Pleasures Forevermore

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Pleasures Forevermore

by Greg Grotewold

In an age where hyperbole and amplification run amok, assessing the true value of an object has become a challenging proposition. The culture’s propensity to inflate reality impacts our ability to make necessary distinctions between competing items. As we artificially elevate the common, we conceal the uniqueness of the uncommon and our adjectives lose their relevancy. Good gets lumped together with legitimate greatness, dumbing down the entire category.

This is not without consequence. It’s important to recognize that at our very core we are worshippers. We are wired to exalt. Whether it’s a sports team, a loved one, or some other aim of our affection, we have a need to lift up that which is meaningful to us. It’s who we are and what we do. But here’s the issue. Our worship of an item is a function of its perceived worth. Perceived worth is, in large part, a derivative of the language we use in describing it. And when that language becomes factitiously inflated, so does our praise. The result is inescapable. As the object inevitably fails to produce a blessing that is commensurate with the worship offered, we are left at best disappointed.

There does exist, however, a target where there is no such thing as overinflating its value and thus overextending our worship. Exaggeration doesn’t apply for anything said, regardless of how outrageously wonderful it may sound, would be true. The target’s glorious reality exceeds our ability to adequately describe it; the English language is simply ill-equipped to do so.

That glorious reality is Jesus Christ. As the audacious assurances the Lord provides in Scripture indicate, He is in a category all of His own. Jesus carries not only the might to pull off these precious guarantees, but equally as important, the desire. He is both all-powerful and all-loving, an awe-inspiring combination as He fulfills His promises. There is good, there is great, and then there is the Risen Lamb.

While the assurances are as widespread as they are glorious, there’s one in particular that should cause us to take note. It surrounds a key reason we worship in the first place: joy. We elevate that which is meaningful in large part because of the delight produced. Jesus promises a delight that has no parallel. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11, ESV). Unlike what the world offers, His isn’t dependent upon happy circumstances. In fact, the primary reason it’s considered full or complete is because there isn’t a circumstance that has the power in and of itself to penetrate and thus disrupt the peace He offers. Jesus is an immutable rock whose sovereign mercies never wane.

It was this very same Godly joy that sustained Jesus Himself at Calvary. “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, ESV). And it’s the same hope that will sustain and

prosper us too in all seasons of life. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13, ESV).

We are wired to worship. More pointedly, we are wired to worship Jesus. He is the One who in fact did the electrical work and gave us not only the desire for joy but the primary mechanism from which to receive it: Himself. While there is nothing wrong with gaining a degree of pleasure from the good things of this world, don’t mistake them for anything more than they are—inferior forms of delight. Humble yourself before Jesus, the true treasure, and make Him the primary object of your affection. You will not be left disappointed. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

About The Author Greg Grotewold lives in Oakdale, MN, with his wife, Sandi, and their two sons, Luke and Eli. He is a deacon in his local church and greatly enjoys serving in this capacity.