“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36,37a).
TEXT — Mark 8:35-37
Message
Just what value can anyone place on his or her soul? The hymn writer, Jim Wright, answers with questions of his own, in the refrain from his hymn: ‘Have you counted the Cost’. He wrote: “Have you counted the cost, if your soul should be lost? Tho’ you gain the whole world for your own, Even now, it may be that the line you have crossed, Have you counted, have you counted the cost?”
Our text reveals the paradox of life as it relates to the issue of the soul and the eternal consequence of its loss. Many people spend their energy in pursuit of pleasure, position, possession and power. They trade their souls by joining cults, engaging in money rituals, gambling, prostitution and partaking in unethical business practices just to gain the things of this world. They forget that earthly possessions are temporal and replaceable when lost, but the loss of the soul is an irreparable loss. Pleasure, possessions, philosophy and whatever goodie of the world we gain cannot be sustained through all times. Indeed, time and decay will soon make them fade.
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7). All those who profess to be Christians but are haughty and desperate for wealth and position, either in the world or in the Church are playing with their souls and eternal destiny.
The most important decision anyone can make is to ensure that his soul is prepared for heaven. There is only one way to save your soul: turn over your life to Jesus Christ and allow Him to save your soul from hell. He promises that whosoever “that cometh to [Him]; [He] will in no wise cast out.”
Thought for the day
Whatever you gain at the expense of your soul is a great loss.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
