--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In any Christian view of life…" description: "\"In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never be permitted to become the controlling issue. The issue is service, the service of real peop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/d-a-carson-4044_christian_in-any-christian-view-of-life-self-fulfi_818524.png" --- # In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never… ![“In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never be permitted to become the controlling issue. The issue is service, the service of real people. The question is, 'How can I be most useful?', not, 'How can I feel most useful?'” quote by D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/d-a-carson-4044_christian_in-any-christian-view-of-life-self-fulfi_818524.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/d-a-carson-4044_christian_in-any-christian-view-of-life-self-fulfi_818524.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/d-a-carson-4044_christian_in-any-christian-view-of-life-self-fulfi_818524.png) > “In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never be permitted to become the controlling issue. The issue is service, the service of real people. The question is, 'How can I be most useful?', not, 'How can I feel most useful?'” [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True Christian purpose is service to others, not self‑satisfaction; usefulness is measured by impact, not feeling. **In simple terms:** Serve others, not just feel useful. Key Takeaway Seek to help real people rather than chase personal fulfillment. Themes service humility Christian ethics self‑transcendence purpose Mood compassionate encouraging Type spiritual practical When to use this quote - volunteering - mission work - church leadership - counseling - daily interactions Key Concepts theology ethics practical discipleship Questions to Reflect On - How can you shift focus from feeling useful to being useful? - What needs in your community could you address? A Different Perspective Self‑fulfillment can still motivate service if aligned properly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christian View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-view-352277/) [Feel Useful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-useful-352275/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-self/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-people/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-fulfillment/) [View of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view-of-life/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [In the major institutions of education, government, science, and the arts, we are witnessing the imposition of a post-Christian view of life. 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I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never be permitted to become the controlling issue. The issue is service, the service of real people. The question is, 'How can I be most useful?', not, 'How can I feel most useful?'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D. A. 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