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In today’s modern world,
the values of certain
things are sometimes
underestimated. These
may be one’s health or
perhaps family ties. But
the most dangerous thing
to underestimate the
value of is a personal
relationship with God.
Matthew 16:24-26 tells
of the things Jesus
spoke to His disciples
concerning over or
underestimation. ¨Then
said Jesus unto his
disciples, If any man
will come after me, let
him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and
follow me. For whosoever
will save his life shall
lose it: and whosoever
will lose his life for
my sake shall find it.
For what is a man
profited, if he shall
gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?
or what shall a man give
in exchange for his
soul?
Jesus directed this not
only at His twelve
disciples, but also to
the crowds of people who
followed Him. The crowd
was amazed by His
miracles and way of
teaching. They knew that
Jesus was different. The
religious teachers of
Jesus’ day often taught
of works. They taught
that as descendents of
Abraham, the Jews
possessed the laws and
ordinances. Performing
these laws and
ordinances set them
apart from Gentiles as
holy and deserving of
heaven. But Jesus taught
otherwise. He showed
them that God Who sees
and knows everything
looks beyond outwardly
performed works and into
the heart.
Consider this: is a good
work still ‘good’, if it
is done with a less than
good motive? If one does
good works, but only for
the sake of gaining
entry into heaven, are
these still considered
‘good’? Who can truly
judge a person’s inner
motives? Not even a
council of judges, but
an all-seeing, righteous
God can do so (Matt
5:22).
Jesus’ teachings set him
apart from all other
religious teachers of
their day. This is
because He spoke with
much power and
authority. When Jesus
preached, it was done in
the authority of His
Name. ¨Ye
have heard that it was
said by them of old
time, ... But
I say unto you,¨ (Matt 5:21-22, 27-28). Only Jesus was able to
back up the authority of
His teachings with
indisputable miracles
witnessed by all present
(Matt 9:2).
As such, many in the
crowd who heard Jesus
believed His words. But
few were willing to take
up their cross and
follow Him. The rich
were unable to put aside
their wealth and
material pursuits to
give Jesus first place
in their lives. The poor
were unable to put aside
their worldly lifestyles
and heed Jesus’
commandments on living.
In today’s world, we
realize that often it is
the same thing.
Unbelievers who hear
that believing in Jesus
means salvation and
eternal life in heaven
do not find it hard to
believe in heaven, nor
deny that they want to
go to heaven. However,
they value the things of
this life — pomp,
pleasure, possessions –
more than that of
following after God and
living His way. Just as
in Jesus’ time, it is
easier to focus on the
tangible, physical
pleasures of today than
to comprehend the
intangible, albeit far
greater, blessings of an
eternal life in heaven.
Our times are in His
hands, no one knows when
death will come. Let us
pray for God’s help to
set our focus right. Let
us not overestimate the
value of earthly things,
but be able to say like
Paul, ¨But
what things were gain to
me, those I counted loss
for Christ¨ (Phil
3:7).
Underestimating the
value of believing in
Jesus has eternal
consequences. Believe
that Jesus died for your
sins and accept Him as
your personal Lord and
Saviour today.
May God bless us!
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