People in our day are seeking pleasure, but the pleasure they are seeking is fleeting, and it cannot satisfy the pleasure their souls long to know. That pleasure is only available in the Presence of God and His glory. Today’s reading from The Kingdom Turn can be found on pages 18 and 19:
“Kingdom pleasure is the pleasure of God Himself, the pleasure He takes in Himself and His glory, the infinite, unfathomable, unfailing enjoyment of resting in Him and His good and perfect will. It is a pleasure so real and so deep that knowing it we can sing, even in the midst of life’s most terrible moments, ‘It is well with my soul.’
“And it is a pleasure that grows and grows and becomes richer and more exciting each time we know it.
“This is because God promises those who take pleasure in Him that He will give them the desires of their hearts. If our desire is to know our fullest pleasure and satisfaction, our deepest fulfillment and peak of enjoyment in the Lord, then it pleases the Lord to give us more of Himself and of the pleasure of His company.
“No wonder we see such longing for God throughout the pages of Scripture! The psalmists say it best. They pant like a thirsting deer to know the presence of God. They lift up the cup of the Lord’s salvation and drink it down gladly. They cry out to know the Lord’s presence and the pleasure of His company. They rejoice in Him to be led into the safety and bounty of His Presence and pleasure. And, knowing God’s pleasure, everything else pales into insignificance compared to the delight, the joy, the wonder – the pleasure – of knowing God and His salvation.”
For reflection or discussion
1. Do you think it’s right for us to seek the pleasure of God? Why or why not?
2. Why does God’s pleasure satisfy our soul and the pleasures of the world do not?
People today have a hard time associating pleasure with God. Is that because they don’t see much enjoyment of God in us? Or because we’re too busy seeking pleasure from God rather than in Him? Share today’s podcast with a friend. Get together to talk about this excerpt and discover more of what it means to make “the Kingdom turn”. Order your copy of our book, The Kingdom Turn, by going to The Ailbe Bookstore.
T. M. Moore
