In Mark 8:35 I read, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.” (TLB)
God wired the universe so that happiness does not come from anything the world has to offer.
Happiness comes from service. God designed me to be happiest when I am giving my life away. Why? Because he wants me to become like him—and he gave himself away in love. It’s all about love!
“If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB).
To have a happy heart, I have to practice service and generosity every day.
Matthew 20:28 says, “Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (NLT).
Jesus came to serve and give. Those two things will bring more happiness than anything else in my life, and they define what it means to follow Jesus. If I’m not serving, if I’m not giving, then I’m not following Jesus. It’s very simple.
God also wired the universe in such a way that the more I give myself away, the more God gives to me and the more blessed and happier I’ll be.
Is my heart growing more generous every year? Am I more generous with my resources this year than I was a year ago? Or am I stuck at the same level of generosity and wondering why I’m also stuck in unhappiness?
In Philippians 2:17-18, Paul says, “Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God. If I have to offer my own blood with your sacrifice, I will be happy and full of joy with all of you. You also should be happy and full of joy with me” (NCV).
My faith compels me to offer my life as a sacrifice and to serve God by serving others. Sacrifice and serving are two of the keys to lifelong happiness as I generously give my life away for the sake of the Gospel.
In summary, God wired the universe so that happiness does not come from anything the world has to offer. Happiness comes from service. God designed me to be happiest when I am giving my life away. Why? Because he wants me to become like him—and he gave himself away in love. It’s all about love! Practice service and generosity every day. Jesus came to serve and give. Those two things will bring more happiness than anything else in my life, and they define what it means to follow Jesus. If I’m not serving, if I’m not giving, then I’m not following Jesus. God also wired the universe in such a way that the more I give myself away, the more God gives to me and the more blessed and happier I’ll be. Is my heart growing more generous? My faith compels me to offer my life as a sacrifice and to serve God by serving others. Sacrifice and serving are two of the keys to lifelong happiness as I generously give my life away for the sake of the Gospel.
I should be willing to live my life for the sake of the Good News, not because my life is useless but because nothing, not even life itself can compare to what I gain with Christ. Jesus wants me to choose to follow him rather than to lead a life of sin and self-satisfaction. He wants me to stop trying to control my destiny and to let him direct me. Christ knows better than I do about what real life is about. He asks for submission, not self-hatred; he asks me only to lose my self-centered determination to be in charge.
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