Overflow – What Good Is It?

Matthew 16:26

It is estimated that Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal and SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, has a net worth of over $268 Billion.  That’s a lot of money!  To put it in context, if Musk lived another 50 years, he could spend almost $15 Million every single day, without even considering interest earned on the money!  Wow … That’s a whole lot of money!

But what good is it?  Really.  What good is it, ultimately?

Jesus asked a similar question in Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

To be clear, my purpose is not to imply anything about Mr. Musk’s soul.  My purpose is to ask you to think about Jesus’ questions.  And to evaluate yourself in light of those questions.

First, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”  This question is clearly asked as a rhetorical one.  The answer is straightforward.  It is absolutely no good to forfeit your soul for anything – even everything – in the world.  And yet the things of the world are a key temptation for almost everyone.

The second question amplifies the first, “What can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”  The obvious answer, again, is that you can give absolutely nothing in exchange for your soul.  You don’t have anything that is worth what your soul is worth.  Not even if you had as much money as Elon Musk.   Not even if you had all of the money and wealth in the world.

What is your life demonstrating that you value?  Is it valuing the things of the world?  Or valuing the eternal things of God?  God calls us to put our time, our affection, our devotion on what is truly most valuable.

Jim Elliot, a missionary who died a martyr’s death said famously, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”