The Chief End of Man

The first question in the Shorter Catechism is: “What is the chief end of man? And, the answer is: ”To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

We’ve all probably heard countless sermons, from different perspectives, on how to glorify God, I’m sure. But, how many of us have even heard one sermon about enjoying God? How do you do that?

Some of us enjoy a football game, excluding the Falcon’s playoff game with the Packers. Others American Idol, and still others a good cooking show. But do we enjoy God on the same level?

Ecclesiastes 2:24, 25 says it this way, “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen, that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” In other words what are all the temporal pleasures of earth worth without Him? Nothing. In fact, if we really believe this verse then we are incapable of enjoying life without Him.

Could it be that all those things we do and enjoy are merely medication to soothe the pain of not being in close relationship with Him? Only you can answer that for yourself.

I’ve been meditating on this for a while now and I want to learn to enjoy God. Not just love God, but enjoy Him. I think it is easier said than done.

Life is tough at times. We get caught up in the human race, the race to survive and don’t think too much about enjoyment. Escape maybe, but not true enjoyment.

Listen to St. Augustine’s words found in The Confessions of St. Augustine: “What are you to me? Have mercy on me that I may speak. What am I to you, that you should demand to be loved by me? That you should be angry with me, if I fail to love you, and should threaten me with the utmost misery? And not to love you, is not this in itself misery enough?”

I can’t offer a “technique” to enjoy God. But I do know that not to enjoy Him, not to love Him is misery. I think the first step would be to honestly ask God to teach you how to enjoy Him and love Him more. We are all different and are at different places spiritually so there are no pat answers.