What Does It Profit a Man if He Gains the Whole World and Lose His Soul?
You might be wondering who would make such a statement; it had to be someone who knew a lot more than you or I. It was Jesus and He said so in Mark 8:34-38, “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
I was awakened at 2:30 this morning with this thought, after laying there going over it over and over I said I would write in the morning but it was now not later so I up asking the Lord to speak, to put into my mind what He desires you and me to understand.
Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus also talks about this subject; “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
This Scripture also came into my mind as I lay there desiring to just go back to sleep; “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17
As I lay in that bed wanting to sleep, what do I value, I was never foolish enough to believe I could be president or a business leader, my world was not that big. Just to be successful in my work as a salesperson for the 3M Company. To earn a good living and to be a good dad and husband. Not bad goals but were they that much different than the man who wants to rule the whole world, is the one driven to be the richest man in the whole world?
My mind went to a man named Solomon, who in his day was the richest in the world, he did great things, and he built the first Temple for God. As a man born of an earthly dad named King David, Solomon was the wisest man to ever live on planet Earth. He had it all one might say, but later in his life after allowing all the pagan women he married to move his heart from God to their little gods who cannot speak or hear. We see him reflecting on his life and this is what he said: “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.” The sons he left it to had not been trained in looking to the Lord, so they were very bad kings.
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Now let me be very honest, my goals were honorable, as stated, but I had a big problem, I knew a lot about Jesus being raised in a Baptist Church, with parents who were Christian. But being a Baptist had not changed my heart to put Bob first, to seek my will, and to be the authority over my life. God sent a man, who had cut my hair from the age of 13 to 26, and he asked me to attend a Bible study. I did and said to myself as I left that study, I needed to get a new barber and never come back to these religious guys again. But God had other plans and each week I was back and soon discovered; that these men knew the Jesus I was only informed about. After six months one night in Victoria, Texas at a hotel room as I put the key in the door, I heard a voice saying this is the last night My Spirit will deal with you. I got the Hotel Bible and it opened to Roman chapter 10, and my eyes went to verses 9-10, “ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” I acted on those verses and that night Jesus became my authority.
I’m still a mess, but I know whom I believe in and I am persuaded that He can keep me till that day. And it's 4:20 this morning and I’m going back to bed.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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