Finding Purpose Through Self-Denial and Service

Devotional

Day 1: Discovering Heartfelt Purpose

Reflecting on what breaks your heart can lead to a deeper understanding of your purpose in life. While setting goals is beneficial, they should not overshadow the pursuit of purpose. Purpose is essential for true happiness, as purposelessness leads to unhappiness. By identifying what truly moves you to action, you can find a sense of fulfillment that transcends mere goal achievement. This journey of discovering purpose is not just about personal satisfaction but about aligning with a greater calling that brings joy and contentment. [07:22]

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

Reflection: What is one thing that consistently breaks your heart, and how can you take a small step today to address it in a meaningful way?

Day 2: The Paradox of Self-Denial

True fulfillment comes from self-denial rather than self-improvement. Jesus teaches that by following His example of service and giving, we paradoxically gain more than we lose. This counterintuitive path leads to true happiness and contentment. Embracing a life of service and giving allows us to experience the joy of living for others, which ultimately enriches our own lives. By denying ourselves, we open the door to a deeper, more fulfilling existence that aligns with the teachings of Jesus. [12:25]

"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (Luke 9:23, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life can you practice self-denial today, and how might this lead to a deeper sense of fulfillment?

Day 3: Breaking the Doom Loop of Self-Focus

Focusing solely on ourselves leads to a cycle of insecurity and fear, often referred to as the "doom loop." True happiness comes from looking beyond ourselves and serving others. When we shift our focus from self-centeredness to serving others, we break free from this cycle and find genuine joy. This shift in perspective allows us to experience the richness of life that comes from meaningful connections and acts of kindness. By serving others, we not only enrich their lives but also find a sense of purpose and fulfillment in our own. [08:40]

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one person in your life who could benefit from your help today. How can you serve them in a way that shifts your focus from yourself to others?

Day 4: The Transformative Power of Giving

Choosing to distribute our lives, talents, and resources like seeds benefits others and fills our lives with purpose. This act of giving is how we save ourselves from ourselves. By scattering our resources to benefit others, we create a ripple effect of positivity and purpose. This selfless act not only impacts those around us but also transforms our own lives, leading to a deeper sense of fulfillment and joy. Embracing the power of giving allows us to live a life that is rich in purpose and meaning. [23:30]

"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." (Proverbs 11:24, ESV)

Reflection: What is one talent or resource you can share with someone in need today, and how might this act of giving transform both your life and theirs?

Day 5: Embracing the Way of Jesus

Living like Jesus means embracing a life of service and love for others. This path to true happiness and fulfillment aligns us with our created purpose. By focusing on the "one anothers" of life—serving, forgiving, and loving others as Jesus did—we become part of something greater than ourselves. This way of living not only brings joy and contentment but also fulfills our deepest longing for purpose and connection. Embracing the way of Jesus invites us into a life of profound meaning and joy. [25:27]

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35, ESV)

Reflection: How can you intentionally show love and service to someone in your community today, following the example of Jesus?

Sermon Summary

Taking a deep breath, I reflect on the journey of understanding purpose and fulfillment. Many of us, myself included, have struggled with the concept of setting goals. My father was a dedicated goal-setter, and his frustration with my lack of goals was palpable. Yet, through this reflection, I realized that while goals are important, they should not be the sole focus of our lives. Instead, we should ask ourselves a more profound question: What breaks our heart?

This question is not just about identifying what bothers us but about discovering what truly moves us to action. It is a gateway to finding purpose. Purpose is as essential as food, water, and shelter because purposelessness leads to unhappiness. When we focus solely on ourselves, we enter a doom loop of insecurity and fear, constantly trying to fill a void that only purpose can satisfy.

Jesus teaches us that true fulfillment comes from self-denial, not self-improvement. Following Him means embracing a life of service and giving, which paradoxically leads to gaining and winning. This is counterintuitive, yet it is the path to true happiness and contentment. Our worst moments are often those when we are most self-centered, while our best moments come when we give ourselves away for the sake of others.

The challenge is to live a life that is not all about us. We must choose to distribute our lives, talents, and resources like seeds, scattering them to benefit others. This is how we save ourselves from ourselves. It is a choice to live as Jesus instructed, focusing on the "one anothers" of life—serving, forgiving, and loving others as He did.

In doing so, we find that our lives are filled with purpose and meaning. We become part of something greater than ourselves, and in the process, we discover true happiness. So, I invite you to consider what breaks your heart and to let that guide you toward a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Key Takeaways

1. Denial Leads to Fulfillment:** Jesus teaches that true fulfillment comes from self-denial, not self-improvement. By following His example of service and giving, we paradoxically gain more than we lose. [12:25]
3. The Doom Loop of Self-Focus: Focusing solely on ourselves leads to a cycle of insecurity and fear. True happiness comes from looking beyond ourselves and serving others.

4. The Power of Giving: Choosing to distribute our lives, talents, and resources like seeds benefits others and fills our lives with purpose. This is how we save ourselves from ourselves.

5. Living Like Jesus: Embracing the way of Jesus means living a life of service and love for others. This is the path to true happiness and fulfillment, as it aligns us with our created purpose.

** [12:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:06] - The Struggle with Goal Setting
[00:41] - A Father's Frustration
[01:16] - The Goal-Setting Experience
[02:08] - Relationship Tip on Goals
[03:14] - The Season of Self-Improvement
[04:49] - A Better Question: What Breaks Your Heart?
[06:10] - The Gateway to Purpose
[07:22] - The Importance of Purpose
[08:40] - The Doom Loop of Self-Focus
[12:25] - The Paradox of Fulfillment
[14:52] - Jesus' Invitation to Follow
[17:13] - The Cost of Saving Your Life
[19:49] - Devoting Yourself to Others
[23:30] - Choosing to Distribute Your Life
[25:27] - Living Like Jesus
[31:34] - Saving Ourselves from Ourselves
[33:05] - The Invitation to Purpose

Sermon Clips

And the better question is, what breaks your heart? What breaks your heart? You're like me, you're bothered by a lot of things. You're irritated by a lot of things. You're offended by some things locally or in our culture or nationally or maybe internationally. But the question is that we're talking to asking, is there one thing that bothers you more than all the other things? [04:59]

But generally speaking, if you focus on it long enough, there's always something you can do about it. Because somewhere in the world, there are people working on it. And if nothing else, you can decide that every month you're gonna send them a check to say, Hey, I can't tackle this, but you're tackling it and I wanna partner with you to address this thing that I just don't think this should be in the world. [06:01]

You were created for purpose. It is purpose in your life or finding purpose in your life. And we'll talk specifically about what that looks like next time. Purpose isn't essential. I mean, there's food, water, shelter, and purpose. And here's, here's why. Just to go a little bit deeper on this, you, well, you may be surprised to know this. [06:57]

The pursuit of happiness alone, when it becomes your objective, the pursuit of happiness becomes a doom loop. That means you're stuck in a cycle over and over and over and over and over because the pursuit of happiness keeps you focused on you and the result isn't happiness. You know what the result of that is? The result of that, believe it or not, is insecurity. [08:38]

And lemme tell you what I mean by this. I don't mean that you don't have extraordinary worth and dignity when it comes to God's love for you. God loves you so much. He sent his son into this world to redeem you and to reconcile you because he wants to have a relationship with you. So this isn't about your personal value, this is the idea that there is not enough of you to fill you, that you are not enough to fill yourself up. [09:09]

According to Jesus, being consumed with you will ultimately consume you being consumed. This is why if you're in your twenties and you can figure this out, you, I'm telling you're gonna be so far ahead of the rest of us being consumed with you, will ultimately consume you. Here's what he's gonna sort of tease out for us in just a minute. [10:36]

Filling Is achieved through emptying. Like that doesn't make sense. Hang on. Gaining is achieved through giving. It's like, wait, that doesn't just hang ons. Winning is achieved through losing. And this is so counter-cultural for sure. It's so un-American to some extent, right? And, and it's, it's, you know, it's certainly counterintuitive. [12:12]

So it should be no surprise to discover that following Jesus Is characterized by self-denial, Not self-improvement. But, and again, this is why you gotta spend some time thinking about this. Follow Jesus and you will improve. It's the result. It's not the focus, it's the result. And you know what else? Happiness is the same way. [13:34]

Those who devote themselves to themselves eventually lose themselves. Those who devote them, it's all about them. E, even if they have a lot or have a little or have nothing or have everything, the person who is all about them, he says over time in their attempt to devote themselves to themselves, it's all about me. Over time, they lose themselves. [19:45]

If I devote myself exclusively to myself, I will lose myself on the inside. I will shrink, I will atrophy, I will get smaller. That capacity that I was born with, that capacity that I was born with to do for others, that capacity that I was born with, to scatter my life and to scatter things like seeds instead of just keeping it all for myself, that capacity will slowly deteriorate that people consumed with themselves, eventually consumed themselves. [21:44]

He says, I want you to live your life in such a way that you are scattering the seed of your life that you're looking for opportunities to do for other people. And then when it happens, I want you to make sure that you connect the dots between why you're doing what you're doing, why you're living the way you're living, and your appreciation for and your love for your father in heaven. [26:31]

We save ourselves from ourselves by choosing. It's a choice. You're not gonna lose it like you lost your car keys or your cell phone. It's a choice. We save ourselves from ourselves by choosing not to be all about ourselves. So wrap it up. If the only things that concern you, if the only things that concern you, come on. [31:42]

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