Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-26
Q1: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
“In the beginning, God…” (Gen. 1:1). This is how Holy Scripture begins. Before anything existed, God did. There was never a time when God came into existence for God Himself created time. He stands outside of it. He is the eternal God. As the eternal God, He was never not in existence.
Think about this: If God existed for all eternity then He must have never been bored. He was always infinitely delighted in Himself! He did not create because He needed this world. He is self-sufficient. Praying to the Father in John 17, Jesus said, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (Jn. 17:4). In other words, the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) existed in eternity past in infinite glory. This God is limitless in worth, boundless in beauty, and everlasting in majesty.
Why does this matter? If God, who is eternal and infinite, is self-sufficient then He is always all-sufficient for all His creatures. Our “level” of enjoyment of God does not determine His actual worth. Our experience of God is not equivalent to the glory of God. Rather, God reveals to us more and more through the Holy Spirit just how valuable, beautiful, and majestic He is. Even then, as finite creatures we will never know the fullness of how glorious God really is.
Your chief end in life, your ultimate purpose, is to gaze upon the infinite and eternal glories of God the Father in the face of Christ the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing else will satisfy you. Nothing else will bring that fulfillment. The Christian life is a life of learning to love this God. It is learning to look upon this God as “my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26). Because of the work of Christ for His people, He is your luxurious reward! What is the good news of the gospel? The good news of the gospel is that we get God! Or to state it more accurately, God gives Himself to us.
He is far more than the treasures of this earth. No accomplishment, riches, spouse, experience, or reputation can match Him. All creation, as good as it might be, is merely a bite-size appetizer; He is the feast! Creation is meant to point outside itself and to the Creator. We will forever be disappointed when we treat created things as if they were the Creator.
If God loves you, He will do all that it takes to bring you to Himself. Why? Because He knows that nothing less than Him can satisfy you eternally. It is not only for your enjoyment but also for His glory!