The Exchange

The ExchangeJesus asked, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:37)It seems like a fair question. And, it seems like the kind of question people generally answer by the choices they make in the course of their every day life. It's not like they sit down one day and answer the question and then move on. It's not even like they put a definite price on their souls and see what's worth trading for. It's more like they just buy this and that from day to day and in the process, they trade their souls for cheap goods that never last and always need to be replaced by more cheap goods that, when all added up, never amount to the value of one human soul. But, it goes on and on. And, most people never stop to realize what is happening. They just willingly conform to the pattern of this world and over a lifetime, they exchange their eternal souls for all the things that aren't eternal.Jesus asked, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)Here's the thing about the question: They are meant to be answered in a serious way. Because of Who asked them, we can't just blow them off and go eat lunch. These questions have to do with eternity and where we will spend it. While we are planning to go to the mall or see a movie or get the car repaired, life and death issues involving people's souls, including our own, are hanging in the balance waiting for the final breath that will determine what comes next. How can we ignore these very powerful questions of our Lord and Savior? He asked them for a reason - to make us think. To remind us that life's issues are deeper than just whether we are going to eat at McDonald's or Wendy's. He asks us these questions and we can't just sit here and not answer them. By the way we live and the choices we make each day, the questions are answered for us. But, by the time we figure out what we have given in exchange for our souls, it will be too late.Find Life, Pastor Monte SmithNorth Syracuse Christian Churchhttps://www.facebook.com/NSyrCC