Repent For Your Lack of Enjoyment

I couldn’t shake it. 

“Repent for your lack of enjoyment.”

That’s what kept echoing in my soul while preparing for a sermon in the book of Ecclesiastes. The invitation was undeniable. It was powerful, yet gracious. I was being invited to stop resisting enjoyment.

Why is this a struggle? For me, it’s not ingratitude but seriousness. I wake up preoccupied with ownership and responsibility. But in the pursuit of tackling these things with passion, I can easily lose sight of what they actually are: good gifts from a gracious and generous Father who loves me.  

God has already approved your enjoyment of His gifts.

The wisdom writer says in Ecclesiastes 9:7, “Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works.” 

What are these “works” that God already accepted and approved? To my surprise: It’s the work of enjoyment. 

What’s even more surprising is the context. This passage sits under the theme of living in light of death. One would think the wisdom writer would invite us to pure sobriety and seriousness. Instead, the writer invites us to cherish and revel in the gift of life He has given while we have it. 

And this is not a partial enjoyment but an invitation to enjoy every part of our lives. In the immediate surrounding passage, we find the wisdom writing inviting us to enjoy every dimension and sphere of life from feasting (Ecclesiastes 9:7) to festivity (Ecclesiastes 9:8), to fellowship (Ecclesiastes 9:9), and fervency (Ecclesiastes 9:10). We’re invited to enjoy life in its grand totality. 

God may one day hold you accountable for your enjoyment.

The wisdom writer says in Ecclesiastes 11:9, “Rejoice, young person, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desire of your eyes; but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment.” 

I had always understood that last line, “for all of these things God will bring you to judgment,” as a warning: sure, rejoice but not too much so you don’t pay too heavy an “unrighteousness tax” on the day of judgment. But one Bible scholar argues for the precise opposite. Your lack of enjoyment itself could be a source of judgment. 

Ian Provan writes, "Religious readers of the text have often not been able, in their religiosity, to understand how reverence for God and reveling in life are compatible. They have failed to realize that God is as interested in what we do with our lives as he is with what we refrain from doing. It is worth noting, in fact, that the latter part of 11:9 ('but know that for all these things…'), which may be thought in the NIV translation to imply that we should not be too extravagant in our 'following,' can just as easily be understood as suggesting that God will hold us to account if we do not make it our business to enjoy what he has given us to enjoy." (NIVAC, Ecclesiastes)

According to Provan, God will hold us accountable not just for the things we indulged in but also for the things we refused to enjoy.

Conclusion 

Life is a gift. God is the generous giver of all things. I want to be able to bridge these two truths for experienced delight. 

This past weekend, as I prepared to step on stage to teach His Word, I kept hearing His invitation over and over again: “Enjoy this. Enjoy it.” And to my surprise, I really did enjoy it. 

Struggle to enjoy? Take a deep breath and ask God to help you take hold of this sacred invitation to do all things unto God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Afraid you’ll enjoy apart from God? Ask God for wisdom and step into gratitude. Make it concrete: Express it. Say “Thank you” and enjoy!

God has already approved your work of enjoyment.