Chapel: Pursuing Pleasure

Please is defined as “a cause of enjoyment or delight.”

Jeremy Jernigan, pastor of Central Christian Church in downtown Phoenix and author of “Redeeming Pleasure: How the Pursuit of Pleasure Mirrors Our Hunger for God,” spoke at Chapel at Grand Canyon University this morning. He touched on the topic of his book, which delves into the idea of searching for pleasure and finding God.

Maybe we can find God in the midst of searching for pleasure. We even call things, “guilty pleasures.”

However, our ideas of “pleasure is inherently flawed,” said Pastor Jernigan.

The idea of pleasure is that “it’s good right now, but it probably shouldn’t be.”

We don’t know how to navigate pleasure. We believe the lie that we can have ultimate pleasure whenever and however we would like it. When we pursue pleasure on our terms, we actually experience less of it.

But, when we pursue pleasure on God’s terms, we experience more of it.

This morning’s talk brought us back the Garden of Eden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The story of Adam and Eve eating from the tree was one of pleasure. However, immediately after experiencing pleasure, there were consequences. And then, there was shame.

Pastor Jernigan concluded his talk by saying that when we allow God to captivate our lives and lead with control, we are able to avoid the shame and experience pleasure on God’s terms.

GCU offers weekly Chapel services during the school year for students, staff and faculty. Want to learn more about GCU, including Spiritual Life on campus and our academic degree programs? Request more information today!