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Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Every day, probably several times a day, you and I are challenged to consider VALUE, to ask ourselves if we think the price placed on something is a fair VALUE? It happens with every advertisement we see or hear, or every time we see a price tag, even the price of gasoline posted at the gas station as you drive by. But here’s a question you may not have ever considered: what is the value of a human soul?
I left you yesterday with Jesus and His disciples engaged in a very significant conversation. These 12 guys, who had been with Jesus for several months didn’t know it, but Jesus was leading them on a strategic journey of PREPARATION. Preparing for what? Preparing for the most important weekend in world history which was only a few weeks away. What weekend? These Jewish men knew it as Passover weekend, but the death and resurrection of Jesus results in the world calling it Easter weekend! I call it “Passover/Easter” weekend and as we travel together to that weekend with Jesus, we’ll see why.
Yesterday, we evaluated this remarkable statement Jesus made to His disciples and to us: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24) Then Jesus continued with these words about the value of a soul: “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?” (Matt. 16:25,26) So what do you think Jesus meant when He spoke of people saving or losing their lives? Or people gaining the whole world but forfeiting their soul?
Self-preservation is one of the strongest needs in a human being of any age, right? From tiny babies struggling to survive shortly after birth has expelled them from the comfort and familiarity of their mother’s womb; to an elderly person fighting to stay alive until their family can be gathered around their bed; to a hostage or POW struggling to survive inhumane treatment in captivity… God has designed into EVERY person a natural desire to protect themselves and stay alive! But Jesus was talking about the sad fact that for many people this desperate desire for self-preservation motivates them to pursue a lifestyle which has no need or no room in their life for God.
Self-reliance, self-sustaining, self-focused, self-advancement, self-glory are all words which often describe this type of person and probably you know some people like that. They don’t want to be dependent or reliant or a burden upon anyone and they work hard to be confident they can face any challenge, afford anything they need or desire, and certainly that they’ll have more than enough of everything to last them their entire lifetime.
In His very first message, recorded by Matthew, Jesus said this when talking about God’s provision of our human needs: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is there your heart will be also... No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money. “ (Matt. 6:19-24) I think Jesus paused right there and let these profound statements soak into the minds and hearts of His hearers that day.
It’s deep isn’t it my friends? Our natural desire is to work hard to accumulate here and now those things which make our lives enjoyable. And yes, that pursuit can become a priority in our lives leaving little room for God. Many people believe if they don’t work hard to provide for themselves, they’ll go without! That’s why Jesus next said: “Do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat or drink or wear’…your Father in heaven knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:25-33) Do you see the contrast in world view, the contrast in priorities and motivations in life? Is it true?
Does God know, even better than we do, what our needs are because He made us and sustains our lives every day? Do we sometimes pursue things that we think will be to our benefit when in fact when we finally get them, they are detrimental to our lives?
Have you ever heard either of these two contrasting, life-view statements:
1. ‘The person who dies with the most toys wins’.
2. ‘You can’t take anything with you and there are no moving vans at funerals.’
The apostle Paul wrote this: “We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it…for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” (1 Timothy 6:6-10)
I wonder what your life philosophy is regarding the accumulation of ‘material valuables’ and their relative value to you and others while you are here on earth, but also their value to you in your eternal destiny?
So, Jesus was calling His disciples to some deep introspection. These men had been ‘walking with Jesus’ on those dusty Israel roads for almost three years. What had they learned about God, God’s kingdom, God’s provision for His people? What had they seen in the lifestyle Jesus had lived?
For those who chose to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Jesus, while some people might mock them telling them they have lost their way or their priorities are distorted, Jesus wanted them to know God would be watching over them and they’d find no greater fulfillment in life than living as followers of Jesus.
As we can see Jesus promised two dramatically different eternity experiences: for those who had no room for God in their lives here, eternity will be filled with despair and regret. For those who follow Jesus in this life, eternity will be a joy filled life of contentment and gratitude to God.
In all of this Jesus was challenging them to consider the value of their soul as compared to all the things many people spend their life trying to accomplish or accumulate. “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?” (Matt. 16:26) This is one of the most important questions for every person in every generation, every place in the world. I think we need to pause right here and ponder. We all understand the question, don’t we? So, what is the value of YOUR soul my friend and what will your earthly life priorities mean to you in your eternity?
I normally give you a song at the conclusion of each of our times of reflection together. Today I have something different. A two-minute video where a child seeks to know what he’s worth. Watch & listen to it and then spend some time with Jesus considering the value of your life, and I’ll meet you here again Monday.
Today’s Scripture: Matt. 16:24-26.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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