I remember a time when I was getting a haircut and someone said, “Will you look at that?”
At first I thought they were looking at my bald head. Instead, they were staring out the window at one of the most spectacular sunsets I had ever seen. Everyone in the place stopped what they were doing and walked outside, aprons and all, to take in that amazing, unbelievable sunset.
It reminded me of what the psalmist David said: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1 NKJV).
As spectacular as a sunset or a sight like the Alps or some other natural wonder might be, God’s greatest work of art, his greatest masterpiece, his crowning achievement is humanity. The apostle Paul wrote, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). The term “God’s masterpiece” also could be translated, “God’s work of art.” God has been working in your life and is still working in your life.
Do you realize how intricate the human body is? Consider these facts. Your nose can recognize up to 10,000 different aromas. Your tongue has about 6,000 taste buds. Our brain contains 10 billion nerve cells, and each of those nerve cells is connected to as many as 10,000 other nerve cells throughout the body. Our body has so many blood vessels that their combined length could circle the planet two-and-a-half times.
God has also customized each of us with our own unique DNA blueprint, which is contained within every single cell. It has been estimated if our individual blueprint were written out in a book, it would require 200,000 pages to contain all of the information there. Of course, God knows about every word on every single page.
Not only that, but God has wired us uniquely with a special desire and drive in life. The Bible says that God has placed eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). And because we were uniquely created in the image of God, he has given us this drive, this desire to achieve and do something.
Do you think you are the only one who, before you go to sleep, dreams of doing something big with your life? Maybe you see yourself as a professional athlete or musician. Maybe you see yourself achieving in the business world or in some other endeavor. You think, One of these days I would like my life to count. I would like to do something significant. God made us that way.
The Bible is speaking approvingly of those who seek the glory, honor and immortality that God offers: “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (Romans 2:7 NIV). There is something in us that says, I want to make my life count. I don’t want to be another blip on the screen, just another statistic. I want to make a difference. God himself uniquely created us that way. We are made by God with an express purpose:
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:26–27 NIV)
We have been made in the image of God, and he created us for his glory.
This flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Most people believe the reason they exist is to find fulfillment, to find their own purpose or happiness in life. Whatever it takes, get it, they say. All that matter is you. You deserve a break today.
But I have found that usually the most unhappy people are those who constantly try to be happy. One writer has commented that one of the chief sources of unhappiness is the search for happiness.
Have you ever walked by a bar during “Happy Hour”? Did the people inside look happy to you? We are not going to find happiness in drinking. We are not going to find happiness in drugs. We are not going to find purpose and meaning in sex, especially outside of God’s order, which is marriage. We are not going to find the purpose and meaning we are looking for in life in a great career or in making a lot of money or in what kind of car we drive. We are not going to find it in how great we look. We are not going to find it in any of those things. None of those things will bring us the happiness we are looking for.
The Bible tells us that we should not seek happiness; it tells us that we should seek God instead. If we seek God and put Him first in our lives, we will find the happiness we wanted all along – not from chasing after it, but from chasing after Him.
So seek to live a life that pleases God. One day you will wake up and realize that you are a happy person – not because you only have been thinking about yourself and doing what you want, but because you have been living the way God wants you to live. You have been putting the needs of others above your own needs. You have been trying to do something good with your life and make it meaningful and purposeful. You will realize that you are the happiest you have ever been. This can happen for you if you will get your priorities in order.
First Corinthians tells us, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (10:31). We were created to glorify God with our lives.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/06/stop-searching-for-happiness/#d8sZsGTPPEXZivgd.99
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