David understood this, and he remarked that the pleasures forevermore are centered at the right hand of God (Ps. 16.11). This is where Jesus sits (Ps. 110), as He administers His Kingdom and leads those who have made the Kingdom turn into greater riches of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit. And Paul says that we have been “seated with Christ” in the epicenter of divine pleasure (Eph. 2.6), so that our lives can be deeply satisfying, lacking nothing, as we rest in Jesus and the pleasure of the Lord.

No wonder Paul could say, as he sat in a Roman prison, “For me to live is Christ!” (Phil. 1.21)

The pleasure we know in the Kingdom of God is not the fleeting pleasures of sensuality or materialism. It is the eternal, unshakeable, always-expanding experience of the very pleasure of God Himself. If you’ve made the Kingdom turn, then no matter what comes your way in life, seated with Jesus at the Father’s right hand, you can know true and lasting pleasure.

To gain what you delight in

Perhaps we should define the word “pleasure” a bit more carefully. One’s pleasure is that which one enjoys, that which brings delight, satisfaction, fulfillment, excitement, and an overall sense of wellbeing.

These days “pleasure” has become almost an idol, a thing to be sought, however we define it, for itself alone. Pleasure is associated with all manner of fleshly, earthly delights – food, sex, adventure, things, and so forth. Pleasure is the experience people know who delight in such things as these.

And, to be sure, there is pleasure to be known in such things. But the pleasure of our secular and material age is false pleasure because it can never completely satisfy. None of the things people in our secular age take pleasure in will last forever or follow them to the grave. Such things are but diversions from the pressures, duties, fears, and boredom of everyday living.

But Kingdom pleasure is of an entirely different sort. Kingdom pleasure is the pleasure of God Himself, the pleasure He takes in Himself and His glory, the infinite, 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.

Delight in the Lord

This is because God promises those who take pleasure in Him that He will give them the desires of their hearts (Ps. 37.4). 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 (Ps. 42.1). They lift up the cup of the Lord’s salvation and drink it down gladly (Ps. 116.12, 13). They cry out to know the Lord’s presence and the pleasure of His company (Ps. 13). They rejoice in Him to be led into the safety and bounty of His presence and pleasure (Ps. 23). 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.

Delight in the Lord. Seek your pleasure in Him. All who have made the Kingdom turn are able to shrug off the gewgaws and doodads of this flimsy, fleeting world and to strive for the true pleasure God intends for us, the pleasure of His company and blessing.

Delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. He will give you more of Himself, and with that, fullness of joy and pleasures – true pleasures – forevermore.

Next steps

What kinds of things keep us from desiring the pleasure of God and His company? How can believers help one another to overcome these obstacles? Talk with some Christian friends about these questions.

Additional Resources

Download this week’s study, The Kingdom Turn.

T. M. has written two books to complement this eight-part series. You can order The Kingship of Jesus by clicking here, and The Gospel of the Kingdom by clicking here.For a brief study of what it means to pursue culture every day for the glory of God, order T. M.’s book, Christians on the Front Lines of the Culture Wars by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.