What is your soul worth?
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26
When you accept a new job usually your new boss tells you what the starting salary is, perhaps $8 an hour. You agree to work for him and are scheduled whatever hours that he needs you. In the past I have worked many different jobs.
I accepted a job stocking the dairy department at a grocery store called Strack & Van Til in Whiting, IN for $5.75 an hour. I worked tirelessly at that wage fulfilling my duties and often doing more than was required of me. The thing that upset me was shortly after I started working there a union contract was signed, not a renewal, but a brand new contract. In this contract it allowed for any employee to work on Sundays and received regular wages, it didn’t count as overtime. So thus I would work 48 hours a week and get paid my regular wage of $5.75 an hour for all 48 hours, instead of 8 hours overtime, or two days off as most employers wouldn’t pay the overtime. I had agreed to work for $5.75 an hour under the assumption that I would receive overtime for anything beyond 40 hours. Now with Jesus as our Savior we get eternal life, something that no amount of work could ever pay for.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
“For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
Everyone works at some point in there life. Why do people work? For money. They exchange their labor for money to pay for things that they need and want, so a man sells his labor this way.
What if one offered money in exchange for a kidney? After all we all have two. Would you sell a kidney for $100K? What if you needed it down the road when one of yours failed? Would you do it for $500K? At what point would you sell your kidney for, how much? I’ve heard it said the same about eyesight. We all enjoy seeing.
If you were to put some tape on your eyelids for a day so that no light could emit in and you could not see anything you would then realize just how much more valuable your vision is, more so than you even now consider it. Consider if someone offered you $1 million dollars for you to donate both of your eyes. No one in their right mind would sell their sight for a million dollars. How about ten million dollars? While a few fools may sell it for ten million dollars the majority would refuse. Your eyes are one of the necessities that allow for you to travel, meet people and so much more. So the question that I am sure you are anticipating is this, ‘How much would you sell your soul for?’
As we all know there are people who do sell their souls. Though technically they can’t sell something to satan that he owns anyway. Without Jesus satan already owns your soul.
“Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
Nonetheless musicians and probably many other well-known celebrities have made a pact with the devil to follow him in exchange for worldly riches. When they die and are in hell then they will see their error. This life and all it has to offer is just a blink in our existence. Let’s turn our focus to a more pertinent question:
What sin would we allow willfully into our lives?
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the full true knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour those who oppose.” Hebrews 10:26-27
We are God’s creations. Our Heavenly Father gave us a choice of free will. Why, once Saved, would we ever want to willfully sin against the Most High who sent His only Son to cleanse us of our sins?
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
If a man is willing to work for a set wage and complete his tasks for a weekly paycheck, why then would the same man, if a Christian, not be willing to live righteously. After all there is nothing the Saved brother or sister in Christ can possibly do to pay back his Savior.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17
Christ even promised us mansions in Heaven.
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3
Which would those who sell there soul rather have, mansions on earth for maybe 80 years or mansions in Heaven for eternity?
Understandably Christians are tempted…
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lusts and enticed. Then, when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” Jacob 1:12-15
…but never beyond what we can handle…
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also provide a way out, that you may be able to bear it.” 1st Corinthians 10:13
…so then, once again, what is your soul worth? Should we as Christians continue in sin?
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through immersion into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be nullified, that we should no longer serve sin. For he who has died has been justified from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives unto God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:1-13
Or should we put on the armor of God?
“Therefore take up all the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand firm therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17
Last week we discussed that we MUST let our light shine, this week I want you to think about those things that stand in the way between the Most High and you. If you wouldn’t sell your eyes for ten million dollars why would you willingly sin? We as Christians of course have the forgiveness of sins, should we seek to do so.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1st John 1:9
Still as discussed a moment ago we are not to continue in those paths.
The fact is that many people give up their souls for many different things. They don’t receive worldly riches for their soul but rather the pleasures of sin.
“…choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin.” Hebrews 11:25
Of course sin always has its consequences and the pleasures are short lived. And if one dies in their sin the consequences are eternal.
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, prostitutes, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
However there are many we know who allow their soul to go to hell for their atheistic beliefs, petty crimes, gambling addictions, sleeping around, drugs and alcohol, the list can go on and on. These people, whether or not they completely realize it, have sold their soul to what will in the end be completely meaningless, pointless vanities.
“Vanity of vanities, says the preacher; all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 12:8
Dear Christian, consider your life carefully before the Holy Scriptures and weigh out the worth of anything that is not acceptable to God. There is nothing more valuable than one’s own soul and nothing, nothing at all, can even come close to the eternal reward or punishment of doing the right or wrong things. There is simplicity in Christ.
“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2nd Corinthians 11:3
Our journey on earth is not a difficult one but rather a blink in all of eternity. Our lives on earth are not guaranteed to be long in worldly years, the end for us could come at any moment. From this day forward consider the value of your soul. Consider what God did for you through His Son Jesus. There is nothing more valuable that God could have given you.
“Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
