Sunday, May 31, 2015

At What Cost

At What Cost
June 1, 2015
Mark 8:36  "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?"

There is a cost to everything in life; aside from air, nothing is free.  Even water to drink can cost an arm and a leg, depending on where you live.  It is not a bad thing to have to pay for something; you just have to figure out what it is worth.  The Bible asks a rhetorical question regarding the cost of things.  The Bible asks what good is it if you gain the whole world yet lose your soul.  It is a hyperbole, expressing all the wealth of the earth could be had, but if your soul is doomed to hell then the world's treasures are no good.  Naturally we all want to keep our souls, but what else are we not willing to give up that is costing too much?

Oskar Schindler, a Nazi and a businessman during the holocaust, obtained a factory with the intent of making a profit.  There were 1,700 employees at the factory, 1,200 of whom were Jews. Schindler never intended on being a hero, but the profits of his factory soon took a back seat to the lives of those Jews he could save by keeping them employed.  He used up all his original profits, spending huge sums of money bribing other Nazis to let his Jewish workers continue their work.  They were no longer working for a profit, they were working to save their lives.  Schindler eventually spent everything he had, all the wealth from the factory, to keep these Polish-Jews alive.  He figured out quickly that nothing is worth a life.

While you and I, thankfully, do not have to save Jews from being killed in a holocaust, we are tasked with bringing eternal life to the perishing.  Your own life may not be in jeopardy, but the souls of others are on the line.  Every waking moment you spend on your selfish indulgences is an opportunity wasted on working toward the salvation of others.  I'm to blame just as much as you are; we all get caught up in our own world and we think we are spending our time and money on valuable things.  I'm glad Schindler figured it out and I know those 1,200 Jews were grateful.  You and I should have that same focus as Schindler.  He wasn't in it to save lives, but he realized the importance of his worldly goods were not worth keeping if it meant he couldn't save someone from death.

You may not be the charismatic, evangelical type to be the voice to those who are perishing, but you can certainly do your part in the effort.  There are many who are willing to speak on Christ's behalf, but need our support to proclaim the good news of salvation to the perishing, both locally and abroad.  Your mission in life, besides keeping your own soul from hell, is to work toward the salvation of others.  The Lord understands we need food and shelter to live; we need educations and sometimes life gets expensive.  But the Lord also knows it takes time and money and effort to bring the message of the cross to the perishing.  So I will ask you to evaluate what you have and what you are working toward.  If you have an expensive vehicle but do not give toward missions work, then your life is off balance.  That expensive car has blood on it, the blood of those who will die if they are not brought the message of salvation because you couldn't contribute to the cause.  But this is not limited to vehicles; many of us spend our time and resources on other foolish things that have no Heavenly benefit.  The Lord isn't necessarily asking you to sell all you have and give it to His cause, be He is asking you to find balance and figure out what has true worth.  Where you are spending your money determines what is important to you.  Make spreading Christianity a priority; because it is a priority to the Lord.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Matt 6:21, Matt 26:26, Matt 28:19

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