If marriage is what makes you ultimately happy then there would be no divorces in the world.
If drugs or alcohol is what makes you happy then there would be no rehab centers to heal destroyed lives of people around the world.
If fame is what makes you happy then there wouldn’t be headline stories in our magazines and newspapers of celebrities who died because of drug overdoses because they were looking for the next high.
If beauty is what makes you happy then beautiful women wouldn’t be filling up clinics for more plastic surgeries long after they’ve reached societies ideal standard for beauty.
Often times the enemy offers us counterfeit joy and temporary high’s that leave us happy for a moment, but always make us want something more.
He makes us believe that what we need is to look more attractive, be more popular, have more money, or be hooked on a pill or drug to find ultimate joy when in reality those things that are supposed to bring us that joy will only destroy us at the end.
In so many ways we can resemble Judas who traded Jesus in for thirty pieces of shekels.
He gave up the ultimate source of joy for something so temporary, so insignificant, and so fleeting.
Some extra money in his pockets and the feeling that he was important.
He gave up Jesus, who was His everything, only to end up with nothing.
And so often we do the exact same thing.
We trade Him in when we look to others to satisfy us and give us worth and meaning in life instead of Him.
We trade Him in when we care more about the amount of cash we have in our bank account than the riches we are storing up in heaven.
We trade Him in when we worry more about our reputation and people’s opinions of us than our character and what He thinks about us.
We trade Him in when we drink away our problems, and try to meet our deepest needs in a new high or an addiction instead of Him.
We trade Him in when we allow the world to dictate what we believe and how we should live.
It doesn’t seem like it but every day little by little we replace what Jesus should be in our lives with temporarily worldly things.
We get deceived into thinking that trading in Jesus for the things of this world will bring us some kind of joy when in reality it will only bring us to loneliness, despair, and the desire for more.
If you want true happiness don’t search for it in popularity, in riches, or in people.
Search for it in your prayer closet on your knees.
Search for it in not attaining more but in giving your life, your treasures, and your talents away.
Search for it not in the world, but in God’s Word.
Sometimes I wonder how it is possible that the creator of the world, God Himself could lower Himself so low as to wash the feet of His disciples, even the one who would betray Him and yet all we care about is what we can do for ourselves instead of others.
Here we try so hard to make a name for ourselves.
To be rich.
To be popular.
To be significant.
But the truth is the greatest people in heaven will very seldom be the greatest people on earth.
Because a great person is not one who strives to make his or her name known but one who strives to make God’s name known.
It’s not a person who is consumed with expanding his riches on earth with more money, he is consumed with expanding his riches in heaven with more souls of lost people.
It’s a person who cares less about the size of their home or the style of clothes they wear but more about the size of their heart and the impact they make every day.
It is a person who has found their ultimate treasure not in dollar bills, drugs, or people but in the creator of life itself: Jesus.
And once they find Him they’ll never trade Him in for counterfeit joy that satisfies only for a moment, because they are with the One who satisfied forever.
Today… remember that real joy is found in Jesus. Don’t run to the world for something that only He can give you. Live to be great… not on earth, but in Heaven and never forget that in Him you will always find everything you need. Be blessed! Anna… ♥
Anne, I love this line …. “But the truth is the greatest people in heaven will very seldom be the greatest people on earth.” This is SO true… at the end of the day the people in our lives who make the biggest difference will be the preacher from our childhood church, the grandmother who prayed for us and people who prayed for us when we had absolutely no idea. Thank you for this revealing look at what it means to be GREAT.
Thank you Brooke! I definitely agree. I heard a story recently about a Sunday school teacher who taught pre-schoolers and she felt very insignificant and that what she did wasn’t important and meaningful until she had a man approach her thirty years later and tell her that he was on the brink of ending his life and it was at that moment that he remembered the last time he attended church when he was in pre-school and he was in her class where he learned about Jesus for the first time. Remembering what she taught him about God made him re-think his plans and choose to commit his life to Jesus again.
I loved hearing that story because it reminds me that often times we will not see the fruit of our hard work, our efforts, or our prayers but everything we do to serve with God’s help matters in His kingdom and will make a difference in the lives of others. May we all learn to be great with Him in all that we do!
Wow. What a wonderful post! “in so many was we can resemble Judas….” Very humbling and thought provoking. Thank you.
Thanks Lilka! Be blessed!
“once they find Him they’ll never trade Him in for counterfeit joy that satisfies only for a moment, because they are with the One who satisfied forever” — love this part! 🙂 it reminds me of one of my favorite passage in Psalm 16:11 ‘You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’ 🙂
What a beautiful verse. We are so blessed to know Jesus personally because with Him we will always have that everlasting joy no matter what life throws at us!
It’s so true, to give up everything to gain the Highest, Jesus Christ, Himself. There is nothing that can be compare with the joy we find in Jesus.
Amen Randie! Nothing in this world can come close to the joy and peace that comes from knowing and walking with Christ.
thank you Anna for these words today. the LORD knows I so needed them.
blessings,
em
That’s great to hear Em. Blessings to you as well!
Reblogged this on escapewithlove and commented:
Anna is so inspiring, her wisdom and knowledge is so God lead that it touches the very deepest part of your heart! Read on for true inspiration to live for Love in Jesus!
“It’s a person who cares less about the size of their home or the style of clothes they wear but more about the size of their heart and the impact they make every day.” Amen! That’s it. The ability of our heart to receive and give away more and more of Jesus is most important. The counterfeit is no match for the real.
And we’re not just asked to give up something, but receive something much more fulfilling. Like fullness of joy in His presence. And there’s no high like the Most High! Blessings.
So true Mel! We think that we lose something when we let go of worldly pursuits but in reality we gain something so much greater when we run after God instead of what the world has to offer.
This reminds me of these two verses:
“If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it”- Luke 17:33
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”- Mark 8:36
It’s only when we give our life away to God that we will truly live. Be blessed!
Reblogged this on Women in White.
Amen! This is so well said. Everything but Jesus will potentially fail us. We must lean on him alone… Great post.
Thanks Ali. Very true. Without Jesus life is empty. The world only has temporary means to fill that desire in our heart that only He alone can fill.
Great post!!!! A wonderful reminder of how we decide at every moment who we are following. Thankful for a gracious and forgiving God when we make the wrong choice!
Thank you Alaina. I’m definitely thankful that our God is slow to anger and always quick to show mercy and grace that we don’t deserve. He is an amazing Father to us in too many ways to count!
Beautifully written and very true!
Thank you Janelle. Have a lovely weekend!
Such very wise words Anna. May we be ever mindful that there is only one who truly fills the longing of our souls.
Thanks Wanda! Jesus is the only One who can satisfy. I’m so glad we both have Him in our life and don’t need to search in other places to fill that longing in our hearts.
SO true…yet SO hard…thanks for posting! Love your blogs<3