Photo by joey graham on Unsplash
My pastor recently narrated how over the Christmas holidays, his family had a near miss experience of losing a precious little item. Buried under the pile of torn wrappings from all their Christmas presents sat a treasured gift. They had gathered up all the rubbish and stuffed it away in the bin only for them to later discover that something was missing… and so the search began. It was quite a tasking search, thankfully, not a futile one, as the lost item was found right at the bottom of the bin and rescued just in time!
As we look forward to a new year, it is important to remind ourselves of what truly matters, and give ourselves to the pursuit of such matters. There’s so much clamouring for our time, energy and resources; yet some things are more valuable than others. See how Jesus helps us make a striking value judgement:
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 16:24–26 (ESV).
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
– Jim Elliot
So, as 2018 draws to a close, if there’s a charge to be given, it is this – don’t lose a precious thing!
Happy New Year!
Thanks for reading.
Sike Osinuga.