He is a fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. (Jim Elliott, martyred missionary)

Practical jokes on April Fool’s Day are often silly and comical. Everybody laughs (except for the victim of the prank). But Elliott was speaking of something far more significant—something for which he willingly gave his life. He spoke of the folly of trying to gain riches and fame when both are only temporary at best. He challenges us to value the lasting, the eternal.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (Matthew 16:26)