If you've ever watched the movie, "The Grinch," you know that he was always taking and stealing. The enemy of our souls desires to do the same with our lives. He desires to steal, kill and destroy our very lives. How? He does that by stealing the purpose that you and I were created. He doesn't actually take it, he works very hard at deceiving us into giving it away. The first purpose that He desires to take from your life is that of worship. Worship means to bring pleasure to God and is the first purpose of your life. Let's talk about this for a moment. He (the devil) understands that Worship is far more than praising, singing, and praying to God. We worship God by enjoying him. C.S. Lewis said, “In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him.”
If we fail to worship God, we always find a substitute, even if it ends up being ourselves. The reason God made us with this desire is that he desires worshipers! Jesus said, “The Father seeks ... worshipers.” (John 4:23 NAS)
Our job is to connect the God-given desire to worship with the One who seeks true worshippers.
Your life and everything that you do, every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when done for the pleasure of God. The Bible says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31 NIV) Martin Luther said, “A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God.” When you use your life for God’s glory, everything you do can become an act of worship. The Bible says, “Use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Rom. 6:13 NLT)
How is it possible to do everything to the glory of God? By doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and by carrying on a continual conversation with him while you do it! The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Col. 3:23 NIV)
This is the secret to a lifestyle of worship – doing everything as if I was doing it for Jesus. The Message paraphrase says, “Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering.” Rick Warren once said, "Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence." We need to do this because it moves worship beyond church services and into your everyday life. We are told to “worship him continually” and to “praise him from sunrise to sunset.” In the Bible, people praised God at work, at home, in battle, in jail, and even in bed! Praise should be the first activity when you open your eyes in the morning and the last activity when you close them at night. David said, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Ps. 34:1 NAS)
Whatever you do this Christmas season, don't allow the Grinch to steal the very purpose of your life. Settle the issue today and determine to live a lifestyle of worship unto the Lord. Remember to follow the example of the wise men found in Matthew 2:10-11, "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."