The Worth of One's Soul

 "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16

    The older I get, the longer it takes to get ready for an outing. Flossing, filing and fooling with my hair, finding proper clothes to best cloak the evidence of age all take time.  I wonder, how does that time compare with what I have invested in the nurturing of my soul? 

    The dictionary definition of "soul" is "the spiritual part of a human being, thought to be immortal," but what does the Bible have to say about the soul?

• Our soul is made for praise: "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name." Psalm 103:1
• Our soul is designed to love: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5
• Our soul needs rest: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29
• There is longing within: "A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil." Proverbs 13:19
• Beware! It can be condemned to hell: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28
• Sadly, it can be forfeited: "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" Matthew 16:26

     I was trying to remember an old movie I saw once in which a guy sold his soul to the devil. When I googled around for it, I found information on real folks who have, reportedly, sold their soul to Satan! Unbelievably sad. 

    The opening verse for this post indicates a crossroads, a blip on one's timeline where there's a choice to be made that has eternal consequences. How important is your soul to you? Do you spend time feeding it with good things or is it expendable, up for sale? For all the time and care spent on the body, it will decompose in the ground one day, so doesn't it make perfect sense to concentrate on the immortal part of us? 

    Your soul is so valuable to God that He sent His only Son into this world, not to condemn it, but that the world through Him might be saved! (John 3:17) If there's a hole in your soul, fill it with the One who loves you, will never forsake you and will come again to take you to be with Him where He is in glory. Why sell it to a scoundrel?

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10: 29-31