And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8:34-37
Despite his success in developing the Ford Mustang, which reached unprecedented sales figures after its introduction in 1964, Lee Iacocca was ousted from the Ford Motor Company in a power struggle. When Crysler was on the brink of bankruptcy a few years later, Iacocca was brought in to try to resurrect the failing automaker. He made a series of commercials talking directly to the potential customer and putting a face on the company. As sales started to rise, Iacocca became a popular national figure. His autobiography Iacocca was the best-selling hardback non-fiction book in both 1984 and 1985. Yet, for all his success, Iacocca didn’t find real satisfaction. In that book he wrote, “Here I am in the twilight years of my life, still wondering what it’s all about. I can tell you this: fame and fortune is for the birds.”
The things that this world values and so many people spend their entire lives on have little value in the eyes of God. We can go through life trying to take the easy way and avoid sacrifice, but there is no way to follow Jesus unless we are willing to pick up our cross. In the eyes of those around us, the things that Christians sacrifice for the cause of Christ seem like foolishness. But we are living for a cause that is worthy of sacrifice and that produces far greater and longer lasting rewards. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
