Mark 8:36-37
“For what will it profit a man if he
gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul?”
I’ve read and
heard those verses hundreds of times.
But just recently one simple word jumped out at me as if I’d never seen
it before. It’s the simple word, “What…”
What will it profit a man…what will a man
give…? I began to think about the worth of the what.
Whatever it is that causes a person to
turn away from God, deny God, or reject God…Jesus questions the “profit” of that. What is the worth of the what…
In preacher talk
I might say, just because it makes you happy doesn’t mean it will make you
holy. I might add, just because it
brings satisfaction doesn’t mean it will lead to sanctification.
When I am a
sixty, seventy, or eighty-year-old man and I look back over my life I will see a
series of choices I made. Some
good. Some bad. God help me in the
choices I am making today to not gamble with God’s blessings.
What if I gain
the world and miss God? What if I
experience a few fleeting moments of worldly pleasure, and in those foolish
moments I sacrifice the life God planned for me.
There’s a real
possibility if I sacrifice what I have for what I want, in the end I may not
want what I have. Be careful with God’s
blessings and favor. We only have one
life – a life that is blessed only if we live it for Him.
What will it profit a man…What will a man
give… What is the worth of your what? M
