Ingredients For Happiness
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippinas 4:19
I’ve been in the kitchen cooking a favorite Puerto Rican chicken dish for my family. As I chop and cut and measure, my mind has wandered to the things the world thinks are the ingredients for happiness. Money for one, but have you ever noticed how it can become an obsession? The person who thinks money is the priority in life is never satisfied with what they have. Then there are the material possessions – ‘the one with the most toys wins’. So they pursue house, cars, boats jewelry – this too becomes an empty obsession.
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money)." Matthew 6:24
In relationships there are those who say it's love; but love translates to sex which is selfish, jealous and demeaning when out of wedlock. Young women AND young men give away something very precious in order to feel loved or wanted. Instead, they find emptiness and self-loathing. Believe me, I know this all too well. The Bible is very clear about what true love is:
"Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always 'Me first,' Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end." I Corinthians 13:4-7 The Message
And then there’s what the world considers beauty. The need to look younger - Botox, face lifts, beauty in a jar. There are spray tans, liposuction and radical diets that deceive young women into thinking the wrong things about the body they were born with. From an early age the world teaches us to look at the outward appearance and not what’s within.
Money, possessions, sex, youth and beauty are the ingredients the world says you need to be fulfilled. But God says:
"Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of GOD." 1 Peter 3:4
The Truth is, for true joy and fulfillment all you need is one ingredient. Jesus! He restores our brokenness and makes it whole. He renews our purpose and gives meaning to our lives. Only in Jesus is the true fountain of youth because He makes all things new.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
He is all we ever need in order to find joy in the middle of trials. When the storms of life try to blow away our peace and when those we love are hurting, all we need is Jesus!
As I breathe in the yummy smells coming from my kitchen, I send up a silent prayer and thank Him for changing the title of my life from "The pursuit of happiness" to "Saving Grace."
"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in GOD, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17
by Eve Montano