What is the point? No one sees or notices me or what I do. This is a big lie that the enemy uses to try to get us off our path, to feel worthless, or to decided we have missed our purpose as believers. What is our purpose? What is the point of it all for us as believers? That’s the truth I would like to bring to light today.

I was raised in an Assembly of God church, so I hadn’t read or heard of the catechism till I was an adult. If you had asked me as a kid what is the point of the Christian life or what is the chief end of man (the first question in the catechism), I would have answered it with my opinion because I hadn’t been taught that specific principal. I don’t even know if I understood what the phrase “chief end of man” meant. Basically, the chief end means the highest purpose or the thing most valued and of itself. In other words, it’s the point of it all. Therefore, when somebody asks what the chief end of man is they’re asking what the point of man’s existence, or our highest purpose. 

As as a child or a young teenager, I would have told you that it was to be a witness and to change the world for God. Only the things people saw or that I did to effect change in our world would I have considered as my purpose.  I thought it was my highest purpose to spread the gospel and see the world changed because of my actions. Now I know that is completely wrong. Why is that? Doesn’t God want us to be witness? Doesn’t he want us to change the world? Kind of, but I would argue that those two things are not the true purpose God has for us as believer. So I know you are thinking, “if the chief end of man is not to go, do, and save the world for God what is it?”

The Westminster catechism explains that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Now I know that the catechism is not scripture, but it is based on scripture. There are verses that prove that the point of man’s existence is to glorify God and worship him forever. For example, 1 Corinthians 10:31 declares “whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” So, what we do brings glory to God, it’s one of the ways we glorify him through our action. By going and doing we can bring glory to God, but the point is the glory going to God, not our going and doing.

Second Corinthians 4 declares that we are jars of clay created to be filled with God’s glory in order to show that the all surpassing power is from God and not from man.  This scripture clearly demonstrates that the glory shown through us is God’s glory and his alone.  We were designed to display and bring glory to God, not to ourselves through our life. We show his glory, and he receives the glory for it. He’s the one people should notice.

In Psalms 138 David declared “I will praise you Lord with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; You greatly emboldened me.”  We are emboldened by God to display his glory. In our praise, vocally we declare what he’s decreed and what he’s done. By showing his love and who he is we glorify him with our life.  Also, whatever we do, our actions, we do as unto God to honor and glorify him. We do it all for him, this is our highest praise and purpose as believers. It does not matter if it is noticed by anyone else, if the entire world is changed by our actions, or just a few are impacted by what we do.  It also doesn’t matter if we feel what have done is significant enough.  It only matters that we do everything– live, love, give, go, and exist to bring glory to God and enjoy him.

Too many of us live our life asking what’s the point or feeling like we have completely missed it, but have we? Perhaps we are putting on ourselves expectations that God has not put on us. He simply asks us to glorify him with our life, not to save the whole world. He does the saving and changing. He doesn’t require us to be someone else or operate in other people’s giftings. No, he just asked for you to be as you are, living and doing everything that you do for his glory. This is enough and that is the point of it all. We need to be careful not to diminish ourselves or our purpose. Our chief end is bringing God glory and that is enough for him. It should be enough for us as well. Even if no one notices us but God alone. It’s enough. It is God’s job to change the world, it is ours to bring him glory forever and enjoy him. Don’t believe the lie that you have somehow missed your calling or purpose.  Don’t get distracted or discouraged and miss the point. Simply glorify him! That really is the point of it all!