What Things Are Valuable?

           Of all of your possessions, what is the most valuable one of all? My Father influenced me into becoming a "coin collector" years ago and so I would start looking at the dates and mint marks of every coin that passed through my fingers. After the buffalo nickeles, there came the series that featured Thomas Jefferson. I found most of the coins in that set at that time, in circulatin except for two of them. I could never find a 1939 "S" nor a 1050 "D" nickel. In order to complete the set, years ago, I purchased one of each of those two coins. The coins that I purchased were not in "mint" condition nor where they "proof" coins so were more affordable. The mint numbers for the 50 "D" were very low causing them to be more valuable as the years went by. The less there are of a certain year, the more valuable they become. Somethings can be one of a kind, but are only valuable to one or maybe two people, such as the used bowling pin that stands in the corner of my home office. Who would want a used bowling pin? My wife won it at an all night Word of Life youth function while bowling at 2:00 AM in West Virginia. There is however, one thing that surpasses the value of anything here on earth and it is the human soul. Matthew 16:26 says, "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?" 

           The Lord Jesus Christ showed us just how valuable the soul is. The statement in the verse reminds us that all of the things of this world would not be able to compensate for the loss of only one item and it is the human soul. We realize what it means to "lose one's own soul." This is what takes place when a person come to the end of life and decideds that the pursuit of riches is more valuable than anything else. In their pursuit, they seek the gain all of the wealth and power that they can thinking that somehow this is going to be important in the end. However, when the final day comes and one is ushered into eternity, there is no trade in value for ones earthly possessions. You may have heard the expression, "You can't take it with you." Your earthly possessions will probably be auctioned off to the highest bidder as someone else seeks to profit by your "things." Your fancy house, new car, retstored classic vehicles, your coin collection, your collection of firearms, your basement filled with antiques your restored Texaco gas pump and all other items will mean absolutely nothing as you stand before The One and Only Wise God of the universe. It would have been a simple task to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but you probably put it off until you had a more convenient time. You may have thought you cold sneak in under the wire as one slides into third base but God required your presence before you had time to do it. The Lord Jesus Christ posed the question in Matthew and the answer is a rhetorical, "nothing." What is a man profited that loses his own soul? Nothing! The world seems to say that since they don't believe in God anyway, that it won't matte to them. For these people, we recognize the words in Psalm 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." Some may say, "If I had only known...?" That's where you and I come into the scope of things. It is our privilege to proclaim the message of hope to a lost and dying people who do not know Him. Praise God today for His desire for us to be saved.