Most of us look at life all wrong. We think that our life is ours to live the way we seem fit. We are our own boss. We can do what we want to. But, that's really way wrong. This may catch you wrong, but you need to know the truth: "It's really not about you". Because God is the Creator, we, the created beings, can never hope to discover our meaning and our purpose outside of Him. The world teaches that so-called self-discovery begins with me, whereas the Bible teaches that it begins with God.

You were planned for God's pleasure. In fact, your first purpose in life is to bring enjoyment and pleasure to God. Mankind is God's crowning achievement of creation. Therefore, we can bring Him pleasure like nothing else. Bringing pleasure to God is called "worship." Therefore, anything that I do that brings Him pleasure is an act of worship.

Worship is not supposed to be a part of your life; it is your life. The Bible commands that we praise God at all times and worship Him continually. Therefore, any activity that is done for God's glory and for His pleasure becomes an act of worship. Worship should be a lifestyle. And, the secret to a lifestyle of worship is doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus.

In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren says, "The smile of God is the goal of your life." If making God smile is my goal, I need to know what makes Him smile. Here are a couple of suggestions:

•  God smiles when you make Him Number 1 in your life. God needs to be the primary love of your life. He desires to be the center of your life.

•  God smiles when you trust Him completely. You show God how much you trust Him when you are obedient to His instructions and advice. If you trust someone, you do what they tell you. God doesn't owe you an explanation or reason for everything He asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can't. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding.

•  God smiles when you give Him the credit. Everything you have and everything you are comes to you as a gift from God. God smiles when you live a life of praise and thanksgiving to Him for who you are and what you have.

•  God smiles when you use what He has given you. You have a divine design. He has uniquely and wonderfully designed and equipped you the way He desires you to be. He has created you for a mission and designed you for that mission. Every activity you do can be an act of worship. Every ability God gave you can be used to His glory. You please Him when your use your gifts for His glory and not just your own.

If you are going to fulfill your primary purpose in life of worshipping God, you need to learn how to do two things every day: 1) Know God a little bit better and, 2) love God a little bit more today than you did yesterday.

Back to Top