Thursday, March 13, 2008

What is the chief end of man?

I love the Westminster Shorter Catechism. "The purpose of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is to educate lay persons in matters of doctrine and belief. The WSC is in a simple question and answer format to facilitate memorization. Typically, the parents and the church would use the shorter catechism to train their children in the ways of the Lord." (Wikepedia.com)

There are 107 questions and answers in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I love the first question & answer! It makes me so happy! Here it is (you can click on the numbers to see the Scriptures that back up the statement):

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,[1] and to enjoy him forever.[2]

So, I guess, to me, 'chief end' means the best (chief) outcome (end) a man could and should strive for. I would imagine that the 'chief end' would not be an easy place to get to but doesn't it sound amazing! Imagine if everyone was striving for that 'chief end' or highest outcome--God would be glorified and we would all be happy and content simply in Him. I wonder if while I was growing up that this thought would have been in the forefront of my mind. I challenge you to keep these two things at the forefront of your mind: 1. Glorify God! 2. Enjoy Him!

Happy are the people whose God is the LORD! Psalm 144:15

1 comment:

Christine said...

I love that it talks about ENJOYING God. I think that sometimes we get too wrapped up in making sure we do the right thing and we forget to just enjoy being with God.