July 9

Life's Balance Sheet

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? — Mark 8:36 BSB

Simon Peter had been urging Jesus to avoid the suffering He had predicted, but Jesus made it clear that this wasn’t possible for Himself or for anyone who would follow in His footsteps. Drawing from His own deep experience, He explained that everyone must deny their own desires to reach the highest life, both for themselves and for others.

We don't need to create a cross for ourselves; our role is simply to take up the one God has placed in our path. The cross is not some exceptional act of asceticism, but the ongoing refusal to indulge in self-centeredness, the daily dying to pride and self-interest, in order to join Christ in His redemptive mission for humanity. The more we live like this, the more we discover the true meaning of life. If we live only for ourselves—building comfortable nests, avoiding every discomfort, making money solely for our own use—we will become the most miserable of people. Many who have lived selfish lives of pleasure-seeking have found their capacity for joy shriveling up, plunging them into gloom and despair. They have lost their souls.

If a man saves his house from a fire but loses his own life in the process, has he gained anything? Many are building for themselves palaces of wealth and pleasure, but they are losing the ability to enjoy them because they are destroying their soul’s finer qualities. Jesus asks, “What does it profit to gain the whole world, but lose your soul?”

Refusing the world’s ways will invite dislike and hatred, which can be daunting. But rejecting Christ’s path and being ashamed to acknowledge Him will result in ultimate rejection. How can Jesus use us in His future kingdom if we fail Him in the limited scope of our earthly lives?

Prayer

O God, we have been disappointed by the cisterns we have dug for ourselves, for they have failed to quench our thirst. Fountain of Living Water, may we drink from You! Bread of Life, may we eat from You! Light of Life, shine upon our hearts so we may walk in Your light. Amen.