As human beings we are wired for many things. For example, we are all attracted to pleasure and do our best to avoid pain. We all want to be appreciated. And all of us, whether we admit it or not, have a spiritual need to know our Creator. And it’s this last point I would like to explore more deeply.
I love what pastor John Piper shared when he said: “The deepest longing of the human heart is to know and enjoy the glory of God. We were made for this.”1 That phrase, “we were made for this,” really got me to thinking about what is the ultimate purpose of life. Immediately, I thought of the Westminster Shorter Catechism which asks the question: What is the chief end of man? To which it answers: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
I believe all of humanity is wired to know and enjoy God and until Jesus becomes the center of our very being there will always be a spiritual vacuum that can never be filled. You see God created us in His image to enjoy intimacy with Jesus or in the words of John Piper: “We were made for this.” Notice there are two parts to the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The first part talks about our need to glorify God. Implicit in this is that we must know how to glorify Jesus. Some of the ways are to do His will, to love our friends and foes, and to praise Him constantly. The second part talks about enjoying Jesus now and forever. And knowing Jesus implies enjoying everything about Him including His glory.
My friends the human heart was designed in such a way that only when we know and enjoy Jesus and live our lives to the glory of God can we find true purpose and satisfaction in life. Just as our physical heart needs oxygen to survive, the spiritual dimension of our heart needs Jesus. As we strive to know Jesus better we will learn how to glorify and enjoy Him more. And knowing, enjoying, and glorifying Jesus is the ultimate purpose of life – so enjoy the journey!
1 400 QUOTES BY JOHN PIPER [PAGE – 3] | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)