Chief End of Him and Her

Marriage can seem like an impossible task. We spend most of our lives looking out after ourselves, the number one on the list. Sure we have many moments when we are concerned about the needs of a friend or relative. When we have been other focused, it doesn't take us long to get back to focusing on what we think is most important. We ask ourselves questions like how can I treat myself.

When I was single it was easier to deny how very self centered I was. Starting with the honeymoon or shortly after I was confronted with the fact that life is not all about me. I could no longer ignore the fact that marriage is the union of two self centered sinners. How can such a union last? How do two people with different goals, different family backgrounds and different aspirations become a successful marriage.

As strange as it may seem some of the best marriage advice comes from a work written in the 1640s.
The first question of the Westminster Catechism is What is the chief end of man? The answer is the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Some of us may have heard it so many times we are not living in awareness of its meaning.

God does not call on us to turn our backs on enjoyment. To the contrary enjoyment is an important part of what our focus in life should be, Instead of looking to ourselves as the primary source of enjoyment we must look to God for our enjoyment as we seek to glorify Him.

What would it be like if every Christian couple who married did so with the understanding that their goal in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever? What a privilege to walk hand in hand with my spouse. If one of us falls the other lifts the fallen one. If one of us wanders the other calls that one back to the right path. We may fail but God uses each of us to show grace to the other one. This kind of teamwork happens as each of us seeks to glorify our heavenly father.

In James 1:20 we read that "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" Every couple experiences anger at each other at some time. If I am angry righteousness is not on my to do .list.

How many problems might never occur in marriages if each of us cared more about God's agenda than our own? How would our marriages be transformed if we spent more time caring for God's glory than our egos and our momentary desires?

How can anyone claim that the Westminster Catechism is outdated theology? Our gracious God has provided through these men a practical reflection of the truth of His word.

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