Happy Monday! This morning I was on my way to water aerobics I listening to my Women of Faith drive time devotion. The scripture verse caused me to think of the headlines that has led every newscast since Friday afternoon.

Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his soul?”

Michael Jackson died last Friday. The world is in shock, but he has a family that is in mourning. As someone who knows firsthand, no parent should ever bury their child. To the world Michael Jackson was a musical genius and consummate entertainer. To his family he was son and brother, father to three children and relative to extended family. His fame gained him lots of money and world wide exposure, but all outward appearances and reports tell us that he was a tormented soul. I don’t know where Michael Jackson was in his faith and belief in God, but I pray that he was received into the Kingdom of Heaven with the open arms of Jesus waiting to welcome him home. I pray that this man is truly resting peacefully in the arms of Jesus, for peace seems to be something that eluded him here on earth. Michael Jackson gained the world. But at what cost did he gain the world?

Let’s talk about someone who was offered the world and turned it down. Remember Jesus just after His baptism? Scripture tells us that as soon as the dove rested on His shoulder, God voiced His approval of the obedience of His Son, and Jesus immediately went out unto the wilderness and was there for forty days and nights. During that time Jesus met Satan face to face. Satan tempted Jesus with everything. Satan tempted Jesus with the world and all it could afford if He would just bow down and worship him. Jesus was from a poor family, He was out in the wilderness, hungry, probably tired, dirty, thirsty, maybe with insect bites and scratches from the local plant life. The world Satan was offering may have looked good. It would have provided wealth, food, drink, a bath, clean clothes and some rest. Jesus refused all of the offerings of Satan and remained obedient to God. Jesus knew the things of this world are temporal.

Jesus is far less interested in what we have and more interested in our hearts. Do we have a heart for God? Do we go to worship to be seen or do we go to worship to see God? Did we answer the call to care for others? Are we examples of grace in action?

When we go before God someday there is not a single tangible item we will take with us. What God wants to see are the trophies won in His name. He wants to see written in our hearts the people who came to know Him because of our testimony of His love for us in our own lives. God is looking for the way we treated those around us.

The Jackson family will grieve and mourn over the death of their son and brother. His children will grow up without their father. The family will have to endure the relentless press, rumors, judgments and invasions of their privacy during this time of mourning when all they should be asked to do is grieve their loss and cling to each other for support. They will not have earthly peace for a long time as they attempt to unravel the life of their loved one.

Maybe we can take a lesson from this. Perhaps worldly treasure is not as important as heavenly peace. My prayer for the Jackson family is that they will cling to the promises of God and they, as a family, will grow closer to the One who holds all of us in His hand and next to His heart. For each of us my prayer is to hug each other a little more often, say I love you each chance we get and to share the love of God with those we meet.

Take joy in the journey and stay cool. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.