“To avoid all confusion in our inquiries concerning the end for which God created the world, a distinction should be observed between the chief end for which an agent performs any work and the ultimate end. These two phrases are not always precisely of the same signification, and though the chief end be always an ultimate end, yet every ultimate end is not always a chief end. A chief end is opposite to an inferior end; an ultimate end is opposite to a subordinate end. A subordinate end is what the agent aims at, not at all upon its own account, but wholly on the account of a further end of which it is considered as a means.” – Jonathan Edwards
Last time we looked at this in a general way in looking at why people do religious actions. I tried to show that people can preach, teach, and do almost anything religious and yet do it in a way that serves self which is an attempt to use God for self-centered purposes. Unless God is the true terminal end (for which all is done for) in the things of religion and all other things, He is being used as an instrumental end and as such that is a wicked thing to do. All using of God for selfish purposes is surely wicked. That appears to me to be the primary sin in the world today. It is using God for a selfish purpose which is idolatry as it is having self as god.
This time I would like to look at some more specific things so that people can examine their own hearts in light of this. As we look in our own hearts to determine our motives, we should remember the words of Paul in I Corinthians and John in I John.. “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed” (1 Corinthians 16:22). “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). These verses should get across to us the vital importance of the subject. If we only “love” God for instrumental means to love ourselves, we don’t have a true love for God. A true love for God is a love where He is the supreme love in all things. That is what we must look for when we look at our hearts.
We should examine our hearts after we have done something for which people praised us. What happened in your hearts after you were praised? Notice I did not ask how you responded with words, as words can be the response that you know is right and not of the heart. But in the heart were you lifted up in our own sight? Did you have a sense of pride sweeping through you? Did you replay the words of praise over and over in your mind and have pleasure in the recounting of it? Notice the distinction between a person that does good and then inwardly glories in the praise and the person that loves God with all of the heart, mind, soul, and strength. If we loved God, it would be a repugnant thing to us to obtain praise for ourselves unless that praise glorified God. We are to do our works so that God would be glorified by others (Mat 5:16) and when we receive the glory, we are to show the real source of the works. If we receive the glory and do not, we are not living according to our real purpose and are falling short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). If we tell people that it was God working in us and yet delight in their praise in the heart rather than humbly thanking God for being His instrument, we are again falling short of His glory.
Why do we do the daily things in life? Why do we work? Do we work because we love to work and it brings praise and honor to us? Do we work simply because we like to eat, have houses, and drive cars? If we work simply for those things, then we are not really different than the rest of the world. The believer is to do all of those things according to his or her created purpose. The believer is to do those things out of a love for God and His glory. If love for God is not our primary reason for working, then we have fallen short of the glory of God and are in disobedience to the Great Command to love Him with all of our being. In the modern day and perhaps in most days after the fall man goes to work and thinks that he should be proud because he works. Man’s real command is to work for the glory of God in all that he does. Being a good worker does not in and of itself glorify God, but doing what we do out of love for Him and working by His strength does manifest His glory. What are the reasons you work and do what you do? Does it come from a heart of love for God?
While it is not wrong to have a desire to eat in and of itself, we should want to eat in order to live for the glory of God. Eating just for the sheer pleasure of it is eating for selfish goals. Eating to give us strength and energy to carry out selfish pursuits is using the created things of God (self and food) for reasons that God did not create them for. All things were created for His glory. Eating without gratitude is surely a sin and not realizing that God is feeding us out of His mercy alone. “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor 10:31). Human beings are not to be like the animals that eat by instinct to avoid starvation, but we are to eat in a way that glorifies God in general and in the specifics as well. Do you eat out of love for God or for self?
God Loves... Himself 
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