What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 8:36 NIV
We live in a very materialistic world, at least in the United States. We have so much stuff that we don’t even know where to put it all. Rented storage units are springing up all over the country to give us a place to stash the stuff that won’t fit into our ever-bigger houses. And the advertising industry continues to push ever harder, trying to make us feel like we are unfulfilled and deserve so much more than what we have.
And yet, are our lives really any better because of all the stuff we have? Or does the abundance of our possessions actually detract from what is really important? All too often, our things become our gods. And we sacrifice health, family, and an intimate relationship with God to obtain, maintain, and use them.
Jesus tells us, “What good is it to gain everything that this world has to offer while losing your soul, missing out on the glories of the life to come?” There is nothing inherently wrong with much of the stuff we have. But we need to be careful to keep our priorities on the eternal rather than the earthly. On things that will last rather than things that are perishable and that we will lose when we leave this world behind (2 Cor. 4:18).
Do you have any material possessions that would be devastating to lose, or that you would be unwilling to give up? If so, you should seriously examine Jesus’ words here. Hold loosely to the material things of this life. Don’t allow anything to come between you and eternal life in Christ. Don’t lose your soul for the sake of material goods.
