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"Is Anything Worth More Than Your Soul?"

"For even if you were to gain all the wealth and power of this world with everything it could offer you, at the cost of your own life what good could that be?" "And what could be more valuable than your own soul?" Matthew 16:26 (Passion Translation)

Jesus after rebuking Peter for being an offense to His destiny, expounds on what it cost to be a disciple. Speaking to them He shares what would have to occur if they truly wanted to follow Him. Very clear He declares that at once they must completely reject and disown their own life, and be willing to share His cross and experience it as their own. To choose self-sacrifice and lose their lives for the exchange of His glory. Revealing to them that this is the only way you can experience the true life of God's Kingdom. If you choose to keep the life that your living then you will forfeit everything you try to keep. For example "If you want to walk toward something you must walk away from it." (Lewis Carroll'...Alice Through The Looking Glass)

Jesus looks at reality in a totally different way than we do. The Kingdom of God in this world is a backwards, upside down, inside-out way of living. Paul said "the word of the cross is foolish to those who are perishing" (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). See we want to make living for Christ a means to no suffering and pain, but the actual purpose of the Kingdom of God in this realm is that there will be pain and suffering pressing forward to eternal life in Heaven free from the consequences of our human nature. The kingdom of God declares that we are blessed when we are persecuted and to love those who hate us, give to those who despitefully use us, which is extremely upside down to me.

For many of us avoiding loosing and suffering is a high priority. People will let you know that the pursuit of happiness is my God given right, a comfortable lifestyle is what I'm suppose to strive for. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said; "When Christ calls a man He bids him to come and die." In Christ there is no gain and convenience, we gain by means of the cross.

I encourage you today not to be driven by false gods or false goals, the truth is to have everything, you will have to loose everything. So many offer hope through the blood, sweat and tears of hard work to have the best, but the Kingdom of God is opposite, we have hope through the blood of Christ, it speaks to us clearly that having it all is losing it all. What benefits will we eternally have if we obtain all that we want in this world but it cost us eternal peace with God. Is Anything Worth More Than Your Soul?






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