Real Happiness Comes from Serving

by Rick Warren — June 16, 2022
From The Habits of Happiness

“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)

God wired the universe so that happiness does not come from anything the world has to offer.

Happiness comes from service. God designed you to be happiest when you are giving your life away. Why? Because he wants you 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, you 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 your life, and they define what it means to follow Jesus. If you’re not serving, if you’re not giving, then you’re not following Jesus. It’s very simple.

God also wired the universe in such a way that the more you give yourself away, the more God gives to you and the more blessed and happier you are. 

Is your heart growing more generous every year? Are you more generous with your resources this year than you were a year ago? Or are you stuck at the same level of generosity and wondering why you’re 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).

Your faith compels you to offer your life as a sacrifice and to serve God by serving others. Sacrifice and serving are two of the keys to lifelong happiness as you generously give your life away for the sake of the Gospel.

Talk It Over

  • What makes you happiest in your everyday life?
  • When have you experienced happiness through service or generosity?
  • What is one specific way that you can serve another person today?

Have you trusted Jesus with your life?

The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

If you’re ready to confess your sins and to trust Jesus with your life, start with this prayer:

“Dear God, you have promised that if I believe in Jesus, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.

“I confess my sin, and I submit to Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Jesus, I want to follow you and serve you. I humbly commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In your name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.


Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.