“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” – Matthew 16:26

I came across this ad in the paper the other day that said, “Prominent physician’s divorce forces estate auction.”

The things of this world are temporary, but the things of heaven are eternal.

The verse that instantly came to my mind was the one above from Mathew 16.

This auction reminded me of how this world works.

Nothing is forever, and everything you do have will not only be taken away from you when you die, but can also vanish in the blink of an eye while you’re still here on earth.

Nothing is promised to you and nothing is forever.

Living the “high life” and acquiring the American dream may seem fun, exciting, and something to hope for, but we need to remember how Satan works.

Learn to Recognize the Attacks of the Enemy

Just like a kidnapper will tempt a child into his car with some candy, Satan will tempt you into hell with all the glitter and glam that Hollywood can buy.

He’ll deceive you into thinking your life is “perfect” or will be “perfect” if you just had a little more money, you just had a couple more friends, or you just had the newest and latest things.

In reality, however, you’ll find that nothing this world has to offer will fill that empty hole in your heart, and your life will be far from perfect.

Something huge will be missing, and even with money, fame, and glamour you’ll still feel empty.

One of the Most Popular Questions Non-Believers Ask

A common question I’m asked by non-believers is:

Why do people who sin and don’t believe in God have it so good? They seem to have good jobs and make all this money, and those who do follow God don’t have half the things they do?

The answer is found in Luke 6:24, “What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.”

Check out this story from Luke 16:19-31:

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.

But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.

Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.

The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’”

One lesson that we learn from this passage is that heaven will be absolute paradise, but hell will be absolute misery.

The average person lives to be around 80 years old, but eternity is forever and ever!

The temporary “highs” this world has to offer us, are in no way worth the everlasting “lows” that they bring!

One day this world will fade away.

One day the money, the possessions, the popularity, and the pleasures of this world, will all fade away.

The only thing we can take with us into eternity is our soul, so we need to set our minds on things above, not what will be destroyed here on earth below. (see Col. 3:2)

Are You Distracted by the Things of This World?

Jesus’ said in John 18:36 that His kingdom is not of this world.

This means that we, as believers, should not get so caught up in this world that we’re distracted from the important things in life: eternal life after we leave it.

When we start to allow the cares and concerns of this world to creep in to our lives, we can become so consumed with them that they distract us from what God has called us to do.

We’ll find ourselves starting to have a horizontal perspective instead of a vertical one.

That means that we’ll become more concerned with the world we’re living in, instead of the God who created the world.

We’ll start to get so caught up with our lives here on earth that we miss out on God’s bigger picture and what really matters: our lives being lived for His glory, His kingdom, and our final destination, heaven.

The auction from the ad reminded me that without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a person will never be fully satisfied.

Money can’t buy happiness, and a life well-lived is a life surrendered to Jesus Christ.  Tweet

As Christians, it’s so easy for us to get distracted and deceived by the enemy and by our flesh, so we need to allow God’s Word to be the blueprint for our lives, instead of our emotions, feelings, or circumstances.

How to Get Your Priorities Straight

Jesus tells us to keep our eyes on Him and on what’s to come.

Jesus Christ died on a cross so we can have hope in this seemingly hopeless world.

Our home is in heaven, and we were saved not to blend into the darkness around us, but to shine the light of Jesus Christ illuminating and infiltrating it for the sake of His kingdom.

We have to be wise against the tactics of the enemy because we surely are living in the last days.

Satan’s time left is so short and he’s out full force against us.

Our lives are so precious and we’re not promised tomorrow, so let’s count everything this world has to offer us as loss.

God’s presence, peace, protection, and promises are priceless.  Tweet

Our relationship with God, the assurance of our salvation, is more valuable than anything this world has to offer us, and more valuable than anything money can buy.

We need to redeem the time and reach our full potential in Christ Jesus by having a light touch to this world.

So let’s follow our Jesus unswervingly, laying our lives down in full and complete surrender at the foot of His cross.

Let’s choose to lose this world, and to gain our souls.

Study Verses: Leviticus 26:1, Matthew 6:24, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20