JUNE 14 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#19 “For what profit is it to man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

 

JUNE 14  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#19  

“For what profit is it to man if he gains the whole world, 

and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, all Praise, all Glory, and all Honor to the Son that was willing

 to Sacrifice Himself that all who call on His Name might be Saved

 from the curse and slavery of sin which entered the world 

because of an act of disobedience that has been repeated

 in each individual’s personal life as we continue to live for ourselves

 and ignore the “Gift” of True Freedom that God 

has so generously offered everyone that will but “receive”

 the Grace extended to all.

 Lord Jesus, even when we have accepted the “gift” 

we need daily reminders that we must guard against slipping back 

into the sin of disobedience when we take 

the shadowy path of self gratification 

and turn from the Light 

and drift away from the True Path to the Narrow Gate, 

a Path that never goes through the Valley of Self, 

but remains day-by-day clearly marked by the 

Beacon of God’s Truth.     

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus never lets any circumstance in our lives degrade into us losing ground

 to the enemy and therefore it is clearly 

God’s “Intent” that we see His Truth and use God’s Truth 

so that we can guard against attacks from the deceiver!  

JQ#19 is an excellent example of the depth that God will go 

to Teach us that we must be on guard against these attacks from the enemy 

that the enemy launches by infecting us with a “virus” 

attached to our “good intentions”!!!  

Though we “intend to do good” the “enemies’s virus” will actually create

 a distance between ourselves and God and in turn becomes

 a major victory for the enemy. 

Jesus is Teaching in JQ#19 the

 “eternal value of the soul” 

which is an eternal unique gift from God. 

We must continually be aware that if the enemy can cause us 

to not appreciate “God’s gift” then we are in effect

 not receiving the “gift” in a manner 

that “honors” the “Gift-Giver”. 

The enemy knows how much 

God desires for us to accept His “Gift” 

and to use it to defend against the attacks from the enemy —

 but this is a sad thing, that instead of using the “Gift”

 to defend ourselves from the enemy, we disrespect the “Gift” 

and end up aiding the enemy in his desire to keep us from God. 

This is a very fine point but if we do not “understand” its significance 

then we will suffer defeat from within and fall victim 

to the sin of disobedience and self-destruction. 

Jesus had commanded us when Teaching us about sharing 

the Love of the Father that we must pay close attention 

to not go the way of the world but to follow the example

 of Jesus and the Father as Jesus said:

 

“Therefore you shall be perfect, 

just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) 

And lest we overlook the fine print, remember that 

Jesus was Teaching us that by being obedient to the Father

 that we would be on the True Path 

and “…that [we] may be sons [and daughters]

 of [our] Father in heaven…” (Matthew 5:45). 

If we fail to read the “fine print” we will lose all the benefits 

of being “heirs to the kingdom” if we like Esau will sell our “birthright”

 for a bowl of stew to satisfy a worldly hunger. 

Selling our “spiritual birthright to the kingdom” is what we are doing 

if we do not keep on guard for the attack of the enemy from within ourselves 

as we think with all honorable intentions that God needs 

our limited finite abilities to work out a “Spiritual” problem for Him!?!?. 

This is why Jesus calls our attention to the fact that He 

“must … suffer many things … be killed …

 and be raised the third day …” (Matthew 16:21) 

and then why He reacted the way He did when Peter 

(with all good intentions succumbed to an

 attack from the enemy from within) as Peter

 “took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke Him saying, 

‘far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” 

(Matthew 16:22)

 Peter had been the one to whom God had revealed that 

Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)  

and now here is Peter telling Jesus that the things 

that Jesus said “must” happen, “… shall not happen …” ?!? 

Definitely this is an attack from within and Jesus calls out the enemy post haste:

 “But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter,

 ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, 

for you are not mindful of the things of God, 

but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23) 

Jesus makes it very clear in these three verses that we 

“MUST” be on guard from these internal attacks from the enemy

 that uses our “good intentions” as Trojan Horses

 to hurt our relationship with God. 

Do you not see that

 when we think we can “take control” of God’s Plan 

that we become an “offense” to God 

and can’t you hear the enemy laughing out loud at us 

and pointing his crooked little finger saying,

 “Don’t look at me, you did it to yourself” ?!?!? 

The Good News here is that Jesus won’t let that happen 

because He cannot be fooled by Satan like we can, 

and remember Jesus promised: 

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

(Matthew 28:20)