So after you have amassed riches, fame, college degrees, good-paying jobs, material possessions (i.e., wealth), lived a long adventuresome, fun, fulfilling life, had children, made it into all of the popular clubs and social circles, had your mansion built on a hill with a breathtaking, panoramic view overlooking a major city, or built your home out in the country, or on the beach (a beachfront home), traveled the world and visited every country that your heart desired to, won your Oscars, Pulitzers, Nobels, Grammies, made many friends, wrote a number one best-seller or hit song, invented something that changed the course of history, dated the men or women of your dreams, got your name in Guinness Book of World Records, done something that no one else has done, got your name down in the history books—in short, you have accomplished all of your dreams…then what? You cannot take any of that with you into the next world. The Egyptians would bury the personal trappings and other belongings (most of it valuable) with their deceased Pharaohs because they believed that he or she would need them in the next world. They actually believed that their Pharaoh’s could take those things with them. But those coffins (or sarcophaguses) were raided, just a testament to the fact that you cannot take anything from this life into the next (except things that you do for Jesus). So after all of these things are said and done then what?
Matthew 6:19-21
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Let me just say that God is not opposed to us having things, He is opposed to things having us. At least when you get saved you can start laying up for yourselves treasures in Heaven where thieves don't break in and still and where neither moths nor rust destroy. Those things will last forever. What things you ask? Everything that you do for God will be tested with fire. If the motive behind what you do survives the test then your reward will remain for eternity. Some of us will have crowns (glorious headware), and robes of righteousness (glorious apparel). Some of us will have more responsibility and glory than others. But yet there is no jealousy or envy.
Matthew 16:25-27
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
What profit is it? You have gained nothing in the final analysis. Isn't your soul (along with the spirit) more valuable than material things? Glad you asked. The soul/spirit is eternal, it will exist forever somewhere. Why spend all your life and time pursuing something that you cannot take with you when you die?
Last edited by JesusIsAlive on Sep 10th, 2006 at 11:02 PM
Some people live for the fortune
Some people live just for the fame
Some people live for the power, yeah
Some people live just to play the game
Some people think that the physical things
Define what's within
and I've been there before
that life's a bore
So full of the superficial
Some people want it all
But I don't want nothing at all
If it ain't you baby
If I ain't got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain't got you, yeah
Some people search for a fountain
That promises forever young
Some people need three dozen roses
And that's the only way to prove you love him
Hand me the world on a silver platter
And what good would it be
with no one to share
with no one who truly cares for me
Some people want it all
But I don't want nothing at all
If it ain't you baby
If I ain't got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain't got you, you, you
Some people want it all
but I don't want nothing at all
If it ain't you baby
If I ain't got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain't got you, yeah
If I ain't got you with me baby
Oh, ooh, so nothing in this whole
wide world don't mean a thing
then what? We know this world exists......all that you mention takes place therein and is therefore relevant to it. What's this, "next world" you speak of? There is nothing of it on record anywhere. If you are making a claim....please provide the evidence to support the claim you are making.
Re: What Profit Is It To Gain The Whole World But...
You die having had the most terrific F'ing life ever. You will most likely be remembered for ages to come, people will talk and write about you, your children's, children, children, children......will speak of you, and therefore you will for all effect achieved immortality.
What do you purpose for the then what? If all the above doesn't matter as you imply, do you live in self imposed poverty? I highly doubt it...
TIME this week is all about how Christianity has become a buisiness. ALl these evangelical f*cks who are making millions say god wants them to be as rich as possible.
Chirstianity, which was originally about stiving to be a better person, can only survive by allowing people to feed thier own self indulgence.
Re: Re: What Profit Is It To Gain The Whole World But...
A person may die having had the most terrific life as you say, but is that the end of the story? I tell you based on the Bible (God's Word) that no that is not the end. Just as the rich man lived it up in this life, he lifted up his eyes in hell afterwards. However, his networth was not the reason for him going to hell. You can be flat broke and end up in Hell. The Lord Jesus Christ asked the question:
Matthew 16:26
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
What profit is it to a person if he gains the whole world (read the very first post of this thread to get an example of someone living it up or gaining the whole world), but then loses his/her soul (i.e., loses it in terms of it going to Hell for eternity). What do any of you all have that you could give in exchange for your soul? According to Jesus nothing in this life is more important or more valuable than your soul. Your soul is so invaluable to God that He sent His only, begotten Son (of course the Lord Jesus consented to this) to die, and thus pay for our sins with His own shed blood just so that our soul/spirit could be saved from spiritual death (separation from God forever). The Lord Jesus subjected Himself to all sorts of abuse (spiritual, verbal, mental, and physical) so that your soul/spirit could be saved from Hell. I submit to you all that the Lord Jesus Christ speaks the truth: the soul is something to treasure and die for. Don't go to Hell for eternity. Give your lives over to the Lord Jesus now before it is too late. You may gain the whole world but lose the most important aspect of your life: your soul/spirit in Hell. It is a no-brainer to me. I am living it up (and gaining the whole world as it were) and my soul/spirit is not going to be lost in Hell. That is what God wants for everyone: to live and have the abundant life that Jesus talked about and have eternal life with God in the splendor and beauty of Paradise when your time is up here on earth. God wants you to have the best of both worlds.
John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
If you want to go to Heaven, then confess Jesus the Christ as your Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.
You will spend eternity in Heaven with God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the angels, other people who have confessed Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and last but not least, you will be able to marvel at the animals and other amazing creatures that God has created. You will be able to marvel at the beautiful city that God created for you all who are saved from their sins. You will marvel at the beauty of paradise that exists all around you in Heaven. You will be at a loss for words at the many wonderful things, sights, smells, and other things that Heaven has. Not only is God there, but you personally will have a home there. Heaven is wonderful! But even more wonderful is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Who created all of this for you to enjoy. They will love you for eternity, and you will not be able to resist loving them for eternity. God is love, light, hope, compassion, comfort, and everything that you could want and need. God will be a Father to you and you will be His sons and/or daughters. God loves all of you!
Don't miss Heaven.
Last edited by JesusIsAlive on Sep 12th, 2006 at 07:22 AM
Romans 10:13, “‘For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord [Jesus Christ] shall be saved.’”
John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God [the Father], believe also in Me [Jesus Christ]. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through Me.’”
John 12:47, “And if anyone hears My [Jesus Christ’s] words and does not believe, I [Jesus Christ] do not judge him [or her]; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
John 3:15-17, “…whoever believes in Him [Jesus Christ] should not perish but have eternal life.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “For God did not send His Son [Jesus Christ] into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
1 John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son [Jesus Christ]. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God [Jesus Christ] does not have life. These things I {John the Apostle} have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life….”
Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I [Jesus Christ] stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door [of his or her heart], I will come in to him [or you], and dine with him [or you], and he [or you] with Me.
I have a bachelor's degree, I will have a Masters soon, and I will have a high paid job, which will mostly consist of educating other people and striving to influence legislations.
If your god objects edication, then I do not like your god very much.
And why do we have to do anythig for Jesus - I tought he did stuff for us?
__________________
في هذا العالم ثلاثة أشخاص أفسدوا البشرية : راعي غنم , طبيب و راكب الجمال , و راكب الجمال هو أسوأ نشال و أسوأ مشعوذ بين الثلاثة
Gender: Male Location: Drifting off around the bend
Re: What Profit Is It To Gain The Whole World But...
If you live your life and do not make proper use of your abilities and means, you are unprofitable. God gave people the means to be prosperous, it is important to strive to increase whatever you have. God's creation wasn't just the spiritual, he created the things that make a man rich. Riches and other worldly possessions are to be pursued, they just should not take precedence over spiritual growth. If one is capable of making a great movie, earning a Nobel prize, earn an Oscar, etc. and does not, he is an unprofitable servant.
Re: Re: Re: What Profit Is It To Gain The Whole World But...
Honestly, that seems like a easy cop-out. One could then be a greedy thieving murderer the majority of their life, then have an epiphany, accept "Jesus the Christ as your Lord" and win a free trip to heaven and live in the afterlife side by side with the truly 'good' people by your rational. To me, it seems like an excuse to do whatever you like because you can then rationalize that 'I'll feel bad for it later and then be forgiven'.
Also, you never answered my question, do you live in self imposed poverty and give all you can to those less fortunate, saving only the bare minimum for yourself?
Gender: Unspecified Location: One for the other hand
I can’t remember off the top of my head but there was a serial killer about to be put to death reading the bible and the guards asked him what he was doing and he said “looking for loop holes”. Wish I could remember who that was.
Re: Re: Re: Re: What Profit Is It To Gain The Whole World But...
Not really Rob., you see God "knows" and "weighs" the hearts. God is aware of this seeming loophole in His plan, but it is just that: a seeming loophole. No one on this planet (past, present, or future) will outhink, outmanuever, or circumvent God's judgment. God is always infinitely steps ahead of our rationalizations, logic, and line of reasonings. In other words, God already has factored this variable or dynamic into the equation and prepared for it. There is nothing that surprises God, He sees everything (the past, the present moment, and the future simultaneously. God is truly the Bomb (as some say in modern vernacular). There is none like Him. Don't sweat the small stuff Rob., remember your thinking is finite. But God's understanding is in-fi-nite.
I leave you with these Scriptures and this definition:
1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts . Then each one’s praise will come from God.
Matthew 10:26
Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known .
Hebrews 4:13
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked ; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Main Entry: 1in·fi·nite
Pronunciation: 'in-f&-n&t
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English infinit, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin infinitus, from in- + finitus finite
1 : extending indefinitely : ENDLESS <infinite space>
2 : immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive : INEXHAUSTIBLE <infinite patience>
3 : subject to no limitation or external determination
4 a : extending beyond, lying beyond, or being greater than any preassigned finite value however large <infinite number of positive numbers> b : extending to infinity <infinite plane surface> c : characterized by an infinite number of elements or terms <an infinite set> <an infinite series> - in·fi·nite·ly adverb
- in·fi·nite·ness noun
Now, why do you ask the question:
"do you live in self imposed poverty and give all you can to those less fortunate, saving only the bare minimum for yourself?"
I surmise that you and others on this forum have greatly misunderstood my purpose for creating this thread. My intent was not to give the impression that there was anything remotely wrong with being wealthy and affluent. My purpose was to underscore the folly and injudiciousness (is that a word?) of ignoring one's eternal spirit (the spirit needs to be saved from sin or when you die you are going to end up in Hell) in favor of pursuing material things. Get saved first that way your eternal destiny is secure. Then go ahead and procure wealth and what not. God is not against folks establishing themselves financially.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth , and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.
Do you follow me Rob.? Let me say this for the record (actually I already have said this in the very first post of this thread, but it seems that it was overlooked): God is not opposed to us being rich, wealthy, or affluent.
Psalm 112:3
Wealth and riches will be in his house , and his righteousness endures forever.
I hope you all got that this time. What God objects to is us being so fixated and obsessed with material things including money that we become selfish, penny-pinching, uncharitable, ungenerous, parsimonious misers. Moreover, God is against us trusting in our money and depending on it instead of seeing money as just a tool.
2 Corinthians 9:7
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
1 Timothy 6:17
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy .
But if I am wealthy and affluent and I live in opulent surroundings, and I have an exceedingly, substantial bank account, and make at least an effort to help those who are less fortunate (financially and materially in this case), then I am using my wealth the way God intends.
Ephesians 4:28
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need .
Can you all see the difference?
There is a difference between being a wealthy, but stingy person, and a wealthy person who gives to others. I never said that there was anything wrong with people having nice expensive things or a substantial bank account. There is nothing wrong with it as far as God is concerned. Hey, the more that you have, the more help you can provide for those who are not as fortunate as you. If I have one million dollars in my bank account (all surplus money, none of it is retirement money) and you have only one hundred dollars in your bank account (all discretionary funds, none of it retirement money), it stands to reason that I could do more financially for others than you can. It is just common sense. So, to sum all of this up: God was, is, and will not ever be opposed to wealth, affluence, or riches. Heaven is replete with opulence all around. God is so wealthy that His streets are made of gold (not lined with gold). The gates (and there are twelve of them) of New Jerusalem in Heaven are each solid pearl (not that little pearl that you are accustomed to seeing either).
Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass .
This is going to be my new hometown for eternity.
The entire city in Heaven (it is called New Jerusalem) is pure gold and it is surrounded by a wall made of jasper. The foundations of New Jerusalem are twelve precious stones.(
Revelation 21:18-20
18 The construction of its wall was of jasper ; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass . 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
The Bible does not really describe what Heaven looks like but it does describe what the Heavenly city, New Jerusalem, looks like. Heaven is not this city, but the city is a subset of Heaven. Heaven is perhaps a planet. The Bible does not say that so I will just stick to the Bible's description of New Jerusalem.
One of the more striking features of the New Jerusalem is its vast size. In 21:16, John measures the city with a golden rod given to him by the angel, and records it as being 12,000 stadia by 12,000 stadia at the base, as well as 12,000 stadia high. A stadion is usually stated as 185.4 meters, or 600 feet , so the base has dimensions of about 2225 km by 2225 km, or 1500 miles by 1500 miles. These measurements equate to an area of 4.9 million square kilometers, which is larger than the 3,892,685 km˛ of the 25 states of the European Union in 2005, but smaller than the 7,617,930 km˛ of Australia. In the ancient Greek system of measurement, the base of the New Jerusalem would have been equal to 144 million square stadia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerusalem)
The jasper wall of New Jerusalem is 600 feet high, its length 1500 miles, and its width 1500 miles. I got one word to describe this: Wow! Amazing! Huge! I can't wait! Sorry, folks for getting a little carried away. New Jerusalem is half the distance of the United States, and it is a city! There isn't a city this large in the universe. God truly is omnipotent or Almighty. The sheer power it took to create a city of this magnitude astounds me.
Last edited by JesusIsAlive on Sep 13th, 2006 at 09:19 PM
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What Profit Is It To Gain The Whole World But...
Sep 10th, 2006 10:56 PM
