What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for His soul? Matthew 16:26
Jesus begins to prepare His disciples for the end. Peter professes the deity of Jesus. He is the Son of God, the Messiah. Jesus shares that He must return to Jerusalem to face persecution and death, then Peter rebukes Him and Jesus acknowledges Satan’s attempt to stop His sacrifice. Finally, Jesus tells these closest friends, comrades, the cost of following Him will be their lives, from their everyday comings and goings to possible martyrdom.
There is a constant push and pull between surviving life and keeping earthly gains in the proper place. I am honor bound to pay my electric bill, so I must go to work. My natural competitive instinct drives me to achieve, thus gaining the faith and trust of my employer who in turn, depends more heavily on my ethic. I have done right, and now I am pulled from the very hearth I work to keep warm. Where does maintaining life on earth become gaining the world? Adoration and power are great temptations, but they are of this world.
It is a matter of heart. What on earth do you love more than you love your neighbor?
Love,
Gretchen