Putting First the Things That Last

 

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 16:26 (AMP)

To care at all about this question Jesus asked, first you have to believe there IS such a thing as a soul.

In my days as a health class guest speaker, touting the advantages of abstinence before marriage without bringing religion into it, I was still able to talk about how there is something about us humans that is more than blood and bone and organs and tissue. "There is something here that makes me Me! And that something deserves to be cared for and protected."

According to today's Scripture, Jesus thought a person's soul was a pretty precious commodity. To squander one's integrity for the sake of something as temporary as money or popularity would qualify a person to be considered a fool.

And Jesus wasn't the only one to think so:

The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income
Solomon  -  Ecclesiastes 5:10 (CSB)

Solomon knew what he was talking about, too!

I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock  -  large herds and flocks  -  more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem . . . . When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (CSB)

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Truth is...Anything attainable through human effort here on Planet Earth is, at best, temporary. But that something that makes me Me and you You? That is beyond the physical and temporary, and when placed in the care of Jesus, capable of everlasting joy.

BONUS: To hear the Dave Burkum song that today's title was stolen from, CLICK HERE.

My Testimony Has a Long Cast List

 

Then they asked him, “What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”

John 9:26 (CSB)

This verse comes toward the end of a story about Jesus healing a man who had been born blind. The religious leaders were upset that Jesus had worked this miracle on the Sabbath and were grilling the formerly-blind beggar.

It has set me to thinking about what Jesus has done to me and how he opened my eyes.

• Gave me parents who never treated church as an optional thing.
• Gave me a mind that appreciates the logical points of apologetics, showing me that faith in Christ isn't just "because the Bible says so."
• Softened my heart to feel my need for a Savior.
• Made sure Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands a Verdict got published.
• Put a young man named Wendell in my life who modeled excitement for the Word and the power of Jesus to transform lives.
• Moved Bob Stacey to create a ministry named "Christ in Youth."
• Led David Meece to write the song "We Are the Reason."
• Has placed me within church congregations and meaningful relationships that have increased my experience of his love and my internal database of wisdom.

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Truth is...while Jesus is the only way to have intimacy with God, there are many paths that lead to Jesus. What's yours?

The Verse Luther Didn’t Love

 

For just as the body without the spirit is dead,
so also faith without works is dead.

James 2:26 (CSB)

Some people have had a little bit-o-trouble with this verse. Historically, Martin Luther was one of them.

It seems the conviction that salvation cannot be earned, while correct, has made the word work distasteful. "Sola Fide! Faith alone!"

It might help to know that the word translated spirit here can also mean breath...or even wind. The Names of God Bible takes that into account and translates the verse like this:

A body that doesn’t breathe is dead.
In the same way, faith that does nothing is dead.

I may have faith that a tightrope walker can safely carry me on a cable strung hundreds of feet above the ground, but if I never let the guy pick me up and start balancing his way across the highwire, my supposed faith is meaningless.

If I believe that Jesus not only forgives me, but transforms me, that has to affect what I do and say. It's not enough to "just believe." James said in verse 19, "Even the demons believe  -  and they shudder."

Don't misunderstand me. I am not saying we work our way to salvation. I am saying that our salvation will work its way out into the world through our feet, our hands, and our mouths.

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Truth is...The proof really is in the pudding.

Hidden Hatred, Public Reckoning

 

Though his hatred is concealed by deception,

his evil will be revealed in the assembly.

Proverbs 26:26 (CSB)

According to verse 24, the person being talked about here is a "hateful person." In other translations, he is known as "an enemy."

Whatever you call him, he is no stranger.

• He is the government official who signs a treaty he never intends to honor.
• He is the politician who promises unity while targeting different groups.
• He is the friendly, helpful neighbor who gossips behind your back.
• He is the family member who excuses his passive-aggressive comments as jokes.

You know what else he is? He is doomed.

The legislative body will launch an investigation. The church will instigate accountability. The family reunion will become an intervention.

The truth will come out, and, as promised, set you free. That won't necessarily be pleasant for "the hateful person," but it will be a little bit of justice brightening the corner where you are.

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Truth is...Present circumstances are never the end of the story. 

When "I Was Just Looking" Didn't Cut It

 

But Lot’s wife looked back
and became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:26 (CSB)

This incident, as Abraham's nephew and his family were fleeing the rain of fire and brimstone that was engulfing Sodom and Gomorrah, kind of reminds me of when Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood were present at the opening of the Ark of the Covenant: "Marion, don't look at it. Shut your eyes, Marion. Don't look at it, no matter what happens!"

At least, as a child, that's the way it always seemed: If Lot's wife had just not turned around and looked, she could have escaped and God would not have turned her into salt.

As it usually does, the Amplified Bible sheds some light on the subject:

But Lot’s wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she became a pillar of salt.

Then, in a footnote, it says even more:

"Lot’s wife not only “looked back” to where her interests were, but perhaps lingered behind and was overtaken by the fire and brimstone; her dead body likely became continually encrusted with salt since this disaster occurred in the salt-rich area around the Dead Sea."

Whether her transformation into salt was miraculous or the result of a chemical reaction, what matters is the single word, longingly.

They were supposed to be fleeing, not just the physical fire, but the hotbed of sin and corruption that was Sodom and Gomorrah. The problem Lot's wife seems to have had is that she didn't really want to leave.

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Truth is...That's the problem a lot of us have with particular sins. The reason we don't truly repent (i.e., turn and go the other direction) is because we don't want to. We like what we're doing and just wish that God would shut his eyes and not look at it, no matter what happens.

What Happens When It’s Hammer Time?

 

So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

1 Corinthians 12:26 (CSB)

This verse comes near the end of Paul's lengthy metaphor comparing a human body to the Church  -  calling it the body of Christ.

The idea is, if you hit your thumb with a hammer, your whole body reacts. The opposite hand puts down the hammer. Your mouth sucks the injured thumb while your torso curls in and self-comforts by rocking.

 

But what about when a member of your spiritual body  -  that group of people you worship and serve and follow Jesus with  -  is in pain or grieving? Do the other members mobilize to provide comfort?

Then there's the other side of the coin.

When a church member receives an honor or experiences success, how do the others react: with happiness or jealousy?

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Truth is...I'm pretty sure you know what the answers should be and that what the answers are will reveal whether you're attending church or being the church.

 

The Verse That Disappointed the Teenaged Me

 

Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.

1 Thessalonians 5:26 (NIV)

As a male teenager in North America, this may have been one of the Scripture verses I was most eager to obey. Of course, I wasn't aware of the myriad ways the original Greek of this verse had been translated through the years...

Modern English Version:
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

This more-literal translation limited my pool of possible smooch partners to males, which greatly dampened my enthusiasm for obedience.

The Message:
Greet all the followers of Jesus there with a holy embrace.

This more-modern paraphrase opened it back up to include females, but erased the specific use of lips to greet each other.

The Living Bible:
Shake hands for me with all the brothers there.

And then Kenneth Taylor totally flipped the switch on both variables: no lips; no girls.

So, I needed to go to my favorite translation for getting every possible nuance of meaning out of a verse...

Amplified Bible:
Greet all the believers with a holy kiss [as brothers and sisters in God’s family].

...which gave me hope, but then I read the footnote:

Greeting other believers with a kiss on the cheek would be the equivalent of today’s handshake, pat on the back, or casual hug.

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Truth is...The point was never about romance, but about accepting and welcoming fellow believers, harboring no ill will against anyone who calls Jesus Lord, and recognizing commonality with all who share The Faith.

In the words of the Contemporary English Version: Give the Lord's followers a warm greeting.