What is the sense of gaining the whole world if in the end we lose our souls?

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10

We live in a world that worships money. We look at our 401 K statements each week to see how we're doing. Are we on track. Will I have enough money to afford those annual trips to Europe each winter? Can I afford that brand new sports car that begs me to buy? 

We want more money so we can buy stuff to impress people we do not even know.

When our investments head south, or in some cases, bankrupt, we suddenly lose hope. We forget, thanks to the ongoing arguments of the atheist movement, to pray to our Lord who wants us to call upon His name. We're told since the 60's not to mention the name of Jesus in any public square because of the separation of Church and state.  For some, they stop going to church on a regular basis. On one secular radio station on a Sunday morning, there is this program called the investment hour where they answer questions from people calling in wondering what they should do the investments that have a poor performance? 

Today, we have whole generations of people who have walked away from God who has never seen the insides of the Church.

I look at our celebrities and I see brokenness. I see pain and with a couple of them, I see horror as their lives unravel for all the world to see. 

As I read countless article after another, I've reminded over again the evils of money. In the Gospel of Mark 10, a man ran up to Jesus and fell at his knee. "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus proceeded to remind this man of the commandments- you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother. The man looked at Jesus and said, " all these I kept since I was a boy!" Jesus looked at him and loved him. " One thing you lack," He said, " Go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven."

At this, the man's face fell. He went away sad as he had great wealth. 

We must never be ashamed of our Bible because in those pages is the hope we have in life- even when tragedy strikes or our investment portfolio heads south.  I'm reminded by the words of the Pastor on communion Sunday, "Christ blood shed for you", as a reminder of how much God loved me that he sacrificed his son on the cross for me and for you! 

As I watch all of the people I use to looked up to fall, I'm reminded that I must keep my eyes squarely on Jesus. I see through those people how much control money had on their lives. 

Finally, I'm reminded of this question, " how much do you have to have to be happy?"   

" Just a little bit more than what I have."

The point is we're never satisfied by how much wealth we have!

We have this hope in Christ that renews our mind from the destructive messages that make us feel we're beyond hope.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20

Shame is like being the aging prizefighter who finds himself on the ropes receiving the punishing blows of his much younger opponent while listening to those messages, "I'm no good, I never should have considered getting back into the ring, why did I ever do this."

As our lives become shame-based, it is easy to believe that we're beyond hope. We see ourselves as unlovable and far beyond the love of Christ. Tragedy and trauma have a way of making us feel that God doesn't love us- and if he did, then my love would still be alive.

At their recent concert, I had a hard time keeping my eyes dry listening to this song.

Here I am

All my intentions

All my obsessions

I want to lay them all down 

In Your hands

God, I need you, I want you, but you don't need me. The messages we listen to in this life can send us all down a spiral staircase of despair, as though we're sitting in the abyss of hopelessness trying disparately to reach God.

Only Your love is vital 

Though I'm not entitled 

Still, You call me Your child 

God, You don't need me

I was reminded over again in God's precious Gospels how much God truly loved me. He loved me so much that he sent his son, Jesus to die for every one of my sin's He, alone, gives me the renewed purpose for living when tragedy takes someone away from us that we've loved. He, alone, gives us hope while we grieve.

But somehow You want me

Oh, how You love me

Somehow that frees me 

To take my hands off of my life 

And the way it should go

God, You don't need me

I often wondered why God didn't just start over with our planet, especially when mankind's sins started poisoning the atmosphere. But He didn't. He promised from the beginning of creation that he would make all things new. He spoke through major and minor prophets and His story became the greatest best seller in life- his guidebook on how to live this life!

But somehow You want me

Oh, how You love me

Somehow that frees me 

To open my hands up 

And give You control 

I give You control

Somehow, shame has a way of keeping us from yielding control while listening to those messages in our mind that tell us 'we're no good' While you believe you're a failure, God is gently prodding you trying to get your attention and reminding you He has a wonderful plan for your life!

I've had plans

Shattered and broken

Things I have hoped in

Fall through my hands 

You have plans

He wants to replace all of your old messages and give you the new message of hope. He wants you to know that you were worth dying for- that Jesus's death and resurrection were for you also.Through a simple prayer accepting Jesus into your heart will give you the hope you so disparately need.

To redeem and restore me 

You're behind and before me 

Oh, help me believe 

God, You don't need me

Your life doesn't need to end with the tragedy of losing someone close to you. You may not see him or her in this lifetime, but when you received Jesus into your life, God will whisper sweet messages into your soul that will give you the hope you need to go through the storms of this life.

But somehow You want me

Oh, how You love me

Somehow that frees me 

To take my hands off of my life 

And the way it should go, oh 

God You…

Jesus, thank you for coming into my life that spring day in 1974 in that little coffee house when I opened the door of my life. You replaced the old messages with new ones that gave me the hope I needed in this life! If you are missing someone who isn't here today due to a tragedy, I encourage you to consider a griefshare group near you. Griefshare will teach you how to travel through the pain of grief instead of around it. It will help you see that God will help you heal and give a new hope you need in this life. www.griefshare.org

Was there a purpose for this pain

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see Hebrews 11:1

I remember standing in Target center on April 13th with tears flowing down my face as I tried to sing this song. I remember asking God the same question that was in this song- was there a purpose for my pain?   It is often the one question that either sends mankind down a path of deeper understanding of God or a path leading to doubt and uncertainty and anger toward God.

As I walk this great unknown

Questions come and questions go

Was there purpose for the pain?

Did I cry these tears in vain?

Because we live in a fallen world, tragedy is everywhere. When it happens, one often feels they are adrift in a stormy sea wondering if they will ever survive. Fear often fills the heart of man. Fear plus anger plus rejection of God sends them down a cascading slope of despair and doubt that there really is a God.

I knew I didn't want to live in fear.  I knew I couldn't isolate myself from those around me. I knew I  had to trust my Lord and Savior that he knew what to do with my pain. and  trust  Him while finding solace in God's word.

I don't want to live in fear

I want to trust that You are near

Trust Your grace can be seen

In both triumph and tragedy

When really bad things happen in this life, it gives me peace to look back to the day I received Jesus Christ as my Savior. I had to cling to the moment I prayed to receive this Savior at a small Christian coffee house in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The day I yield control of my life to Jesus. The day Jesus came in and spoke words of encouragement to my soul. I had to hang on to all those miracle moments of my life of Jesus rescuing me.

I have this hope

In the depth of my soul

In the flood or the fire

You're with me and You won't let go

I've seen Jesus bless our family when our children were sick, and I've seen him give us the strength when death took the lives of my parents and the life of our youngest child. Yet, I was filled with the hope of Christ as I grieved- the hope that God is alive and that one day we would see not only our loved ones but our living Savior.

But sometimes my faith feels thin

Like the night will never end

Will You catch every tear

Or will You just leave me here?

Despite the deepest pain, my God never lets me go. He is there with me every scorching step of the way. He gives me peace when I had none. He reminds me of Hebrews 1 of many who clung to their faith despite tragedy.

But I have this hope

In the depth of my soul

In the flood or the fire

You're with me and You won't let go

My God is my hope no matter what comes my way in this life. He gives me the hope I need as I grieve. He assures me that I will see my loved ones again. He will never let you go no matter what happens to you in this life. 

Yes, I have this hope

In the depth of my soul

In the flood or the fire

You're with me and You won't let go

So, whatever happens, I will not be afraid

Cause You are closer than this breath that I take

You…

The all quintessential question becomes- where is God when tragedy happens in your life. We must learn how to trust God not only when good things happen, but when those painful losses occur.  If you're struggling over the death of a loved one, I encourage you to consider attending a 13-week Grief share group near you. This group will teach you to go through the pain than around it. It will give you the tools to draw near to God. www.griefshare.org