Losing it

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:25, 26 ESV)

I've been doing much thinking this week.  Job and his buddies sat around and asked why Job, who was righteous, was suffering while other wicked men prospered.  In reading Psalm 73 yesterday, Asaph asked the same basic question of why do the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper.  

I love this particular portion of Psalm 73:

But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! (Psalm 73:16-19 ESV)

I love this portion because of where it starts.  Asaph was struggling with this, then he took his troubles into the sanctuary of God. His response was to draw close to God and to worship God.  Then he is given the knowledge that the wicked are destroyed in a moment.  

Christ followers, this world is but a momentary affliction for us.  Matthew 16 stands out to me even more tonight because it makes it clear along with Psalm 73, that the wicked only have their time on Earth to prosper and no matter how much they gain, the cost is their very soul.  Their future holds destruction and separation from God for all eternity.  Christ followers have an eternity to spend with the Almighty.  Our lives on Earth are lost from the pursuit of self and instead replaced with the purpose of glorifying Christ in all that we do.  

In closing, 1 more passage tonight:  

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV)

May our focus be on the things unseen, let us not pursue "stuff", power, or prestige for ourselves, but rather seek to glorify Him in all that we do, draw near to God, be busy about His work, and after enduring this light momentary affliction, be prepared for an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison. Notice it says "light momentary affliction"...I know I've had tuff times that I didn't feel were light, however, that makes me doubly excited when His word says "eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison".  Let us seek Him, worship Him, and draw close to Him.

God is so good!