Title: The Most Important Thing / Matthew 16:26
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? What will a man give in exchange for his life?
If you look at Luke 9:51 and below, you will find outrageous words of the disciples. James and John suggested that the village of Samaria be destroyed by fire. The disciples, who had to raise the dead, said that they would destroy a village like Sodom and Gomorrah. At that moment their reason was paralyzed. They were so angry because the villagers rejected and did not accept Jesus and themselves. But what they were saying was too much anger that I couldn't comprehend.
But the Lord was not angry. He rebuked the disciples and went to another village. Actually, if you think about it, it doesn't matter whether you stay in that village or stay in another village. Whether or not you eat one meal in that town is of no importance to the Lord's work. The most important thing was to carry the cross and save mankind. Therefore, the reaction of the villagers was not an issue. It was too trivial to care.
Today, we live too attached to trivial things. It was as if the disciples were paralyzed by reason because of the trivial things in front of them. In some cases, the person in front of you was killed by using a payphone for a long time. Some people hit the car in front of you while driving. There are people who drove their cars to the police box to express their anger over being caught drunk driving. You end up seeing over-excitement and narcissism from doing nothing. The problem is that while doing so, you neglect the really important things.
The most important thing for a student is to study. It doesn't matter what clothes or shoes you wear. The main thing for a housewife is the happiness of the family. It doesn't matter how high-end wardrobe you use. In choosing a job, what is more important than the amount of income is the worth of the job. In choosing a mate, more important than beauty and talent is whether or not you can achieve life together. We could give any number of examples of something more important.
But above all of this, there is one thing that matters most. It is our soul. In the text, the Lord said that no matter how much a person gains the whole world, it is of no use if he loses his life. Obviously, life is precious. Eternal life is the most precious thing. Therefore, our soul, the subject who seeks and enjoys that eternal life, is very precious.
Therefore, we should treat our souls as much as they are precious. In addition to feeding for the body, you must also feed the soul. More than exercising and sweating for physical health, we need to exercise spiritually for spiritual health. God loves those who are healthy in spirit, those who are pure in spirit, and those who are fat in spirit. Even if the body is healthy and you feed and clothe it with good things, you don't like people who are weak in spirit, turbid, and skinny.
Typical examples are the priest Eli and Samuel. Priest Eli was Israel's greatest spiritual leader at the time, and he was an expert in God's service. He was the supreme leader of Israel at a time when there was no king. Samuel, on the other hand, was a child, inexperienced, inexperienced, and on the road to learning. But it was Samuel, not Eli, who was called when God revealed his secret providence. Rather, Eli had to learn from Samuel. This is disgraceful. The teacher taught the disciple, and the high priest taught the child. But the spiritual reality was so. God loved Samuel more than Eli.
God loved Samuel for one reason. He was inexperienced and weak, but a clear soul. Immaturity is not a sin. You just need to learn and fill in the gaps. The problem is that it's dirty and ugly. The soul is left unattended and becomes like a dusty room. This is the most serious problem.
Let's love the most precious thing. Let's become saints who love souls. So, I pray that our souls will become a clean vessel that does not lack to contain eternal life.