Your Soul's Worth

Mark 8:36-37 NKJV:
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Really, how much is a soul worth? What value can you place on a soul? If an exchange was to be arranged for just one soul, what could be given in exchange? As I examine my life in the light of the verses quoted above, some truths come to mind:

° There is a need to draw a scale of preference or priorities. We need to sit down and critically examine our lives, conduct, conversation and company so that a stand can be taken. There are always competing interests fighting for recognition and priority in our hearts. We are the ones who would determine the place of these interests in our hearts.

° It is possible to spend our lives in pursuit of a standard and at the end discover that we had run in vain. There is a race set for all of us, but how we run it is a matter of personal conviction. Life is not a race with anyone; it is a race of faith, a fight for eternity. No two people can run on behalf of each other, so we need to stop trying to measure our lives in the light of other people's expectations and standards. Standards differ from person to person and from generation to generation; therefore it would amount to suicide to try and live up to undefined standards set by other people. Why not make your own standard that of God, so people can know God through you?

°  A day of reckoning will come. Let no man deceive you. There's no logic that supports an unaccountable life. By human standards, we demand an account by stewards, employees and trustees. We hold them accountable for their actions and inactions. How then can we reject the idea of God holding us accountable for our actions too?. One day, no matter how long it takes or how far we go, we will give account for every word and action our lives produced. Ensure it is the right quality that can stand the test of God's fire.

°  Nothing can be of more value to God than a soul that he owns and holds. There's nothing a man can give that can be of the same value as a soul. If God could take his time creating man, and then giving man his own breath, then his soul is worth more to him than anything else. God is interested in the eternal value of every life he owns.

Indeed, God loves us and wants the best for us. We owe it to God to discover his purpose for us and pursue it. Life lived with purpose makes God's investment in our lives worth it. Rejoice, for his time of favour is here.