The Pleasure of Sin

There really is pleasure in sin—for a time. It lures us in, making promises it knows it will never keep. It thrives on rationalization and justification. It tells us we will be the one to get by with it.  Sin would not be an issue if it came to us in plain clothes: destruction, ruin,  pain and death.  But it does come with a warning label:

“ ‘Stolen waters are sweet,and food obtained in secret is pleasant!’ But they do not realize that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.” Proverbs 9:17-18

Pleasure is a human desire that isn’t always satisfied in a sinful manner. But there is something in our nature that can be drawn to the forbidden: the “stolen” and the “secret.” The Garden of Eden was beautiful and had everything its inhabitants needed for life and enjoyment–even taking daily walks with God! But  Satan tempted Eve to focus on the one thing that she and Adam were prohibited by God from having. Once her focus centered on the forbidden and she began to feel deprived of something pleasant-looking, Satan’s plan was sealed. It has been this way since that day! We want what we cannot have, forgetting that it leads to the place of death.

To illustrate sin’s disguises for our Sunday school children, we presented a beautifully wrapped box one day. It was adorned with ribbon and neatly wrapped in colorful paper trimmings. Everyone raised their hand when the offer came to open and keep what was inside the beauty. The lucky student we selected wasted no time in tearing apart the outer wrap to get to what was inside; everyone looked on in excitement and envy. Then, the  student groaned and put the opened box aside. Inside was a clump of dirt, some rocks and a discarded tissue. This is sin: lovely on the outside, disappointing and unfulfilling on the inside.

“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent” (Proverbs 1:10).

God’s Word reminds us that sin “crouches” at our door, waiting to cause destruction. What can you do today, for yourself and your family, to guard against the deception and lure of sin?