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.^8 David said, “I will thank the Lord at all times. My
mouth will always praise him.”^9
Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when
you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God. The Bible
says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God.”^10 Martin Luther said, “A dairymaid can milk
cows to the glory of God.”
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.”^11
This is the secret to a lifestyle of worship—doing everything as
if you were 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.”^12 Work becomes worship when you
dedicate it to God and perform it with an
awareness of his presence.
When I first fell in love with my wife, I thought
of her constantly: while eating breakfast, driving to
school, attending class, waiting in line at the
market, pumping gas—I could not stop thinking
about this woman! I often talked to myself about
her and thought about all the things I loved about her. This
helped me feel close to Kay even though we lived several hundred
miles apart and attended different colleges. By constantly thinking
of her, I was abiding in her love. This is what real worship is all
about—falling in love with Jesus.
PURPOSE #1: You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure 67