We've become a people that beat around the bush, hoping to convey the point without burning bridges. We cherish avoiding extremity, but what if the price of being lenient is too high? In some cases, it is. Cases that pertain to the soul. 'Soul' is not a word often heard nowadays, but I wonder, ‘What’s a soul worth?’
We live as if life is all about the here and now. At least, that's what we claim to believe. Yet we yearn for eternity. Our pursuit of passions often clashes with the quest for lasting influence. There's nothing inherently wrong with hard work, but we often end up idolizing it.
We define who we are by what we do; we believe that our good works will undoubtedly secure a favorable place in eternity – that is, if we even dare to acknowledge that this present life isn't the entirety of existence.
Deep down, we recognize that our mere good works fall short. No amount of good deeds can ransom a soul. Yet, we persist with stubborn, hardened hearts, resorting to comparison for solace. We say, ‘I may not be a saint, but I'm certainly no Hitler.’ This gives us momentary solace as if a small stain is any better than an entirely stained garment in the eyes of a perfectly pure and holy God. It isn't. So, once more, ‘What’s a soul worth?’
Sin (another term we often evade or sidestep) is a serious matter. It incurs a hefty cost – everything. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), and mere good works can’t save a soul. Only a Savior can and wants to, but the ransom also requires everything – that’s the worth of a soul. The only distinction in dealing with Jesus is that, as Jim Elliot said, we give what we can’t keep to gain what we can’t lose. So, I plead with you, ‘Lose your life to gain (everlasting) life.’
Nothing in this post is new. Perhaps, you think this is intense or extreme, and you’d be correct—it's intense and extreme, but not unnecessarily so. This is a matter of (eternal) life and death. Quite literally. The question is, what will you choose?
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 NLT
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