Well said indeed. One of life’s supreme ironies is that living a self-centered life where your goal is to satisfy your base desires for money or fame or sex leads to misery, but a life of “doing the right thing”, selflessness, service to others and humility leads to immense happiness. And that isn’t just a belief or something a preacher tells you, it comes from experience.
In one sense, its OK to talk about the joy and happiness that God wants for us. But when that moves into “pray and God will give you money,” it turns me off. I remember Osteen talking once about praying to find a parking space close to the mall entrance and saying it worked. That’s just plain silly.
“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” - Matt. 16:25