In review of Mark 8:35, I'm reminded that “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).
Jesus is not against pleasure, nor is he saying that I should seek pain needlessly. Jesus was talking about the heroic effort needed to follow him moment by moment, to do his will even when the work is difficult and the future looks bleak.
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.
God wired the universe so that happiness does not come from status, salary, sex, or success.
Happiness comes from service. God designed me to be happiest when I am giving my life away. Why? Because God wants me to become like him. And it’s all about love!
To have a happy heart, I should practice service and generosity every day.
Jesus came to serve and give. Those two actions will bring more happiness into my life than anything else, and they define what it means to follow Jesus. If I’m not serving and if I’m not giving, then I’m not following Jesus. It’s that’s 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.
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).
Sacrifice and serving are two of the keys to lifelong happiness, generously giving my life away for the sake of the Gospel.
In summary, the insistence on saving my life will only cause me to lose it. Those who give their lives for his name sake and for the sake of the Good News will know what it means to really live. Jesus is not against pleasure. He's referring to the heroic effort needed to follow him, to do his will even when the work is difficult and the future looks bleak. Jesus wants me to choose to follow him rather than lead a life of sin and self-satisfaction. He wants me to stop trying to control my destiny and to let him direct me. He asks me only to lose my self-centered determination to be in charge. Happiness comes from service. God designed me to be happiest when I am giving my life away. God wants me to become like him. It's all about love. To have a happy heart, I should practice service and generosity every day. Jesus came to serve and give. Those two actions will bring more happiness into my life more than anything else. They define what it means to follow Jesus. If I'm not serving and giving, then I'm not following. The more I give myself away, the more God will give and the more blessed and happier I'll be. Sacrifice and serving are two of the keys to lifelong happiness.
Thank you Father for the reminder that being happy in this life is about giving my life away. I need to practice service and generosity every day. The more I give my life away, the happier I will be. Today Father I want to consider what I do and practice service and generosity. I ask for your wisdom and guidance for my day, my leadership and my interactions with others. These things I pray in your Son Jesus Name, Amen.
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