What would you give to receive everything you have always desired? What are you willing to sacrifice? Would you sacrifice having a family? Would you give up a long life? Are you willing to set aside being who God designed you to be to pursue personal achievements?
We don’t typically think about what we must give up to pursue our careers. We don’t often set down to weigh the pros and cons of pursuing fame and fortune, even if it is just locally. We don’t consciously make the decision to sacrifice our families.
Jesus asks a very important question when He asks what profit we have if we gain the whole world but forfeit life. Success, as defined in human and business terms, requires sacrifice. Sometimes it requires extreme sacrifice. It can be as simple as missing your children’s school events and as stressful as going through a bad divorce.
We have a choice. It is really all about priorities. We all struggle with it. We don’t intentionally want to push our spouse and children away. We don’t intentionally want to ignore our parents, especially as they age. Yet, we make choices every day that do just that. We believe we need to spend the extra time in the office. We believe there is something more important for us to do.
Of course, Jesus’ point is, we should make Him our top priority in life. It is when He is our top priority that all other priorities come into focus. As we choose to make Him our top priority, we also choose to follow His commands to love God and love neighbor. It is when we obey those commands that our families become a higher priority.
I pray we all choose to make Jesus our top priority. I pray we choose to obey His commands. I pray each one of us realize we cannot gain worldly success without sacrificing our relationships. Make Jesus your top priority. Obey Jesus’ commands. Live a successful life. Live for Jesus.
Matthew 16:26: For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
Marty Pressey 