The Apostle Paul - “And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, ‘Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?’ But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-16)
No matter where you go, it’s easy to see that most people are searching for happiness. Some are searching for pleasure. They’re dabbling in pornography, engaging in ungodly relationships, using drugs, overeating, or experimenting with self harming activities. Others look for happiness through profits, hoping if they can make lots of money, or even just a little more money, that happiness will come. But more money often causes us to want even more money and steals our joy. Others are searching for happiness in possessions. They believe if they can get that new car, a bigger home, fancier clothes, and more expensive gadgets, they will be happy. But all things eventually rust, break, and turn to dust. They are temporary. Others look for happiness in power, believing if they can scale the corporate ladder or become a successful politician, then they will be happy. Yet, these positions most often fail to bring the lasting happiness we desire. Some people are trying to find happiness through popularity. At the height of her popularity, Madonna said, “I don’t know anyone who is really happy.” Finally, others are looking for happiness in other people. They believe if they could just have that man or woman in their lives, they would be truly happy. What they don’t know is what that person they desire is like behind closed doors.
Happiness is only found in the person of Jesus Christ who once said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10). The truth is, we will experience the happiness Jesus offers us when we learn how to live supernaturally. Most of us would say that we want to live supernaturally, but we’re not sure how to do so. According to 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, there are three types of people: those who live natural lives, those who live supernatural lives, and those who live unnatural lives. In today’s devotion, we are at the beginning of a journey to discover the secrets of supernatural living. Over the next few weeks, we will all learn from the Bible about how we can live supernatural lives. Only when we do that can we be truly happy.
Followup Activity - Open your calendar and set reminders for yourself to complete this devotion daily for the next 8 weeks. If you’re leading your family through this devotion time, encourage them to do the same.
Prayer for Today - Lord, as I work through these devotions, help me learn to live a truly spiritual life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.