The Chief End of Man

Sunday I will be singing a song in church called "As Long as You Are Glorified".  I heard this song for the first time on Pandora one afternoon while driving.  It caught my attention immediately as I had never heard it before and the lyrics seemed so true to the teaching of scripture (By the way, the Sovereign Grace channel on Pandora is full of fantastic music).  The song asks some pointed questions.  Here is a bit of the lyrics:





Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain?
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain?
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought?
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt?

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified
© 2008 Integrity’s Praise! Music/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

As you can see from the first verse and chorus, practicing this song has gotten me thinking about that age old question which can be found first in the Westminster Shorter Catechism--"What is the chief end of man?".  Of course the answer would certainly trouble many in today's church.

Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Why would this trouble some in the church?  For many Christians today--especially in America--the chief end of man is to find contentment in himself.  Many believe, and sometimes even I slip into this mindset, that God exists to make my life better.  I love that this song reminds me that this whole world, this entire creation, is about God--even the gospel begins and ends with God.  It doesn't matter if I am going through the valley or on the mountain top.  All that matters is that my goal should ever be to see that God is glorified in my life.  I can do this by taking refuge in Him, by heeding the advice of the Apostle Paul and finding contentment in any situation because of who I serve and in whom I place my trust. Whether I am in times of need or plenty, let my hearts cry be, "Oh I long for nothing else as long as you are glorified!"  I pray that God would make this my reality.