Daily Devotional for March 12

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March 12                                                           John 8:31-59

      Gain the World - Forfeit the Soul

A friend came to see me the other day. Sobbing, he poured
out a tale of abuse and arguments with his spouse. He had lost
all confidence in God, in his relationship skills, in himself.
"Pastor, I feel like I've lost my soul," he wept.

I recalled the last time I had seen him. He had been attending
church regularly, learning a great deal, loving Jesus. But
because he was lonely, we had prayed for God to send him
someone special with whom he could share his life. And God
answered our prayers. A beautiful partner for him came along,
and they entered into a relationship with each other.

But then my friend forgot Jesus' words about seeking God's
dominion above everything else. Suddenly the new partner
was taking all of his time. Instead of bringing his spouse to
church, he stayed away. He made his partner the center of
his life, and thereby began the painful process of gaining the
world but losing his soul.

How like that young man we are prone to be! So many voices
compete for our attention that it is easy to ignore the one voice
that says, "For those who would save their life will lose it;
and those who lose their life for my sake and the Gospel's will
save it."

How different life could have been for my friend if he had
prayerfully led his young spouse into the knowledge of God.
Failing that, he himself could at least have remained faithful
to God. As it was, he had made his partner his god and had
suffered the consequences. The solution to his problem was
to place his spouse in the proper role, that of a human being
created by God. With this change, he began to rediscover his
own soul.

          Gracious God, help me to put you first in all
     that I do. If I begin to wander, I trust you to gently
                           call me back. Amen.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989