Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus saith unto his disciples, if any man desireth to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
The uneducated, lower socio-economic group that Jesus called His disciples, must have been shocked to hear those words. He’d recently told them of His impending trials at the hands of the Jewish elite, His awful death, and His resurrection on the third day. That definitely knocked them for six! Though His main man, Peter, took Him aside and rebuked Him, insisting that those things would never happen. Jesus, in turn, tore a strip off His church’s foundation stone, calling him a disgrace, who was more interested in the things of man, than those pertaining to God. Then he laid Today’s Bit on them. Conditions that still hold true for us today people, because Jesus never changes; He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. The first thing we’ve got to learn is to deny ourselves, become unselfish, selfless, put ourselves last. Not an easy thing to do at any time. Then we’ve got to take up our cross and follow Him. Whew! What an initiation! Jesus wasn’t just only referring to the physical suffering, but also to a mental, emotional and psychological load, that anyone choosing the lifestyle He championed, would probably face. Since it varied from the norm, it would be frowned upon, considered eccentric, even heretical and dangerous to the state. Jesus always said that following Him was not easy. Imagine a potential leader saying to His adherents, if you want to save your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose it for my sake, you’ll find it. Hn! Most of us would run away. And though it must have confused and scared the disciples, they had seen and been through enough with Jesus to have developed a fair amount of faith and trust in Him. They knew His integrity; had heard His teaching, witnessed His miracles, His concern for the sick and poor, His contempt for the oppressive hypocrites of the upper echelons, and His acceptance of them as friends, rather than servants. But Jesus wasn’t finished confounding them. He began talking about souls. What profit one gained from having the whole world, but losing one’s soul? How valuable was a man’s soul? What would he give in exchange for it? Friends, Jesus wasn’t just theorizing, He was serious. A person’s soul, their innermost being, is their most important asset. We are spiritual being in a physical body, and it’s the spirit, the soul, that lives on after the body dies. So it’s a major decision for us, as to where we spend eternity; with the enemy, or with Jesus? The enemy offers fleshly lusts and material possessions now, and purgatory later on. Jesus asks us to not make worldly possessions our main goal, but rather to store up heavenly treasure for the hereafter. The physical body only lasts a short time, while the spirit lasts forever. So Friends, where are you going to put your trust? As for me and mine, we’ll put ours in the Most High God, Jehovah! Much LOVE!…it’s smarter to put your eternity savings… in the Lord’s bank…
The uneducated, lower socio-economic group that Jesus called His disciples, must have been shocked to hear those words. He’d recently told them of His impending trials at the hands of the Jewish elite, His awful death, and His resurrection on the third day. That definitely knocked them for six! Though His main man, Peter, took Him aside and rebuked Him, insisting that those things would never happen. Jesus, in turn, tore a strip off His church’s foundation stone, calling him a disgrace, who was more interested in the things of man, than those pertaining to God. Then he laid Today’s Bit on them. Conditions that still hold true for us today people, because Jesus never changes; He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. The first thing we’ve got to learn is to deny ourselves, become unselfish, selfless, put ourselves last. Not an easy thing to do at any time. Then we’ve got to take up our cross and follow Him. Whew! What an initiation! Jesus wasn’t just only referring to the physical suffering, but also to a mental, emotional and psychological load, that anyone choosing the lifestyle He championed, would probably face. Since it varied from the norm, it would be frowned upon, considered eccentric, even heretical and dangerous to the state. Jesus always said that following Him was not easy. Imagine a potential leader saying to His adherents, if you want to save your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose it for my sake, you’ll find it. Hn! Most of us would run away. And though it must have confused and scared the disciples, they had seen and been through enough with Jesus to have developed a fair amount of faith and trust in Him. They knew His integrity; had heard His teaching, witnessed His miracles, His concern for the sick and poor, His contempt for the oppressive hypocrites of the upper echelons, and His acceptance of them as friends, rather than servants. But Jesus wasn’t finished confounding them. He began talking about souls. What profit one gained from having the whole world, but losing one’s soul? How valuable was a man’s soul? What would he give in exchange for it? Friends, Jesus wasn’t just theorizing, He was serious. A person’s soul, their innermost being, is their most important asset. We are spiritual being in a physical body, and it’s the spirit, the soul, that lives on after the body dies. So it’s a major decision for us, as to where we spend eternity; with the enemy, or with Jesus? The enemy offers fleshly lusts and material possessions now, and purgatory later on. Jesus asks us to not make worldly possessions our main goal, but rather to store up heavenly treasure for the hereafter. The physical body only lasts a short time, while the spirit lasts forever. So Friends, where are you going to put your trust? As for me and mine, we’ll put ours in the Most High God, Jehovah! Much LOVE!…it’s smarter to put your eternity savings… in the Lord’s bank…
SCRIP-BITS 