March 14, 2017 – Luke 9
What good is it for
someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Luke
9:25
Our daily choice:
whether to become what we want or become what God wants.
Years ago, soda bottles (and other beverages), were sealed
with a bottle cap. It was an effective
way to seal the bottle, and kept the contents secure until it was opened. Opening the cap required a bottle opener,
either attached to the soda machine or in your kitchen utensil drawer. However, there were times people had bottles
but no opener, so creative ways had to be developed. J I saw people use counter edges, pliers,
knives … all kinds of devices to open the bottle and get to the drink. Probably the worst option (and one I am also
guilty of using), was teeth. Many times,
people would pry open the cap using the side of their mouth! (Is it any wonder why people would have teeth
chipped or cuts in their mouth? Not the
brightest choice!) Teeth were made for
chewing through millions of items, but I’m sure God didn’t design them for
bottle caps!!!
A logical person would realize that misusing teeth for the
wrong purpose can both ruin them for life and actually prevent us from reaching
our intended goal. It’s not the wise
thing to do! But every day, we see
people trying to force their life into a design that is driven by man’s immediate
desires, instead of fulfilling the intended purpose God designed our life
for. Some try to be actors, musicians,
athletes, executives, preachers, you name it --- not because they were designed
that way, but because they want the perceived satisfactions from those
activities. Just like wanting the soda
led to misusing teeth, wanting life’s desires can misuse the soul.
Our creator developed the body as a short term house for our
SOUL, not the other way around. If we
were using our body for that intended purpose, we would NOT be spending it on
short term satisfactions (sins).
Instead, we would use the Body to support the SOUL – becoming what God
had designed in the first place.
Jesus challenged our thinking in that one statement: What good is it to sell off your eternal soul
to satisfy your short-term body? Stop
doing that! Quit looking at the soda,
start protecting your teeth. Quit pursuing
sensuality, start seeking purpose. Quit
living for ourselves, start living for God.
Every act of sin and righteousness gets down to one basic
daily decision: Who am I trying to
become? By becoming what God designed me
to be, I will find righteousness, peace & joy. By trying to become what I want (or what the
world says is valuable), I end up with a broken life and a condemned soul. BE CAREFUL with that choice! We make it every day.
Don’t break off your one set of teeth for a single drink of
carbonated water!
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