I was reading an article that gave the value of the minerals and chemicals in our bodies. The answer? Just over six dollars. The information was rather eye-opening considering a few years ago it was almost ten dollars. Talk about depreciation!

In Mark 8:36, we read: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” This verse contrasts the value of a person’s soul with the world. For many people in the world, the answer is obvious. But the consequences of making such a choice are often lost in the allure of the temptation.

The temptation of Jesus is an interesting picture of how we measure worth. Satan appeared to Jesus in the wilderness and offered Him the greatest prize at his disposal to give. Satan had all of the kingdoms of the world with all of their glory to give Jesus. The offer that these could be Jesus’ if He would fall down before Satan in worship.

Many Christians look at Satan’s offer and brush off the potential appeal of it, but I think we would be naïve to think and underestimate his abilities to put us in compromising situations. Many of the temptations we struggle with are smaller prizes than the one Jesus was offered but the cost to us is the same.

Christ had come to die on the cross so that the kingdoms of this world might become the kingdom of God. Satan, the father of lies, promised to deliver the entire world if Christ would yield to the suggestion of evil. Satan promised Jesus the fulfillment of His plan by detouring around the cross. He offered a shortcut to success. This was an attempt to buy the soul of Christ and to destroy God’s great plan of redemption. We can be grateful that Christ did not sell His soul for this promise of the world.

The idea of gaining the whole world is a promise that is impossible to fulfil. It is a pipe dream. Satan, the prince of this world, continues to promise the world to those who are willing to fall down and worship him. He will promise whatever is necessary to secure and to maintain one’s allegiance.

We read in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. So what the devil offers comes to us for an incredible price. The devil promises much but gives little. Throughout history, we have seen that no one has been able to gain the whole world. The father of lies has lived up to his name.

I love to shop. In fact, if I see signs like “Sale,” “Clearance” or “Discount,” I am attracted to them like iron to a magnet. What the devil offers us is a bad bargain. All of us are price-conscious, yet there are some things not worth scrimping over.

This should be true in every area of life including the spiritual. People often fail to count the cost of neglecting their souls. They do not count the cost of buying the world with all of its glitters at the price of losing their souls. If you could take the coin of your soul and used it to purchase the world, and if you received the whole world, you would have made a bad bargain.

We read in 1 John 2:17 that the world is perishing. Would you purchase valuable perfume if you knew that the container leaked and that the perfume would evaporate? Those of us who have walked with Christ know that the world does not satisfy. People were made for God. Deep within human hearts, there is a hunger that wealth, honour, and pleasure cannot satisfy. People are spiritual. They need God. Without God, life at its best is but a fraction and will always be incomplete.

I have met many people whose sole desire was to make money. After making sufficient monies that would last most of us for a lifetime, they continued to pursue it and in some cases, the price for success was their marriages, their families and even their health. Instead of being your servant, the world became their master. You would be possessed by the world.

There is the saying, “You cannot take it with you.” The Bible tells us all people will die. The person who has sold his soul to win the world will find himself faced with the sad destiny of having to leave it all.

Mark 8 is an unanswered question in terms of profit and loss. There is no answer concerning what a person can gain, but there is an answer to the question of what he will lose. If you sell your soul and live the life of unbelief, you lose many wonderful blessings.

Think about what is gained by turning to Christ. John 3:36 says you gain eternal life. John 8:44 says you become a child of God. Isaiah 48:22 promises peace with God. John 10:10 speaks of the abundant life available from God. And Revelation 20:15 says we will miss heaven.

In the end, it comes back to counting the cost. Satan offers you the world with all of its pleasures if you will serve him. In the end he will pay off with disappointment, death, and destruction. Christ offers you life now and life hereafter. He offers you the freedom to become all that God means for you to be.

You must make the decision regarding the destiny of your soul. You can let Satan have it, or you can entrust it into the care of Jesus Christ. If you lose your soul, it is your own responsibility. God has done and is doing all that He can to save you. He will not compel you, but He does invite you to be saved now and forever.