Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

When I was a kid, I had a dream of one day owning a Ferrari 308. If you have ever watched Magnum P.I. then you are familiar with the car I am talking about. I think the sale price of a new one in those days was around 75K, which was a lot of money for a ten year old. I wanted one so bad I started saving money in a lemonade jar. Eventually my parents discovered my jar and by the label I had placed on the jar, they knew the purpose of the money. Expecting them to dash my dreams of purchasing the car, they told me instead that if that is what I wanted then I could do it. Their exact words were, “You can pretty much have anything in life you want, but you just can’t have everything.” In other words, I could buy this car or a pretty nice home for the same money. I could probably not afford both, especially with the money in my lemonade jar.

Jesus does not say that gaining the all the glamor of the world is completely impossible. Jesus says to be aware that your pursuit of everything may cost you one thing that is even more valuable. If you will listen to the commercials on television or even just the buzz of our culture you will sense that the widely accepted way of thinking is that you can have everything. Jesus says that there is something better than having everything. It is having the one thing that brings real joy, peace, and hope to your life.

Realize that your pursuits have a trade-off. When you pursue one thing intensely then you are most likely losing your focus on other things. Make sure that in your pursuit of many different things you don’t miss the one thing that brings you joy.

Today’s Challenge: Ask yourself, “What really matters in life?” Then examine your recent expenditures of time, effort, and money. Have you really been focused on obtaining your said convictions? You may not be able to have it all but you can have something better.

If you are in the Camden area, join us for the message “Trade-Offs” tonight at CFA. Service starts at 6:30pm.