Archive for October, 2009

The Value Of A Man’s Soul Is Priceless

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Scientists tell us that the value of the human body in today’s market is less than $4.50. In other words, the chemicals and minerals found in our bodies have very little over-the-counter value.

Obviously, our lives are priceless to our families, even though our bodies are not worth very much at all. The soul, however, is a whole different story. Notice in the above verse what Jesus said. Clearly, Christ could not place a value on the worth of a man’s soul. Even the accrual of great wealth or fame -“gains the whole world” – could not equal the cost of losing a soul.

Why is the soul so valuable to God? That’s an easy question to answer if you think about John 3:16. God gave His Son, Jesus, so that we could have eternal life. Just as the lives of our children are priceless to us, the life of Jesus was priceless to His Father.

In spite of how simple it is to understand, for some of us, it is equally difficult to believe. Otherwise, we would not make the decisions in life that we make. Every day, people trade their souls for earthly riches, fame, and sinful pleasures. Sadly, many of us believe in God, but we don’t believe Him. At least, we don’t act as if we do.

There are other explanations why God places such a high value on our souls. For example, the Bible says that we were made in God’s image. But God is not visible. He is a spirit. (John 4:24) If we are made in his image, then it is in our souls, which we cannot see, where we most resemble what God is like!

The soul is also the one part of us over which we have some control. Think about it. Many of our bodily functions are not under our control. Most of the genetic traits we have are handed down to us from our parents. These predispositions are not negotiable. But the soul is different. If we allow God to work with us – and through us – the change that goes on inside of us, down to our souls, can change the way we appear and act towards others. After all, when we ask Jesus to come into our hearts and choose to live for him, the Bible says that we become a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Those genetic dispositions don’t change, but our hearts and our souls do.

Finally, it’s important to remember that unlike our bodies, the soul does not cease to exist at death. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Moreover, in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in Luke 16, Jesus said, “The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went into hell.” (Luke 16:22-23)

Rabbi Harold Kushner, who wrote When Bad Things Happen to Good People, said, “The soul is not a physical entity, but instead refers to everything about us that is not physical – our values, memories, identity, sense of humor. Since the soul represents the parts of the human being that are not physical, it cannot get sick, it cannot die, it cannot disappear. In short, the soul is immortal”.

We shouldn’t worry as much about people as we should worry about the destiny of their souls. Every person has the promise of eternity. The problem is the choices we make decide whether it’s eternal life or eternal death. Jesus was right. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? “

Thorns In The Flesh

“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)

You can’t help but wonder what this “thorn in the flesh” was, but we know from Scripture that it kept Paul humble. It also ensured that his prayer life remained active.

Theologians have offered a number of possibilities.

Many have argued that Paul was talking about a speech impediment. There is some historical evidence that Paul was not a good speaker. Maybe he did suffer from stammering speech.

Perhaps it was an eye infection. The Bible records that eye infections were fairly common in southern Galatia when Paul visited the area on his first missionary journey. In fact, Paul told us in Galatians 4:13 that he had been having some problems with his eyes. “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you…Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn…you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.” (Galatians 4:13-15)

Others have suggested that Paul had an eye problem all right. Maybe his problem was with a wandering eye, not an infected eye. The problem with that claim is there isn’t a shred of evidence that Paul struggled with the sin of lust.

I’m glad that Paul never felt led by the Spirit to tell us exactly what his “thorn in the flesh” was because his admission would enable us to rule out any spiritual lessons from all those other thorns in the flesh that nag us today. In other words, if Paul had told us that it was an eye infection, a speech impediment, lust, or whatever, then those of us who have other thorns in the flesh wouldn’t pay such close attention to what God was trying to teach us through Paul’s experience.

The truth is we can grow and learn spiritually from any thorn in the flesh. That’s part of what God is trying to get across. These thorns that plague us often produce patience and humility. These are virtues that none of us can get too much of.

Here’s the point: God refused to remove Paul’s weakness, but he never said that he wouldn’t demonstrate his power through Paul. What he said to Paul after he had repeatedly asked God for deliverance is one of my favorite verses: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The fact that God’s power shows up in weak people should give us courage. It’s only when we recognize our limitations, that we stop patting ourselves on the backs. That’s an important moment because we are finally beginning to understand who’s really in charge.

Our weaknesses not only help us to develop Christian character, they can also deepen our worship. When we begin to acknowledge our weaknesses, the door then opens for God to affirm his strength in our lives. It’s another opportunity to let his glory shine right through our problems.

Facing The Trials of Life With Joy

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” (James 1:2)

History tells us that Thomas Edison invented the microphone, the phonograph, the incandescent light, the storage battery, movies with sound, and more than 1,000 other things. The truth is the quality of our lives has been immeasurably improved by the genius of a man who overcame dyslexia and found that there was a great deal to learn from the failures and trials that life brought his way.

In 1914, the laboratory where many of Edison’s inventions were birthed caught on fire. Fire companies from eight surrounding towns responded, but inadequate water pressure and intense heat left firefighters with nothing more to do than watch two million dollars in assets that were insured for only $238,000 burn to the ground.

The inventor’s 24 year-old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father. He worried that his father might have been trapped in the structure. When he found him, he was calmly watching the fire, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.

“My heart ached for him,” said Charles. “He was 67 – no longer a young man – and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, ‘Charles, where’s your mother?’ When I told him I didn’t know, he said, ‘Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.’ “

The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

It is hard to face our trials with the spirit that was found in Thomas Edison, but that’s exactly what God expects us to do. You see God knows that real spiritual growth can only come from and through the trials that he allows to come our way. They are ultimately what form the basis for the joy that Christian maturity brings with it.

I ran across a poem recently that’s worth putting on our refrigerators and thinking about when trouble finds us. I don’t know who wrote it, but I sure know the One who inspired it:

It’s sometimes very difficult
For us to understand;
The wisdom and the love behind
The things that God has planned.

And if you’ll trust in Him you’ll see
Though yesterday brought sorrow;
The clouds will part and dawn will bring
A happier tomorrow.

What Is The Law Of Christ?

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. “ (Galatians 6:2)

The law of Christ – just what does that mean anyway? I remember when Billy Graham spoke of the the mystery of evil during the memorial service held for the family members of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Evil is hard to understand sometimes. But for many of us, the law of Christ is a mystery, too.

Interestingly, the Apostle Paul never explained what he meant when he used this expression in one of his letters to a church in the Roman province of Galatia. In a letter to another church he wrote, “To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.” (1 Corinthians 9:21 NIV) Again, Paul offers no explanation, which adds to the confusion. It also begs the question, Was he referring to the Great Commandment in Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, or was he talking about the New Commandment found at John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”?

In spite of this uncertainty, we can be sure that there are certain behaviors that Jesus expects to see reflected in our lives. He told us all that we could recognize other Christians by their fruit. So while we have no right to serve as judges, we can be fruit inspectors.

I heard a song recently, the words of which stirred my sprit like no other has in years. It was written by Gloria Gaither and – for me – fully explains what the law of Christ means. It also reminds me that I am not yet where I need to be.

Then I Shall Live

Amen, Amen, Amen

We may never know what the Apostle Paul meant by the law of Christ, but we do know that Christ expects us to show the change he has made in our lives by how we treat others. Indeed, if the unbelieving world is to ever come to know him, it will be by what they see in and through us.