How to Live Wisely In a Hedonistic Culture
I hope you love the products and resources I recommend here at A Little R & R. Just so you know, it is possible that I get a commission and collect income from the links on this page. Click here for more info.
Do you ever feel like the world is constantly telling you that you’ll finally be happy…if you just have a little more?
A better house.
A better vacation.
A better career.
A better body.
More experiences.
More pleasure.
Our culture tells us that happiness is found in getting everything we’ve ever wanted.
But if that’s true…
Why are so many people still empty?
Our Culture Has a Happiness Problem
Have you ever seen pleasure elevated to the degree that it is today in this hyper-sexualized, hedonistic culture?
We see it in every area of our culture:
Bridezillas.
Dream homes.
Luxury travel.
Social media.
“Follow your heart.”
Hygge.
Everywhere we look, we’re told:
- Follow your heart.
- You deserve it.
- Live your best life.
- Don’t settle.
- You only live once.
The message is always the same.
Your happiness is the highest goal.
Jesus couldn’t have been clearer.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
Moses Had Seen Both Worlds
Moses, a man whose life was marked by astonishing extremes, gives us perspective in a way that surely he shares from his own personal experience.
He was born at a time in history when having children was extremely risky, because every male Hebrew child was executed at birth.
God miraculously spared his life, and he was returned to his biological mother until he was weaned.
His most formative years were marked by slavery, poverty, and the anguish of his Hebrew heritage.
Afterward, he was sent to live with his adoptive family, Pharaoh’s daughter, where he had every amenity provided for him, from material possessions to his education. He lacked nothing.
However, following a violent outburst during which he killed an Egyptian official attacking a Hebrew slave, he fled into the desert, where he became a shepherd.
He once again lived a life of simplicity, leaving behind the indulgence of his Egyptian upbringing.
And it is from this life experience that we read his prayer:
“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:10-12
The New Living Translation reads this way, “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve. Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”
How do we maintain a heart of wisdom while living in a culture that worships hedonism, indulgence, and pleasure?
Moses had learned something that our culture desperately needs to hear.
Life is short.
Eternity isn’t.
And how we choose to live our life in this physical world is determined by how well we comprehend the brevity of this life compared to the unending life we face once this life is over.
Some people spend their lives chasing pleasure.
Others spend them chasing success.
But both eventually stand before the same God.
As wise children of God, we should live our lives with two things in mind:
1. Remember How Short Life Is
This life is as fleeting as the moment we can see our breath on a cold December morning. You blink, and it’s gone. For some, it’s gone quicker than for others.
And when we step back and look at the timeline of the world from God’s perspective and see that 70-80 years is a barely-visible dot on the screen, we have to ask ourselves, is all of the success and indulgence really worth it?
What does it all mean after we’re gone?
What will we have to answer for when we are face-to-face with Almighty God?
2. Ask Yourself One Question Every Day
When we surrender our lives to God, we surrender the right to live in a way that brings us pleasure.
From the moment we become children of God, our sole purpose in life is to live in a way that brings pleasure and glory to God.
The blessing that comes from that is that God allows us to experience the result of His pleasure and glory — we experience joy and pleasure when He is glorified through us!
The wisest question we can ask ourselves daily is:
The wisest question you can ask yourself every day is simply this:
Will this matter 100 years from now?
Or better yet…
Will this matter in eternity?
That question has a way of putting everything into perspective.
If it doesn’t matter for eternity, then it is of little importance.
“But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:13-15
What matters for eternity is what builds and advances God’s kingdom. Everything else will perish in the fire that tests our works.
When Christ becomes our greatest treasure, we stop looking to the world to tell us who we are or what will satisfy us.
Our culture says,
“Live for today.”
Scripture says,
“Live for eternity.”
Every decision we make moves us toward one treasure or the other.
So today…
number your days.
Fix your eyes on eternity.
And choose what will matter forever.
Grab these Bible verses today when you click here or on the image below:
