Psalm 34:12-14
12 Which of you desires life
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
In the Westminster Confession, the Shorter Catechism, the question is posed, “What is the chief end of man?” In today’s terms, this question is asking essentially what is the purpose of life and what are we all doing here. The answer is simple, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” We often need reminders of what this life is all about. We can get so confused with all the ups and downs and turns in the road. The answer is simply to praise God and then enjoy God.
This Psalm is a great reminder of the little things that we can do in our journey in our efforts to praise and enjoy God. If indeed the purpose of this life is to glorify God and enjoy God forever, one of the ways we can accomplish this is paying attention to our behavior and how we spend our time on this earth. Do we want to spend our time speaking with rudeness and disrespect toward others? Do we use our lips to tear others down or do we honor God by speaking loving words toward one another? It is a good reminder that as we glorify God we can do this in our words and our deeds every day, from the dry cleaners to the cashier at the grocery store to the person who just cut us off in traffic. How we use our words toward the other and ourselves is how we can seek God’s peace in this world.
Prayer
God of glory, we thank you for your presence in our lives. Help us to glorify you and enjoy you forever. Help us embody your love and compassion toward ourselves and one another using our words to seek your peace and pursue goodness. In God’s peace, Amen.