Christian Foundations

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? --Mark 8:36

Around 200 years ago, the tomb of the great conqueror, Charlemagne, was opened. The workmen were shocked by what they saw.

His body, sitting upright, was clothed in the most elaborate kingly garments, with a scepter in his bony hand. And on his knees lay the Holy Scriptures, with a lifeless, bony finger pointing to Mark 8:36: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Amazing, right? So often, people place more emphasis on what is gained in this world, how successful one becomes, or how much is achieved, rather than focusing on their spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther once said, “I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”

What are you holding onto today? It may be someone or something, but remember that material things we hold on to in life will eventually pass away. Nothing that we ever gain in this world will last. Only two things shall endure forever: the Word of God, and the souls of the men and women who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21, NLT).

What are you investing in right now?

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to help focus your heart and mind on the things above and witnessing to those around you who are lost.