New Believers Bible - Flipbook - Page 124
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OFF AND RUNNING
3. Strive to Be Responsible. People will respect you and your message when you
can prove that you are responsible (see 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, page 1088).
4. Honor Christ with Your Hard Work. Don’t allow nonbelievers to criticize the
Lord because of your poor witness (see Daniel 6:1-28, page 764).
5. Don’t Neglect Your Spiritual Health. Never place your desire for material
wealth above your spiritual welfare (see Luke 12:16-21, page 918).
Many are on a quest today to find personal happiness. They will do whatever is
necessary to “find themselves.” They are told that the answer is “within,” so they
search in all the wrong places trying to find meaning and purpose in life. The Bible,
however, does not teach that the answer is within us. Rather, it teaches that the
problem is within us. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The human heart is the most deceitful
of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” For that
reason, all attempts to reform or improve ourselves will meet with failure. We do
not need self-esteem as much as we need a realistic view of who we are and who
God is. Once we honestly assess our own sinful condition and come to grips with
our built-in weakness and vulnerability to sin, then we will be able to appreciate
God’s solution. In a nutshell, the way to true happiness comes not from seeking it
but from seeking God. Here’s what God’s Word has to say about how we can be
happy, fulfilled people.
1. We Need to Recognize Our True Condition. As we humble ourselves before
God, we will be blessed (see Matthew 5:3-5, page 840).
2. Our Needs Must Come Last. Jesus gave us the ultimate example of what it
means to be a servant (see Hebrews 13:11-13, page 1124).
3. We Will Find Happiness in Loving God and Serving Others. Loving God
and others gives us real purpose and meaning in life (see Matthew 22:37-39,
page 868).
4. We Must Surrender Our Dreams and Seek God’s Will. True followers of
Christ entrust their future into God’s hands because he knows what is best for
us (see Matthew 16:24-26, page 858).
