What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Mark 8:36 (TNIV)
Should we be alarmed that the message of this text is made small and insignificant today? Who is really teaching the weight of it? How many people want to hear the implications that are wrapped up in these few words? How fewer still would like to step into action with what they find?
The difference is clear and great. On one hand we can have this world. On the other hand we can have Jesus. The world is attractive. It is full of all the things we enjoy. It contains our loved ones. It contains an infinite number of delights and pleasures. Possessions abound in every form. Our heart may go out to any or all these wonderful things without effort or restraint. We are taught from a very early age to seek these things of the world. We learn to expect them. We are taught to work hard to attain them. In the modern western world the cleavage is so great that we cannot even see it anymore. Standing amongst the trees we cannot see the forest. Wanting, shopping, buying and selling just plain make up the major part of our lives.
Yet over and against this envelopment in our busy lives, we hear the words of Jesus. He says; “Come.” He invites us to look past our rat-race. He calls us beyond the clamor of the world. He makes no effort to reduce the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. He makes no apologies for the wonderful gifts that make our lives more comfortable or pleasant. He simply says that we can have those things in our heart, or Him.
In modern Christianity we have strayed from the teachings of these words of Jesus. We would like to keep some of the treasures and pleasures that this world can provide us. Nobody wants to push a concept that would remove the importance of the delightful blessings are ours. We have lost the ability to see that to let our hearts go out to the pleasures and comforts of the world, is to let go of the One thing we need, Jesus!
What we try to do these days is marry the two options. We cannot part with our treasures and we know we need Jesus. So we twist around the implications and say that the success and cozy times are a sign of the Lord´s favor. This lets us keep our cake and eat it too. We can be just as comfortable as we want to in the world. We can pursue and enjoy any delights our hearts may go out to. We are happy now that we can have all this because we think Jesus is happy with us. But we are wrong.
God never intended for the blessings to take root in our hearts. He never wanted us to love those blessings more than Him. Those gifts were intended to strengthen our bond with Him. They were not meant to distract us from Him. It is marvelous to be given a blessing by the One who loves us. But the gift is not the point. It should bring a smile and praise to our lips. But the receiving of a gift from God should throw us back upon Him. We should embrace the Giver. We should let the attention not rest on our delight. We should use it to draw nearer to Him.
The problem is serious. It is worse because we seldom detect it. But Jesus tells us it is Him in our hearts, or the world. We can focus our attention on the Giver. Or we can focus upon ourselves. We can see the beauty of the wonderful delights all around. Or we can pray to see past them.
Dear Jesus, please expose and remove where our hearts have taken to the world. So many delights and comforts we have come to love. But our hearts are for You alone. We would not gain the whole world. We want You! Help us, heal us, save us and bring us to You we pray!
Amen
Searching For Christ 
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