There’s No Hiding God

Several decades ago, a self-help book was published entitled “Looking Out for Number One.” In it, the author argued strongly against generosity. For example, he said that if you “make the other person’s happiness your first responsibility, you pervert the laws of nature,” and “unless someone is poor because you robbed him, no downtrodden individual is your responsibility.” The New Testament authors are telling us, of course, that if you follow such advice, you are perverting the law of God. The troubling thing about “Looking Out for Number One” is that it was so well received – a massive bestseller in America.

Of course, all sorts of self-help book authors try to give us easy answers to find happiness. But often, their easy answers are oversimplified and misleading. The New Testament authors, on the other hand, tell us that genuine peace of mind and heart and soul (call it happiness) does not come easily; that it involves trust and risk — making hard choices and…