The Chief End of Man
6/26 Reading Portions: Deuteronomy 31; Psalm 119:97-120; Isaiah 58; Matthew 6
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6/26 Reading Portions: Deuteronomy 31; Psalm 119:97-120; Isaiah 58; Matthew 6
Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
DESIRE
Our Lord Jesus Christ, wiser than all the wisdom of Solomon, explains the chief end of man’s creation and existence in a sentence. The treasures of heaven are the only riches and fortune that are imperishable. And there is one treasure above all in heaven— the Lord Jesus Christ. The psalmist declares Christ’s truth in this way:
Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26
This truth empowers us in our daily walk since it keeps the Lord Jesus ever at the center of our hearts and the forefront of our thoughts. When this heavenly truth is operating in our individual lives, joy becomes more potent, repentance becomes more sincere, and love for Christ becomes more passionate. Our souls awaken to His majesty, and we rejoice with every thought that the presence of Jesus is what makes heaven heavenly. Jesus, the crucified, risen, and ascended One is our only desire; and it is the goodness of His person and the glory of His eternal presence that makes earthly needs, wants, and pleasures as precious as they are to us. When Christ is the Treasure of our hearts and the Desire of our souls, we see the purchase price of the cross whereupon Jesus suffered as infinitely costly. Thus, we begin to understand that with such a price, the Lord Jesus owns it ALL. We are therefore moved to move heaven and earth, by the power of the Spirit within, to take every resource God has graced us with and apply it as good stewards toward God’s glory, Christ’s exaltation, and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom. The Treasure of heaven makes, in the Christian’s Christ-centered view, everything in our view the treasures of heaven, and thus, making us more responsible to our sovereign King for how they are used, employed, or embraced. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
All the worldly treasures
Apart from Jesus Christ
Are moth-chew’d, displeasured;
Yes, worthless and unwise.