The Bible for All: God's Mission for UsSample

"Only those who give away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.” (Mark 8:35 TLB)

Why don’t we feel more fulfilled? Far too many people are asking themselves that question. We’re not happy, we’re not satisfied — in fact, we’re miserable.

Why? In his book Rich, Free, and Miserable, sociologist John Brueggemann shared a great story that illustrated why. Climbing Mount Everest is one of the challenges that inspire people to do something big. Lots of people try, even though nearly 10 percent of the people who do die in the process. Many of the corpses still line the path up the mountain. People still want to climb the mountain — though it has no real redeeming social value.

A few years back one climber, David Sharp, was clearly in trouble on the mountain. There were 40 climbers who noticed his obvious need but passed him that day. He died on Mount Everest because none of the other climbers were willing to put their personal goal on hold to help him.

That’s us. Our own personal drive to have more, be more, and do more causes us to lose sight of what really matters. But that isn’t how God wired us. Life isn’t about what you make, who you know, or what you do. Life is all about love — loving God and loving others.

Consider…

- Are you unhappy, unsatisfied, or miserable? That is a sign that you’ve become focused on a cause other than Christ’s. Why do you think you’re focused elsewhere?

- What do you need to do to join God’s mission?