The message of finding daily happiness in Christ, which I share in my book Happiness, might seem contradictory to what Jesus says about our call to sacrifice our lives for Him: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:23-25).

Many think that Jesus’ primary message here is the virtue of selflessness and self-sacrifice. But take another look: He calls us to lose life for His sake by appealing to our desire to find life! It’s not “selflessness” in the sense of doing what’s bad for ourselves; rather, it’s honoring and following Christ and thereby doing the best possible thing for ourselves!

God commands holiness, knowing that when we follow His plan, we’ll bring Him glory and be happy. Hence, as He often did, Jesus clearly appealed to us to act in the interest of our own ultimate happiness by making small temporary sacrifices to obtain large eternal gain.

C. S. Lewis began his great sermon “The Weight of Glory” by saying this:

If you asked twenty good men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you had asked almost any of the great Christians of old, he would have replied, Love. You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance. The negative idea of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.

Lewis went on to make this critical point: “The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire.”

When God calls upon us to deny ourselves and follow Him, what appears to be our loss is in fact our gain. Should we want to gain our lives or lose our lives? Losing our lives in Christ is the means to the end of joyfully gaining them!

Yes, Jesus calls His followers to sacrifice—but never to sacrifice long-term happiness. Paul, writing from prison and always realistic about the harsh realities of a fallen world, nonetheless experienced happiness in Christ, which he was eager to share with his fellow believers in Philippi: “If I have to offer my own blood with your sacrifice, I will be happy and full of joy with all of you. You also should be happy and full of joy with me” (Philippians 2:17-18, NCV).

The same Jesus who calls for sacrifice, promising that we’ll share in His suffering, also tells us to lay our burdens at His feet. We’re to take up our crosses daily, yet He promises that His burden is light. Life isn’t easy, but believers have the benefit of walking the hard roads side by side with a loving Father, a Son who’s our friend, and a comforting Holy Spirit.

Following Jesus will always produce the greatest, most lasting happiness—now and forever.