Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:2
Q1: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
Q2: What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
A: The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.
No one and nothing is of more interesting study than God and His works. Nothing could provide such happiness and delight for the Christian. Though we don’t always experience this happiness it is nevertheless true that God is the chief good.
There will be nothing and no one else who can satisfy you like this God can. This is why sin is so heinous. To reject God is not only contrary to your happiness but eternally despicable. There is nothing more offensive in all creation than sinning against God. Living your whole life in sin is like a frog in a pot of lukewarm water while the temperature on the stove slowly rises. You don’t realize that sin is killing you. By rejecting the God of life we embrace death and its effect.
Isn’t it so amazing of God to save us from our sins? Isn’t it so amazing that He would not pour out His wrath for sin on us but on Someone else? Listen: How much does God desire you to enjoy Him? So much so that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16). Believe in Christ and you will be saved!
Now, by the grace of God in Christ we live a life glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. We can study the works of God and see how great He is. When we glorify God, we are not adding glory to Him like adding more salt into a soup to make it more tasty. Thomas Vincent says, “For God is incapable of receiving the least addition to his essential glory, he being eternally and infinitely perfect and glorious.” Rather, glorifying God is acknowledging God for who He really is.
To do this, it means we must study more of who He is. We need to know more about God so that we might glorify and enjoy Him. Read of His work of creation and redemption in the Scriptures. Talk with other believers about what the Bible is saying. Wrestle with how this truth changes your actual life. Pray about how to live accordingly by His grace in Jesus Christ. Above all, meditate on the gospel of God as seen in the entirety of the Holy Scriptures. God’s Word is God speaking to you.