Where Are You Going? Mark 8:35-37

These three verses are designed to instruct us that the spiritual side of our lives is far more important than the material side! That's not what most people think. Most people spend their whole lives trying to take care of the material and physical needs they have in life, but give little attention to the spiritual side. In our passage, Jesus wants us to know that only the spiritual side of life really matters in the end! Jesus tells us, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it" (v 35). This verse is a paradox. It's a statement that seems contradictory, but is still true! The Lord is saying that if you believe that having your own way, living your life on your own terms and being your own lord is more important than surrendering to His Lordship, you will lose your life! However, if you will surrender your life to Him, giving Him complete control over all you have and are, you will save your life! From the human viewpoint this makes little if any sense, but from God's viewpoint, nothing else makes sense! In verse 36, Jesus asks a powerful question: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" Jesus told a story about a man who experienced such a fate, Luke 16:19-31. That man lived his life in the lap of luxury, and on his own terms, and then died and went to a place called hell. When he arrived there, all the money, all the pleasure and all the power he'd enjoyed in this life were useless to him in hell. In other words, he had forfeit his soul, thus, he had lost everything! Where was the profit for that man? That's why you need to come to Jesus right now! Jesus asked another powerful question in verse 37: "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" The soul is the real person who will live forever in one of two places in eternity, heaven or hell! To have all that the world has to offer yet not have Jesus is to be eternally bankrupt! All the world's goods and living life on your terms will not and can not compensate for losing one's soul eternally! Are you willing to trade your eternal soul for the right to do as you please and live on the your own terms? If you are not a Christ follower, you are trading the most valuable possession you have for the trinkets of this world. Where are you going? Your move. Be encouraged!