Have you ever thought about how much a soul is worth? Have you ever considered how much your own soul is worth? Jesus answered that exact question for us in the gospel of Mark chapter 8 and verse 36. This is what He said;
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
Don’t rush through that statement. Read it again...real slow. Let those sobering words sink in. Think about this... because this is what Jesus was saying. Your soul...your one, eternal, ever living, never dying, soul will be in existence when the sun has turned cold and dissolved into dust. When the moon and the stars are all just memories of a time, eons and light years ago, your soul will still be in existence - somewhere - forever. Jesus told us that a soul is worth more than “the whole world.” Think about that - the whole world.
The Creator of this whole universe said that one soul, your soul, my soul, any soul is worth more than “the whole world.” That means that a soul, one soul, is worth more than all of the money in the world, all of the gold in the world, all of the silver and all of the other precious stones in the world, all of the stocks, bonds, retirement plans, 401ks, more than all of the portfolios of wealth of everybody in the whole universe, all added together.
Your soul, my soul, is worth more than all of the wealth in the world....COMBINED. Wow! Whew! What a thought. I believe that if we really believed that, it would change a whole lot about church. I believe it would change a whole lot about our churches.
Let me change gears real quick. Beth and I have had Covid since she got home from Tanzania. It has been a really long and really lonely three weeks. Seeing her so sick has been incredibly sad for me. The days have been long and the nights have been especially dark. During this time there have been a lot of comments, questions, “corrections,” and even amazement that she went to Africa during “this time.” This is my little opinion on the whole matter. After following Jesus Christ as my Lord for 42 years, I have observed some traits, some patterns. I have learned that people that don’t win souls don’t get too excited about those that do win souls. I have seen that people that don’t go on outreach for the express purpose to try and influence men, women, boys, and girls to be saved, those people aren’t real impressed with those that do have a passion for souls.
So, here is the question I have contemplated over these past three long weeks of loneliness, sadness, and sickness: Was it worth it for Beth to go, knowing now what you did not know then - was it truly worth it? My answer is simple. YES, YES IT WAS. Absolutely, totally, 100% yes. It was worth it. Why? Because -
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
If you read Mark 8:36, check it out in its context, the verses leading up to Jesus’ statement about souls. He was talking about what it means to follow Him and it all boils down to this: He tells us what it means to be a disciple and this is the conclusion - following Jesus will not be substituted by meetings and planning and programs, or anything else. Yeah, we do need meetings and planning and programs, but the busyness of those things will never replace the purpose of those things. Whatever we do after we are saved, all of the meetings, all of the planning, all of the programs, must always be viewed through the lens of souls - eternal souls.
Turk Holt
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