Straying Christians To The Sound Knowledge Of Christ
DIFFERENT CHRISTIANS use their money and time differently. While some spend them on pleasure, others spend them on education, skill development, church projects, professional training, buildings and meeting the needs of the poor.
God is not only interested in the eternal salvation of His children, but also also concerned about their financial prosperity and freedom.
Thus, God through Solomon, warns His children to be careful about one thing that can make them poor. This one thing is the pursuit of pleasure and enjoyment.
Solomon wrote: “Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich (Proverbs 21:17).
There is no doubt that many Christians have become poor for loving enjoyment and pleasure in the world.
The word “pleasure” is derived from a Greek word, ‘hedone’. A Christian who loves pleasure, therefore, may be described as a hedonistic Christian.
Hedonism, a moral philosophy, is the pursuit of pleasure as the chief end of one’s existence. A person who lives for pleasure is a hedonist.
A hedonist, therefore, is a person who lives only to gratify or satisfy desires. The only goal or objective which appeals to their sensual (bodily) pleasures are things they strive for.
Hedonism is material pleasure. It is not pleasure associated with the mind, the soul and spirit. The hedonist lives for today without thinking about tomorrow.
They work very hard to make money, but fail to invest it wisely for future benefits. They waste the money on things that provide immediate pleasure like excessive food, drink, sex, shopping, sports betting, partying, clubbing, playing video games and others.
A young Christian ought to understand how complex and uncertain life is and make informed and wise decisions. We must use our money, time and other resources to do things that can benefit posterity.
It is also necessary that a Christian sees the need to be guided by God’s Word to invest in the Kingdom of God in order to receive both earthly and eternal rewards.
We must spend our money on building houses, contributing to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and making, personal savings in preparation for our old age.
Also, we must take good care of our children and provide them with quality education, vocational training and entrepreneurship skills.
Finally, if the Lord Jesus Christ, who calls us to follow and learn from Him was not hedonistic when He walked the earth, why should we be?
Life is about choices. Making a personal decision is tantamount to making a personal choice. The kind of choices we make in life today will determine the kind of life we will live tomorrow.
By James Quansah
James Quansah is the Executive Director of Christ-Conscious Leadership Centre (CLC) and lead Pastor of End-Time Christ’s Commissioners (ECC), Kumasi, Ghana. James is also a journalist by profession. He is married with four children.
