THE END FOR WHICH GOD CREATED THE WORLD
Whatsoever is good and valuable in itself is worthy that God should value it with an ultimate respect. It is therefore worthy to be made the last end of his operation, if it be properly capable of being attained. For it may be supposed that some things, valuable and excellent in themselves, are not properly capable of being attained in any divine operation; because their existence, in all possible respects, must be conceived of as prior to any divine operation. Thus God’s existence and infinite perfection, though infinitely valuable in themselves, cannot be supposed to be the end of any divine operation; for we cannot conceive of them as in any respect consequent on any works of God. But whatever is in itself valuable, absolutely so, and is capable of being sought and attained, is worthy to be made a last end of the divine operation. (Jonathan Edwards, The End for Which God Created the World)
If God should value what is in itself most valuable and value it with an ultimate respect, that would be what God would aim at in terms of His highest goal or the true end of it. We cannot imagine a perfectly just God who is perfectly holy having a goal that has something lesser than that which is in itself the most valuable and most loved by Himself. The points above that are given by Edwards show us something of the beauty and glory of God if we are willing to look and if God gives us eyes to see. An object that is good and valuable in itself is worthy that God should value it and seek it with an ultimate respect. The contrary position, however, is also true. An object that is not good and valuable in itself is not worthy that God should value it with an ultimate respect. This means, it seems clear enough, that a thrice holy God would only seek what is more valuable and value it with ultimate respect.
We can also see that even for God there may be things that He cannot attain, though that should not be thought of as a weakness bur rather as a strength. It is not a weakness in God that He cannot sin, but is rather a strength of His. It is not a weakness in God that He cannot actually carry out a contradiction, but is rather a strength of His. In much the same way it is not a weakness with God that He cannot seek His own existence and to be perfect, since He already exists in a way that He cannot go out of existence and He is perfect in all ways and as such cannot be less than perfect. So the goals that God seeks must be those things that He can actually do, which is to say that they are not contradictions and that they are things He is able to attain. It is more proper, then, to think of God manifesting His perfections rather than it is to say that He seeks His perfection. It is more proper, then, to think of God displaying His existence rather than seeking His existence as a goal.
What else can be worthy for God to actually desire and seek but that which is in itself valuable and that absolutely so? To put the matter plainly, what else is worthy for God to seek other than Himself and His own glory? While His existence is not capable of being sought or attained, the glory of His self-existence is certainly worthy to be displayed and to seek to be manifested. What other goal can we possibly think is worthy for God to seek? Fallen man wants to seek himself, wants others to do what he thinks is good for himself, and he even wants God to seek what he wants and do what he wants for God to do. But surely after a bit of reflection (based on the truths of Scripture) we can see that it is utterly sinful, wicked, and a horrible idolatry for man to do that. That is for man to make himself worthy of being the center of all creation.
As we begin to see some ramifications of what it means for God to actually desire and seek that which is valuable in and of itself, the nature of sin (man as self-focused and doing all for self) begins to be seen. Satan promised our first parents that they would be like God, but that was certainly twisted. Indeed they became like God but in a way that is absolutely and horribly wicked. They began to seek themselves as their own goal and as the standard for all other things. But God alone is to be sought as that which is good and valuable in and of itself.
We are now left with three logical options. One, God can seek Himself and His own glory as the greatest good in the universe. Two, God can seek a created being or created beings as the greatest good in the universe. Three, there is another greater good somewhere. I would argue that God alone is the great I AM and there is no other good in the universe. When God seeks Himself and His own glory, He is seeking the greatest good that there can possibly be. As a holy, holy, holy God, there is nothing greater and no other thing more valuable that God can seek other than Himself and His own glory. Therefore, in creating all things God sought His own glory in creating them.
God Loves... Himself 
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