FEB 20

Mark 8:34-38
Memorise Mark 8:36
“…what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Jesus speaks of two things at stake: one is your soul, and the other, the things of the world. The things of the world are bewitching and beguiling; there are so many things to do, achieve and experience: knowledge, reputation, wealth, comfort, beauty, popularity, power. Who in their right mind would not desire at least some of these things? Perhaps you do not wish to gain the whole world, just a slice of it, or just a taste. Well, you will have to work for it. Furthermore, there is another far greater price to pay for these things. The things of the world will last a lifetime at most but you cannot take them with you to Heaven. In contrast, your soul is eternal, and you only have one. The entire world even if you were to attain it, is not worth the price of your soul! So then, is even just a taste of the world for a lifetime worth trading your eternal soul for?

When I was younger, my goal was to travel to every continent before I turned 30. This would be fulfilment for me. I did see a fair bit of the world and did enjoy it, but it did not accord me complete and lasting fulfillment. Like the woman at the well, I was seeking for things that could not satisfy. Reflect upon all the things you ever desired and/or worked for thus far. Have they satisfied you perfectly? At the end of your life, will you look back on your life and regret that you did not enjoy this world more and are leaving it? It is not wrong to desire to travel, or to go to university and earn a good living. But as Christians, we now have freedom not to lust after them, to be enslaved in the wholehearted pursuit of them believing they are the be all and end all. What did King Solomon have to say? “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

Dear teen, can you truly love the Lord yet love this world more? There is also a price to be pay if you wish to follow Christ. To spend all your time, money, talents enjoying the world will be at the expense of the things of the Lord and His Kingdom. It is a poor exchange. May we learn to take up His cross and follow Him.

Thought: Have you counted the cost of following Christ? Is it too great?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, may I have great ambitions for Christ and bring glory to Thee