Imagine you’re at a shooting range and there are lots of targets with prizes underneath. If you hit that one, you win a rubber duck. If you hit that one, you win a cute teddy. And so on. But right in the middle is the biggest target, it has a prize of a million dollars, and no one is shooting at it. People are walking away delighted with their rubber duck and their cute teddy, but the biggest target with the biggest prize goes unclaimed!
That’s mad, you say. That would never happen. But that’s what’s happening all over the world every day. And it’s very possibly happening in your little world too.
Unclaimed Prize
God sets himself forth as the biggest prize we could possibly enjoy in this life. But the vast majority of people are shooting for rubber ducks and cute teddies: boyfriends, girlfriends, FB, computer games, sports, jobs, money, pleasure, cars, houses, etc. Lots and lots of ducks and teddies. But the huge million dollar prize, God, goes unclaimed. In fact few are even aiming at Him.
Greatest Prize
That’s not a recent problem. Over 350 years ago a number of pastors got together and wrote a brief Q&A about God, called the Westminster Shorter Catechism. And their first question was: “What is the chief end/aim of man?” What should be our number one target? What should we aim at above anything and everything else?
They answered: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”
To put it in a more popular way: Our number one target in life is God, and He’s also our greatest prize.
Enjoyable Prize
We’re here to end in God. Whatever else we aim at in life, let’s make sure we aim at God above all.
How do we do that? We do it by glorifying God, by exalting God, by lifting him up and magnifying him, by making him big and high in our thoughts, in our affections, in our words, in our actions, and in every area of life.
And what will the result be? If we aim at God above all, and glorify God above all, we will enjoy God above all else. We can only enjoy God if he is number one in our lives.
Action: Memorize Shorter Catechism
So aim at the right target, clearly identify the ultimate aim of your life. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” Your assignment today is to write that out, stick it on the back of your phone, and memorize it. End in God, exalt God, enjoy God. That’s our great aim.
Real men have one supreme aim – God.
Discussion Questions
1. What is your greatest aim in life? Why?
2. How can you exalt God (make God big and high) in your life and through your life?
3. Describe the times in your life when you have most enjoyed God. What are the lessons you learned from those times?
Further Reading
Thomas Boston on Man’s Chief End
Why do I exist?
Evangelism the Chief End of Man?
Five Reasons You Need the Westminster Shorter Catechism