The greatest good we can do for ourselves is to pursue our ultimate happiness.*

I know that sounds worldly or prosperity-gospelish, but I’ve come to realize that it is what is taught by the bible. Let me explain because if taken wrongly, it is downright worldly and ungodly.

First, what is our ultimate happiness? Where do we find our ultimate happiness? The greatest happiness comes when we obtain the greatest good. And what is the greatest good? What is more precious than anything else in the world? God Himself. Therefore, our greatest happiness comes when we have obtained God – the greatest good – and the more fully we have of God, or God has of us, the happier we will be.

Sin is pursuing anything other than the greatest good. Sin will necessarily result in less than the ultimate happiness. Itappears to bring us happiness, but will ultimately bring us misery and destruction. Obtaining anything less than God Himself is settling for something less than ultimate happiness.

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:8)

Why did Paul deny himself of good things? So that he can have the greatest thing in God. He denied the world so that he can have Christ.

I want you to be happy. I want myself to be happy. Let’s pursue Christ, the greatest source of happiness.

Deny yourself of the morning social media time, so you can have more of Christ.

Deny yourself of the Sunday morning sleep, so that you can have more of Christ.

Deny yourself of couple meals a week, so that you can have more of Christ.

Deny yourself of spending all you earn on yourself, so that you can have more of Christ.

PH

*This thought is not original with me. It comes from Jonathan Edwards’ ‘The End for Which God Created the World.’