“What profit is there if you gain the whole world—and lose eternal life? What can be compared with the value of eternal life?” Matthew 16:26 (TLB)
The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we [Christians] deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world” (GNT).
Why does Paul say this? For one thing, it isn’t easy to live for Christ in a world that doesn’t like Christ.
So here’s one of the most important questions you can ever answer: Is Christianity worth it?
Everything in life has a price tag. Anytime you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. Is the prize worth the price of following Christ?
In Matthew 16:26 Jesus says, “What profit is there if you gain the whole world—and lose eternal life? What can be compared with the value of eternal life?” (TLB).
Some people trade their souls for worldly things—like money, fame, and materialism. Your soul is worth so much more.
Paul realized this. When Paul shares his testimony in Philippians 3:7-8, he says, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (NLT).
Paul realized nothing—no status, no amount of money, no pleasure—is worth more than Jesus.
We need a new definition of success. Real, meaningful success isn’t based on what you have, your appearance, or feeling good. Real success comes from living your life by God’s values. And it comes with the ultimate reward of enjoying eternity in heaven.
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