CHRISTIANS FIND HAPPINESS IN SERVING

"There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." -Acts 20:35.


DURING the last decades of the 1900's, the word "me-ism" was frequently heard.  "Me-ism" means, in effect, "me first" and denotes an attitude combining selfishness and greed with a lack of concern for others.  We can be sure that in the year 2000, me-ism is by  no means dead.  How many times do you hear the question, "What is in it for me"? Or, "What do I get out of it"?  Such a selfish attitude is not conductive to happiness.  It is the very opposite of the principle that Jesus stated:  "There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." -Acts 20:35.

is it true that giving brings greater happiness than receiving? Yes.  Think of Jehovah God. With him is "the source of life."  (Psalm 36:9)  He provides everything we need to make us happy and productive indeed, he is the Source of "every good gift and every perfect present."  (James 1:17)  Jehovah, "the happy God," is constantly giving.  (1 Timothy 1:11)  He loves his human creation, to whom he gives so much.  (John 3:16) Think, too, of a human family.  If you are a parent, you know how many sacrifices, how much giving, it takes to raise a child. And for many years the child is unaware of the sacrifices you make.  He takes them all for granted.  Still, it makes you happy to see  your child flourishing as a result of your unselfishly giving.  Why? Because you love him.

In a similar way, true worship is characterized by giving that is  based on love.  Since we love Jehovah and we love our fellow believers, it is a delight to serve them, to give of ourselves to them.  (Matthew 22:37-39) Any who worship with selfish motives end up with very little joy.  But those  who serve unselfishly, being more concerned with what they can give than  with what they hope to receive, find happiness indeed.  This truth is discerned by considering how certain Bible words related to our worship are used in the Scriptures. We will discuss three of these words in this and the following article.

Next time: Jesus' Public Service

The Watchtower, 2000