radical commitment

Matthew 16:24-28

Here, Jesus expands on what he meant in the previous paragraph when he contrasted human concerns with God's concerns. The key words are: disciple, deny, cross, follow, Son of Man, kingdom. Jesus contrasts human concerns (i.e. saving your life, gaining the world) with the concerns of God (i.e. denying self, losing your life, the soul). His main point is that we want to be disciples of Jesus, we must live a life that is not centered on self but is centered on the glory of God. He uses two rhetorical questions: what good is it if you get everything and yet lose your soul? and how valuable is your soul?
These are great questions. In the immediate, human concerns are so urgent and demand so much attention. In the immediate, a small compromise here or there doesn't seem to matter much but each time a piece of my soul is being auctioned off. In the immediate it doesn't seem like such a big deal and often the argument is used that this compromise will lead to a greater good. However, in the end, when we stand before Christ, we would be willing to give anything to have our soul back. In that moment we will recognize the great cost of our compromise and there will be nothing we can do except depend on the mercy of God and the finished work of Christ. In that moment there is no way to purchase our soul back. That transaction can only be done in this lifetime. A thousand times a day I sell a piece of my soul. Father, help me to recognize its value and to never exchange the world for my soul. The cost of discipleship is to deny myself here but the gain is my soul. In light of the gain, the cost is nothing.