The Westminster Catechism reads that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Thankfully, Christ followers can do this now while living here on Earth and then continue it throughout eternity.

Psalm 23:3b tells us that God guides us along right paths for his name’s sake. Sometimes we forget that God works in our lives to draw us to him and to bring him glory. He is worthy!

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, by Don Whitney, focuses on living out 1 Timothy 4:7b (NASB): “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” In chapter one, Whitney discusses how discipline with direction is a means to an end accomplished with a good attitude. Without direction, it is drudgery.

Think of all you have worked for in your life – perhaps successful schooling, a craft, a loving family, a winning race… The list could continue. Without an end goal – choosing discipline to accomplish that goal, your regular efforts may have been done with a bad attitude. Perhaps you would even say you dreaded them.

The Christian’s goal of godliness takes discipline. In our efforts to become Christlike, we can choose joy in the journey and joy in the effort. Each day necessitates the choice to submit to God’s ways. We can choose to do this to glorify God and enjoy him. We can choose this knowing it pleases God and knowing he loves us.

Whitney writes, “Tom Landry, coach of the Dallas Cowboys football team for most of three decades, said, ‘The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.’ In much the same way, Christians are called to make themselves do something they would not naturally do – pursue the Spiritual Disciplines – in order to become what they’ve always wanted to be, that is, like Jesus Christ. ‘Discipline yourself,’ say the Scripture, ‘for the purpose of godliness’” (p. 20).

Let’s pursue God to know God, to be godly for his glory!