Rate Of Exchange

The Rate Of Exchange

Matthew 16:26 teaches us, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

The world teaches this--You can never have too much of a good thing! We must always have enough or we are being somehow cheated of that which we truly deserve.

If one were to ever wonder why we live in such a greedy world, this tenet, no doubt, ought to dispel that amazement. Love may make the world “go round” but it is amassing plenty and having a good time that gives it some speed. And, if you want to stay on for the ride, you need to be able to compete with those who are clinging on with the getting and the enjoying. Dying with the most toys is really what it is all about; isn’t it?

Christopher Winans, in his book, Malcolm Forbes: The Man Who Had Everything, tells of a motorcycle tour that Forbes took through Egypt in 1984 with his Capitalist Tool motorcycle team. After viewing the staggering burial tomb of King Tut, Forbes seemed to be in a reflective mood.

As they were returning to the hotel in a shuttle bus, Forbes turned to one of his associates and asked with all sincerity: “Do you think I’ll be remembered after I die?” Forbes is remembered. He is remembered as the man who coined the phrase, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” That was the wisdom of Malcolm Forbes. In fact, that was his ambition. That’s why he collected scores of motorcycles. That’s why he would pay over a million dollars for a Faberge egg. That’s why he owned castles, hot air balloons and countless other toys that he can no longer access.

The Lord Jesus Christ gave us words of superior wisdom when he said, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). It is a fatally deficient wisdom that declares “He who dies with the most toys wins.”

Dying with the most toys may sound cute. But we need to understand that, as in the case of Forbes, it is something that is achievable. Without a doubt he probably did succeed in achieving his goal. Unfortunately for Forbes, motorcycles, hot air balloons and Fabrege eggs provide little comfort once we leave this spinning globe. It keeps turning without us and our toys are nothing more than forgettable things that eventually spin into oblivion, our name and memory hardly connected with them any more. It would be far more blessed to die with the most debt than the most toys; when that debt was earned doing good things for others. Toys stay here forever, our deeds travel with us.

The Bible contains many references to value of the souls of humankind. Like Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

And 22:37 teaches us , “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

In fact, there are well over 500 sentences in the Word of God that “Soul” is the subject. That is a a lot, isn’t it? That tells us that God is very interested in your soul.

What is the soul? Well, it is the eternal part of each of us. We all have a soul. In fact, it is the everlasting breath that is imparted, or given to us, by our Creator. The soul is as real as your fingers, your heart, your ears. But those things will eventually wither away, but not your soul! Your soul will never cease to exist! Recently, I was watching a documentary about the top 101 inventions of all time. Pretty cool stuff. Human ingenuity is pretty amazing. We’ve figured out how to do all kinds of things.

What are some of the best things human imagination has come up with? I have to tell you, they may not be very glamorous but I’m pretty thankful for the flush toilet and massaging shower head. Both have made my life a lot easier!

What about you? What do you think are some of the top inventions of all time? [wait for several answers.]

In spite of how smart we are, do you know what we haven’t been able to come up with yet? A way to cheat death and live forever. Yet God has said in the scriptures that he has already taken care of that for us. All we have to do is put our faith in Jesus. It doesn’t have to be ’spiritual giant’ sized faith. Simple faith is sufficient. The same kind we put in our light switch or car ignition. We simply trust that it will work.