The Seasons Come and Go
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Jar.jaty/Febnjary, 2006. `1! 1/ The seasons come and go. PROFIT OF Loss? "For what will it profit a man if he gaitis the whole world, and Oh, that he might own this great treasure he had found! loses his owii soul?"-M ark 8:36 Some would argue that Jesus was overdrawing the picture, that God would never require this much. And besides, they he experienced business owner knows the importance of say, Jesus paid the price, so we can keep what we wish and watching the bottom line. If critical attention is not given to have the treasure of great price, too! profit and loss tracking, profits will suffer and the business Before drawing conclusions, let us consider the profit and will ultimately fail. Before making a purchase, conscientious loss. The question of profit and loss, of risk and reward, owners look carefully at the risks. applies to every aspect of life. We need to constantly ask our Yet, when it comes to the profitability of our lives, this sim selves whether the things we are seeking are worth what we ple rule is often ignored. Perhaps this is due in part to a dis are giving up in exchange. Everything has cost. Is having my torted values system. In our culture we tend to think of own way worth the cost in time, money, leisure, or freedom? personal profit in terms of money, pleasure, and things-our Eternal salvation is free-the reward is too great for us to job title, our salar' our bank account, our clothes, the model even begin to purchase it. But there is a requirement to meet of our car, our house and where we live, our friends and our which is by comparison infinitesimally small. We must pleasures-with little regard to the costs to our inner, spiritu exchange our way of life for the way of life Christ taught. "If al life, which may be very high. Didn't Jesus say, "What will it any man will come after me," said Jesus, "let him deny himself profit a man if he gaitis the whole world, and loses his own soul?" and take up his cross daily and follow me" Luke 9:23. Mark 8:36. Is this asking too much? It is, if you are satisfied with your If we use a value system based on tangibles of this world, life as it is and care for nothing better. If you are satisfied to we may discover in a time of crisis that the costs have far out live and die accepting whatever good fortune may come to weighed the real value. Like the owner of a business who gives you, then the price is too high. But for those who aspire to the investment will prove in no regard to costs, our to he short eternal benefits God offers, Jesus' offer is so much for the lit duration, rarely fully satisfying, and certain to fail ultimately. tle we give in exchange! In the parable of the Hidden Treasure, Jesus tells of one And when we begin to add up the costs, we find that some who had the right view of his personal profits and losses. Pre of the things we lose are actually gain! viously this man's investments had been in tangibles, with For example, we lose old acquaintances, pleasures, friends, nothing of permanent value-until one day he discovered real perhaps even family--all things that hurt to let go. But we treasure. Then what did he do? He went and with joy "sold all also lose discontentment. Gone is useless worn; agitation of that he hal" and bought the treasure Matt. 3:44. mind, and desire for those things that cost heavily in time What did he sell? Es Jesus saying that it is wrong to own a and money. We lose the friendship of those who are against the good. No more is the mad rush to keep up with the latest a fashions. Lost is the pride that caused us so much hurt in jeal ousy and hatred. Gone is the enslavement to a way of life that II to the eat/wit7 leads nowhere. We are giving up everything we don't need, those things that are a detriment to our well-being, especial Jo ooPk/ `oytV ly to our spiritual lives. uhYt.&1/1//1;s Yes, these are the losses when we make a wholehearted 11/OlPe 1/147/1/ if commitment. But some of the losses are actually gain And then, too, we should look at what we are losing if we don't buy the field in Jesus' parable, if we gain the whole world and "lose" our soul, our very life! house, or a car, or to have a bank account? No, the man in When we go for the gain of this world, we live in a dream His parable "sold all" by turning over His whole life to God- world, and one day we will wake up and find that all these his thoughts, his decisions, where he would go, how he worldly riches were really a delusion, and eternal death is its would use his time, what he would talk about, his friends, reward. even family if they stood between him and God. He talked Everything we give up now will ultimately be gain-we get about spiritual issues, he dreamed about the rewards of vic the immediate benefit of a more peaceful, contented life, and tory over his life of sin. He meditated on the Word of God ultimately, joy unending! For "true humility and fear of the Lord day and night. Absolutely nothing was so important as pleas Ic id to riches, honor, and long life" Prov. 22:4 NI T. ing God every moment of every day for the rest of his life. What can we possibly lose in this exchange! * WHY BELIEVE THE BIBLE? EXTERNAL EVIDENCE Ii' a' e here? Vherc did we come + Sidejre from eAba-bthIca sources froiri? Vlwreare we sea,l& his? 011511 S recod e.enwpeopleJplacn iTleEiO ii ad in me 8ie have tnhii For centuries. peop!e beets to * Sder*fi evidence ii answer these qucstio's. ,mc there is Exailciec Isaiah quotr9 the Ci,alor, aid the oath is round `isa. 4e22 iP.'tt. r'*.irix*. or Future. This Pile hail llter, - wiiF e'' I fl ye.s be.. cIei `Ce crrSd it and win, kit ,,ulv tkiiI. In ihe ExslT,it God', Lsv& to .ini n*ndatsd ,`.:.a.!mIme to avoid so..ed iiiir1IsiiIeM Ikople, c cth:ryaERnlt Is HuI 01 da.a.. 0W, Scsy-- `n',leit T BOO am belore mcdecn TlapIktlcsl. F lie iitl, t1p11* I,'iIrh. arid hil- dence con? inn ed it iIasit' vitil rFtriatt of t.tr a]] iu,t of Pjsrflt COds isis to easI mandated wht Al raining wale kz happened. Reference, Chailes I Jarsvi i: Robert besi body deaJ1rg-.ncffi than 2Q ve: 590 ]ii'rsoII. IailyIei',e O}F.ire * A.rheologicsl oSwce T'er,,,i.,Ilv. ivinit I t]i''iL abutti tin' Vtl tills CI dues TsltCn.d Al the Bible lilt rili.'i: tII iii SUE ill .tP*0lO9& digs wiOO*S SIAd arcs `ha' OF!i*ii th Bibte `liuiii,r&' if ]S, Ito'' Because the ojuhi, loday Is laIwdy pioludEced na Inst vie 8e. lu'' ir c;'r i,tar'. I find ait cFt,,lcr Italy sthedogic i9x at. b.lg derad Ink veviee or s. torn licory much hardcr to believe than to believe dsalwed. Ne'ieiltldest there Is a vt allouI 01 archedogicj e,adence oteifriting Bth facts peccle. rjacea and ovet in an .`] Till Iit Creatci and fle iiile slep Millie bclww it a further. iwople J INTERNAL EVIDCNCC ;.;]tptt un are all the string a great * lJn4oif teachings .iII ctitltrTTIIiiiT ill. lie * Testimony of ft. wm.i, tleterrtii,itsl,ni, liliti .uit{! T!'lIt,utt l,lcall * 4.ewSfr,eas accounts cIlull.Le P. !TrrleItT]SIr lieu earIkre tiIi] For Tie * Ag'e*iieI of ntuNSØeoopSotmanuscrts of Btble teds ic can ii" `0 oIlier'. uIre hen' ri + Natin of &bIe message a id L' r one a ,iotlier, to cii eve surfer i I' a rid * FuMuhTlecit oproçtier*s unimuile gtxwill, that this Pie uprcme gflI The ble edcted eve.t da?s. yearn, aid cenitijes in sdvww ill pithedes tuff ii detail eoe&s1. Std-t Prctecr FiIsdl tthrr lwIit-r II: an en4le ,otind of 11* Old isehau,ient aAlr. co.tsI,is over 2 rcaiec'n lulipod In ie w't'r&IiIr ott'ta'tP Ill viiit Ii,xti tile bripI. Si.. death and rno,recIn of Jesn and over 20® Olh prcphece tuIt,l ,iii,illni* Slut *tIiet' l]i''*r iii iorllII. ii images the' shape !cI their otto hands. J ITS MIRACULOUS PRESERVATION from clay or voorl or ,torw. + Psv& thrah the WLit shall webelii.ve'tt Flidea ias.tIidas in monaslets Dwk Ages it her-ot is it? Vher we I& k at the ti dence. * Preserved by mtil4Acify Of 00P05 eAflhlt d,co r only 01W wSUrce reliable irtfori,sa * &esavlon conMned by discoveiy of Dead Sea Scroas tiorl: the Billie. Ml.llil.u,MISSM.l Il'i!laS Ii sti. .lXi. Megiddo Message U 338-1 1C - S - . 3.: -76261 - The Mecl'H - ;`.`..d,IIIl! 11.11:1 ED `iIIFIAL PubcaHon Sl.n:'.I..r Ll-.'.:.e 1:1111.1..'. - R Il:lll, 2 Prtflt or IAss? !l,; *Ill*llll 14 I 1111:.-! An s:.I' by */ll''.