Is Anything Worth More Than Your Soul? Finding the Right Direction for Your Life
Have you ever wondered if you're headed in the right direction? Maybe you get lost on vacation, or you're questioning whether you're on the right path with your family, your career, or your life in general. I wonder about this sometimes too. As a mom with two littles, life can feel quite chaotic — seriously, trying to get a three-year-old out the door in the morning is like herding a cat. He's always going in the wrong direction.
Kind of like watching those itty-bitty T-Ball games. Have you ever watched three-year-olds play T-Ball? Absolute chaos. Every single one is going in a different direction. Sometimes our spiritual lives feel similar. If we're not careful, we can get out of line, drift in the wrong direction — the direction of the world — and not the direction of Jesus.
A Question Worth Sitting With
We've been in a series called Overheard, taking a look at some of the questions Jesus asked those who followed Him throughout His ministry on Earth. This week, we're looking at one of the most personal questions Jesus ever asked: "Is anything worth more than your soul?"
This question comes from Mark 8:36-37, right after Jesus' disciple Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah. And before we get to Jesus' question, we need to understand what happened right before it.
When We Underestimate What God Might Do
In Mark 8:31-32 (NLT), we read: "Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things."
Peter had just declared Jesus to be the Messiah — a savior, a liberator, someone destined to bring salvation, justice, and a new era of peace. He's not wrong; Jesus is all of those things. But to Peter, a Messiah was not someone who could be defeated and die. As soon as Jesus begins predicting His death and resurrection, Peter is thinking, "Hold up — oh no, no, no. That's not happening. That's not what happens to a Messiah."
It's almost like Peter gets locked in on just one name, one characteristic of Jesus — underestimating what God might do. Very similar to my three-year-old, Wyatt, who calls my husband Jake by his first name instead of "Dad" or "Daddy." My husband will correct him and say, "I'm not Jake, I'm Daddy." Peter gets locked in on the version of Jesus he has in his mind. But Jesus is not just that — He's so much more.
Seeing Things From God's Point of View
Jesus responds to Peter in Mark 8:33 (NLT): "Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."
That seems harsh, right? But Peter's remarks diminish the power of Jesus, the hope of Jesus, the authority of Jesus. And it's so hard for us to think about or imagine anything beyond what we have going on right in front of us. So often our mindsets are just on what's happening today, and not the bigger picture. God's view of things gets lost.
But what happens next displays the grace and purpose Jesus has for people.
A Clear Direction
In Mark 8:34-37 (NLT), Jesus calls the crowd to join His disciples and says: "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"
At the time of this encounter, Jesus was on a journey to Jerusalem — the place where the most significant sacrifice the world would ever witness was about to happen. He was later beaten, hung on the cross, crucified, buried, and came back to life three days later. And He invites the disciples to join Him on that journey.
Bible commentator David Smith puts it this way: "Repent and believe is now being recast in what might be called more accurately 'follower-ship.' This is a call of full commitment to a person (Jesus) and a direction (Jerusalem, self-denial). Simply, it is a call to that which is 'other than us.'"
Jesus invites us to head in the direction of self-denial with Him. Jesus invites us to get behind Him and align our hearts with His. Jesus invites us to live a life that is "other than us."
And when we do, He promises that we will no longer long for the things of this broken world, but our soul will be fulfilled, saved, and safe with Jesus. Is anything worth more than that? No.
Putting It Into Practice
So what does it actually look like to give up your life for Jesus' sake and the sake of the Good News? How can we head in the same direction as Jesus?
Discover what God's point of view of YOU is. Whether you're brand new to church or have been following Jesus for some time, this is a great question to think about. Maybe that looks like reading through a book of the Bible like John or Matthew — both walk through the life and ministry of Jesus from different points of view and share God's plan for redemption. No matter where you've been, what you've done, or how inadequate you might feel, I think God's point of view of you will surprise you.
Align your heart with the heart of God. When we start looking at life through the lens of God, we start desiring the things of the world less. That's what Jesus is getting at with His question. You can have all that the world offers — but you can't take it with you, and you can lose yourself in those longings for success, wealth, and approval. Earthly stuff is a bad bargain. Instead, there is joy set before us when we get behind Jesus and align our hearts with His. As Jesus says in Matthew 20:28 (NLT), "Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Do it. Follow the way of Jesus. Lay down your life and follow Him. Dave Ramsey's famous rule states that winning with money is 80% behavior and only 20% head knowledge — the math is easy, but the real challenge is actually doing it. Taking up your cross daily is similar. Jesus has laid out the direction, extended the invitation, and shown us the way. Twenty percent head knowledge, eighty percent doing it.
And here's the thing — Jesus promises that this is worth it, not just in eternity, but right here and right now. In John 10:10, Jesus promises a rich and satisfying life. Never lose sight of that.
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
I want to close with this encouragement from Hebrews 12:1-3 (MSG): "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"
Not only did Jesus give us a clear example and direction for our lives — He's already finished the race. The same God who defeated sin and death is the same God who walks with you through life today. He's already experienced every human emotion, pain, and brokenness. He did it all for you.
So I've got just one more question for you: How is it with your soul? Are you giving it away to the world — or will you lay it all down and receive the promise, hope, and life God has for you?