Description
Today we meditate on Jesus’s cautionary words in Matthew 16:26. How do we define success? For what do we reach?
Matthew… (visit YouTube for more)
Transcript
Jesus resets our focus in Matthew chapter 16 verse 26. He says, "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?"
What are we pointing our lives at? Are we trying to do better in our jobs? Are we trying to build what looks on the outside to be a successful life with well behaved, successful children? Is that what our purpose is about? Jesus says, "Beware. If you are seeking after these things, you may lose your soul."
So how do we make sure that we are not forfeiting our souls? We have to lay down our lives. We have to say day by day, Lord, what would you have me do?
And sometimes the things that God asks us to do will be inexplicable to us. They won’t make sense. But God, who has this vast perspective over all time and eternity, He knows what’s best for us at all times. And sometimes He will tell us, "My child, don’t go that way, go this way." And it may not make sense to us, but then we don’t know everything.
We must surrender our own desires and hopes in order to rescue our own life and the lives of those around us. And the irony is that in surrendering and in laying down our lives, we find them. We find them in Christ. We find our life secure. We find eternal hope and purpose.
Lord, please help us to keep our eyes fixed on you, always to go your way, always pursuing your aims and your agenda. Lord, you know best, and we don’t, and we accept your direction in our lives. Amen.
