Today's Verse: Mark 8:36

Thursday, June 20, 2002

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his very soul?
— Mark 8:36
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Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Advertising, easy online purchasing, and social media lead us to chase after so many worldly things. We feel like we're lacking if we don't have all this stuff, or thousands of likes, or all these friends and followers on social networks. However, only one thing is needful. Having a fist full of dollars, a post that has thousands of likes, a magnificent estate, and a lot of prestige don't mean a whole lot in life if we've gone to our eternal address without the Lord. Lying awake at night only to find ourselves in a barren place where Christ does not dwell, and life is not found, is horrifying - worse than our worst nightmare, horrifying and forever. Let's not lose our life, our soul, our meaning, to chasing after what is not lasting and can only satisfy for a moment until we achieve the next bigger and better thing.

My Prayer...

Father, help me keep my priorities in order, my life holy, my love genuine, my heart open to your will, and my desires free from covetousness for things that don't last. I ask for the Holy Spirit's help so my own self-seeking, greed, ambition, and pride do not blind me to what is most important in my life - my walk and my relationship with Jesus. In his precious name, I pray this, as I seek to find what is true and lasting life. Amen.

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8 Related Resources by Heartlight

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Illustration

Illustration of Mark 8:36 — What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his very soul?

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About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

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