We now come to the last point on the list of what makes for happiness – working to serve other persons. When we discussed the role of family in maintaining happiness, we mentioned that most people have turned marriage into a transactional affair. The same observation can be made in the work life of so many people. Rarely do we find people these days serving altruistic purposes. Apostle Paul touched on the precarious nature of the last days in his second letter to Timothy. In that letter, he mentioned self-centredness. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (2 Timothy 3:1–2 KJV). The love of self accounts for why many people no longer serve wholeheartedly.
“To be a true follower of Christ is to give oneself to serving others with no strings attached.”
Similarly, Paul complained to the Philippians about how people were busy with self-promotion rather than what pertains to the gospel of Christ. “For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:20–21 NKJV). Christianity was founded on the altar of sacrifice and not self-aggrandizement. Jesus came to serve and not to be served. To be a true follower of Christ is to give oneself to serving others with no strings attached. Your service to others then becomes a seed that brings back to you a harvest of happiness.
