Legend has it that the Roman emperor Charlemagne asked to be entombed sitting upright in his throne when he died.
He asked that his crown be placed on his head, with his scepter in hand, the royal cape draped around his shoulders, and an open text be placed in his lap.
That was in 841 A.D.
Almost 200 years later, Emperor Othello decided to see if the burial request had been honored. He sent a team of men to open the tomb and make a report.
They found the remains just as Charlemagne had requested.
And there, on skeletal thighs, was the text Charlemagne requested — this passage from the Book of Matthew: “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?”
Charlemagne wanted to pass on an important lesson: What good is all the power, prestige, wealth and position at the end of your life if the price is your soul?
No earthly possessions that people struggle to acquire and maintain do any good at the end of life. And because a person may have spent so much time pursuing “good things” in this world, and only engaged in a cursory pursuit of the things of God, this life might be enjoyed to some degree, but that person will be miserable for eternity.
Pursuing the things of this world means your soul will starve to death.
If you continuously search for the “good things” in this life, if you make a priority of security, ease and comfort, if every decision you make is based on what the world says should motivate you, you will lose everything of true importance.
You will lose sight of the fact that God is your creator.
You will lose sight of the value of every person around you.
You will lose your integrity as a Christian.
You will lose sight of your own soul's worth.
Ponder this question: “How do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?”
Remind yourself constantly to pursue the things of God in Jesus Christ, not the things of the world.
By doing this, you will gain everlasting life in the eternal presence of God.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: What if you gain the world but lose your soul?