Is Your Soul Worth Losing?
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 16:24-26
Watching events unfold around the world makes the truth of God's word more and more relevant to our time. Christianity is more than an intellectual understanding of a set of doctrines or teachings. True Christianity is a relationship between a person and Jesus Christ. True Christianity involves following Jesus and applying His word to every aspect of our lives.
True Christianity does not mean we are perfect in all we do. It simply means that God is able to help us, in spite of our imperfections, to live our lives in a way that pleases Him. He forgives us when we sin against Him and He helps us to learn from our mistakes so we can continually improve on our imperfections.
For this to happen, Jesus says we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. This in essence means we must not give in to the cravings and many temptations of life but must be willing to put them to death on the cross! When we are unwilling to put to death the things that pull us away from God and satisfy our selfish appetites, we head down a path of "soul destruction." In other words, we put ourselves in grave danger to destroy our very lives.
So what are you willing to give in exchange for your soul? More money? Another house? A massive promotion up the corporate ladder? More fancy cars? Exotic vacations? More men or women? More power and influence? And what are you willing to sacrifice to attain these things?
The truth is: there is nothing wrong with having all these wonderful blessings if they are placed in the confines of godliness. The problem is when we strive for those things outside of divine guidance and parameters.
The news is filled with many once powerful and respected people who have exchanged material things for their souls. The end is never pleasant. So what will you give in exchange for your soul? Take up your cross and crucify every ungodly craving before you lose your very soul.
True Christianity does not mean we are perfect in all we do. It simply means that God is able to help us, in spite of our imperfections, to live our lives in a way that pleases Him. He forgives us when we sin against Him and He helps us to learn from our mistakes so we can continually improve on our imperfections.
For this to happen, Jesus says we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. This in essence means we must not give in to the cravings and many temptations of life but must be willing to put them to death on the cross! When we are unwilling to put to death the things that pull us away from God and satisfy our selfish appetites, we head down a path of "soul destruction." In other words, we put ourselves in grave danger to destroy our very lives.
So what are you willing to give in exchange for your soul? More money? Another house? A massive promotion up the corporate ladder? More fancy cars? Exotic vacations? More men or women? More power and influence? And what are you willing to sacrifice to attain these things?
The truth is: there is nothing wrong with having all these wonderful blessings if they are placed in the confines of godliness. The problem is when we strive for those things outside of divine guidance and parameters.
The news is filled with many once powerful and respected people who have exchanged material things for their souls. The end is never pleasant. So what will you give in exchange for your soul? Take up your cross and crucify every ungodly craving before you lose your very soul.
Prayer: Lord, you have called me to be your disciple. Please help me to stay on the straight and narrow way so that I will not bring your Name into disrepute and wreck my life in the process. Amen.