What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his very soul?

—Mark 8:36

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Advertising, easy online purchasing, and social media lead us to chase after so many worldly things. We feel like we're lacking if we don't have all this stuff, or thousands of likes, or all these friends and followers on social networks. However, only one thing is needful. Having a fist full of dollars, a post that has thousands of likes, a magnificent estate, and a lot of prestige don't mean a whole lot in life if we've gone to your eternal address without the LORD. Lying awake at night only to find ourselves in a barren place where Christ does not dwell, and life is not found, is horrifying - worse than our worst nightmare, horrifying and forever. Let's not lose our life, our soul, our meaning, to chasing after what is not lasting and can only satisfy for a moment until we achieve the next bigger and better thing.

My Prayer...

Father, help me keep my priorities in order, my life holy, my love genuine, my heart open to your will, and my desires free from covetousness for things that don't last. I ask for the Holy Spirit's help so my own self-seeking, greed, ambition, and pride do not blind me to what is most important in my life - my walk and my relationship with Jesus. In his precious name, I pray this, as I seek to find what is truly and lasting life. Amen.