| you were growing up, do you remember your parents | | | | intended for paradise, a paradise spent sitting at the |
| complaining about money? It seems like there’s | | | | right hand of God and having everything we ever |
| never enough of it to go around, spawning the phrase, | | | | dreamed of at our fingertips. Most importantly, we |
| “Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure | | | | were meant for peace-the peace that comes from |
| helps.” It’s true that a lack of money can | | | | knowing that Jesus Christ is lighting up the dark |
| lead to a dissatisfaction with your daily life, but that | | | | corners of our soul. |
| dissatisfaction is the result of a lack of happiness. | | | | Christ said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth |
| It’s a result, not a reason. | | | | and the light.” Money can’t buy |
| What does it mean to be happy? Most people will | | | | happiness. It can only buy a fleeting moment of |
| describe happiness as something they have and | | | | satisfaction that fades when the novelty is gone. Jesus |
| unhappiness as what they feel when something is | | | | Christ is the way to true happiness. He is the truth in |
| missing. It’s the perfect definition, but the way | | | | the lies that society teaches us about happiness, and |
| the world today interprets that definition takes away | | | | he is the light in our angry, hurting hearts that takes |
| the much deeper meaning behind it. They look at the | | | | away all of our pain and offers us the respite of a |
| fact that they are missing something and think, | | | | true, soul deep peace that can’t be |
| “I have to obtain it.” Then they work | | | | disturbed-regardless of whether we’re |
| hard for the money they need to build their bank | | | | millionaires or living on Ramen and water. |
| accounts and buy that yacht they’ve been | | | | Money can’t buy happiness. Unhappiness is a |
| dreaming of, that house they’ve been looking at | | | | result of something we’re missing, but |
| or take that vacation they’ve been planning. | | | | it’s not something that can be found in any |
| They don’t truly believe that money | | | | store, on the back of any warehouse truck or even in |
| can’t buy happiness. | | | | the pews. It’s something we find when we |
| The thing is, happiness isn’t something you can | | | | close our eyes, open our hearts and ask the God of |
| buy. Money truly can’t buy happiness, because | | | | Jacob to reach down and touch our lives, blessing us |
| true, soul deep happiness can be yours for the low, | | | | with eternal happiness and the opportunity to spend |
| low price of-nothing. True happiness is free! How is | | | | the rest of our lives in paradise. |
| that possible? Because Jesus Christ made it available | | | | Money can’t buy happiness, because it’s |
| to us at no cost to ourselves the minute he died on | | | | never cost us a thing. In fact, it wants to give us |
| that cross. | | | | something rather than take it away-the happiness, |
| We as people were never meant for this earth, an | | | | peace and joy that we’ve spent our whole |
| earth filled with violence, greed and hate. We were | | | | lives searching for. |