Want to Be Happy? Give Your Life Away

by Rick Warren — October 14, 2019

“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 status, salary, sex, or success.

Happiness comes from service. God designed you to be happiest when you are giving your life away. Why? Because God wants you to become like him. And it’s all about love!

To have a happy heart, practice service and generosity every day.

Jesus came to serve and give. Those two actions will bring more happiness into your life than anything else, and they define what it means to follow Jesus. If you’re not serving and if you’re not giving, then you’re not following Jesus. It’s that’s 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.

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 your life away for the sake of the Gospel.

Talk It Over

  • What makes you happiest in life?
  • When have you experienced happiness through service or generosity?
  • How much of your time is spent on service? What is one specific way you can serve another person today?

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