In the
garden, Jesus told His disciples that His soul - His thoughts, feelings and
choices - was sorrowful, even to death; and He requested that they pray with
Him (Matthew 26:38; Luke 22:44). Although He was God in the flesh, He still
struggled with His humanity as we all do (John 12:27).
God
admonishes us that nothing in this world is worth exchanging for the eternal
destination of our soul (Mark 8:37). He calls us to love Him with our whole
heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37).
Like Mary,
we magnify the Lord with our soul (Luke 1:46). We do not take pride in our own
accomplishments, but give God the glory for all that we achieve (Luke 12:19).
Everything we gain in this world is lost with our death (Luke 12:20).
What we
die with, we face God with (Acts 2:27). Will we insure that our soul will
prosper in eternity, or languish in the flames of destruction for eternity
(John 3:18; Ephesians 2:10)?
As we live
in the Spirit each moment of our life, others will see Him in us and conviction
will trouble their soul. It is their choice of whether or not to believe in
Jesus, confess their sins and alter their ways (Philippians 2:12-13).
God calls
authentic Believers to allow our light to shine, so people will see our good
works and give Him the glory (Acts 3:23). They see His light in our eyes, His
joy and peace in us regardless of our circumstances and His Spirit guiding us
through every step of our life.
Prayer:
Father
God, draw the oppressed and overwhelmed into Your embrace by Your Spirit's work
in their heart. Use Your Body to minister to one another, and to the
unbelieving world around us (Romans 2:9). Teach us to live in submission to
Your authority as well as to those whom You ordain to have authority over us
(Romans 13:1).
Make Your
Saints of one heart and mind, sharing our resources with one another, praying
for each other and helping through every time of need - crying with those who
cry and rejoicing when someone rejoices (Acts 4:32). Thank You that through
Adam You gave us a living soul, and through Christ You give us a living spirit
(Romans 13:1), so that we can spend eternity with You in body, soul and spirit
(1 Corinthians 15:45).
Thought
for the Day:
God
teaches us that more importantly than living sacrificially, we are to love Him
with all of our heart, not just part of it; to care about Him with every fiber
of our soul and understanding; with every ounce of our strength; and then to
love our neighbor as our self. - Mark 12:33
