Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?” Psalm 6:2-3 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The soul is only truly satisfied with God.”

Have you ever had an itch you couldn’t scratch? Doesn’t that drive you crazy? Usually it’s in the middle of the back. You twist and stretch and reach and contort yourself but you just can’t seem to get at it. Then you wedge your back up against a doorpost and there you are, sliding up and down the doorpost – looking ridiculous maybe, but finally you get relief. Why? Because you were finally able to get at the itch.

In Psalm 6:2-3 David described a spiritual itch that he couldn’t seem to scratch. His soul was in agony to the point that he felt like he might faint, he could feel the agony in his bones. He cried out for mercy and wondered how long the spiritual emptiness was going to last. In the NKJV verse 3 reads, “My soul is greatly troubled.” The HCSB translates it, “My whole being is shaken with terror.” David’s soul was in anguish and he wasn’t able to find any relief. 

There is an itch in the human soul that can only be scratched by God. It is that place in the heart that can only be filled by His presence. Unfortunately we frequently attempt to fill it with everything except God. This is how people end up addicted to alcohol, drugs, and food. They attempt to numb the pain, fill the emptiness, scratch the itch with things that simply don’t reach it. For some it’s a new pair of shoes, or sex, or a big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. But once the sex act is over, the food consumed, or the addictive substance has run its course through the body, the itch is still there. That’s because the God-shaped vacuum in the human heart is actually a black hole for the things of the world. We pour those things into it and they are instantly absorbed and they disappear, not filling the emptiness at all. It is a space that was designed by God for His presence alone and nothing else in all creation can even begin to fill it.

Do you have an itchy soul today? Is it restless, irritated, troubled, and maybe even in anguish? There is only one thing that will scratch that itch. You need to be with God. Go to Him in prayer, Bible reading, and meditation. Sing songs of praise to Him and just sit quietly and be with Him. Be honest and like King David tell Him what you’re feeling and ask Him to do something about it. How long do you need to spend with Him? Well, how big is the itch?

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Nothing matters as much as a healthy relationship with the Lord.”

I know, I know, you’re busy. You probably have a demanding job, family responsibilities, ministry obligations, bills to pay, places to go, people to see. Yeah, me too. And most of those things are probably important and even needed. But they can also monopolize our lives and draw us away from what is even more important and more needed. That of course, would be a healthy relationship with the Lord.

Paul was a busy professional too. As a “Pharisee among Pharisees” he was an up-and-coming religious superstar in the old-time Jewish tradition. Once he gave his life to Christ and ended up becoming the most prolific evangelist and church planter in the history of Christianity, he was even busier. Talk about ministry obligations, places to go, people to see – Paul was the man.

But in Philippians 3:8 he explained that he considered all earthly pursuits, all expectations, responsibilities, and activities, to be of secondary importance to his relationship with Christ. Paul realized that if his relationship with the Lord wasn’t deep and healthy, everything else in his life would be less than it could and should be.

What Paul knew, and what Christians down through the ages have discovered, is that the health of the soul is the most important thing about any Christian. Everything else in life is built upon that and therefore the health of the soul is the starting place for the well-being of every other part of life.

The way we keep our soul healthy is by incorporating into our lives a variety of spiritual disciplines that help to place us in a position before God whereby He can nurture, nourish, and replenish us. Prayer, Bible reading, fasting, solitude, reflection, worship, Sabbath-keeping – all of those things help. And they all take time. There’s a reason they are called “disciplines”. We have to be intentional about it and we have to make it happen.

One of the best books ever been written on this subject is Richard Foster’s classic work, “Celebration of Discipline”. In simple and easy to apply lessons Foster explains the thirteen most basic disciplines of the Christian faith. It’s not a large book and it won’t take too long to read it. But you will discover it is well worth your time to read because nothing is as important as a healthy soul rightly related to God.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” Proverbs 14:8 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “A prudent person gives thought to the condition of their soul.”

So how’s your soul doing these days anyway? Have you even thought about it much? I have to admit that I had not. Over the last year I had allowed myself to get so busy and so preoccupied with activities and projects and duties and responsibilities – and problems (mine and those of others), that I was giving little thought to the impact all of that busyness and worry was having on my soul. Fortunately some things happened which caused me to pause and give serious thought to where I’m at spiritually, and what I discovered wasn’t pretty. I had allowed the spiritual gas tank to run pretty low. I had not been taking proper care of my soul.

In Proverbs 14:8 Solomon counsels that a prudent person gives thought to their ways, and the implication is that they make adjustments as needed. In the case of soul-care, that means that we have to periodically take inventory of where we’re at spiritually and be prepared to make adjustments as needed. If we don’t, we will eventually crash and burn.

An old Chinese proverb says, “If you don’t change the direction you’re going, you’re likely to end up where you’re headed.” Writer Lance Witt challenges us to apply that to the condition of our soul and then consider, “If you could plot the trajectory of your soul, where does it end up?”

Ouch. If you plot-out the current trajectory of your soul, in other words if you maintain your current pace of living, your current schedule, your current spiritual disciplines, where is that likely to lead you? What condition is your soul going to end up in? When I asked myself those questions I realized I wasn’t happy with the answer. So in a sincere desire to be prudent about it, I’ve made some changes.

How about you? Is there anything about your current life that needs to change for the sake of the health of your soul? There may not be a whole lot you can do about most of your outward circumstances, but with the help of the Holy Spirit you can identify some ways in which you can take better care of your soul. Throughout the course of this month we will continue to consider various strategies and approaches you may find helpful. For now I just want you to know that with God’s help you really can bring your soul back to life. It can be healthy. Joy can return. Passion can be reignited. And intimacy with God can be restored.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We have to stop making excuses for not spending time with God.”

If you are a Christian then you do have a soul that is thirsting, panting for God. Even if you don’t realize it, even if you won’t admit it, your soul is thirsty for God. As a thirsty deer pants for a long drink of cool water, so your soul longs to be refreshed in the presence of God. And in truth, in our better moments, we do admit that we would like to have a deeper, richer, more satisfying relationship with God. But, we just can’t seem to find the time to spend in prayer and Bible study and church attendance and service in ministry and some of the other spiritual disciplines which help us to place ourselves in a position before God whereby He can refresh and renew our soul. We just don’t have time.

Often our time is consumed by the demands, expectations, and needs of others. Our jobs require large amounts of our time and attention; other people have expectations of the things they think we should be doing; family members have needs and it is up to us to meet those needs; and the fact is that most of the time those things are legitimate and they do have to be addressed by us. So how do we approach this whole issue of carving out the time needed to cultivate and nurture a healthy soul?

The answer is found in the example of an airline emergency.

“In the case of an unexpected sudden drop in cabin pressure an oxygen mask will fall from the overhead compartment. Place the mask over your head and breathe normally. If you are traveling with small children put your own oxygen mask on first, and then assist them with theirs.”

Why must you put your own mask on first before you help them? It seems counter-intuitive. As a parent your natural instinct is going to be to make sure your child is safe before you attend to yourself. Unfortunately, you may run out of oxygen and pass-out before you’re able to get the mask onto your child – so then you both die. If you had put your own mask on first then you would have had sufficient oxygen to maintain consciousness so that you could help the child too. But since you didn’t take care of yourself first, you were in no position to help the child either.

 The same lesson applies to making the time to take care of your soul. If you don’t take care of your soul then it won’t be long before your soul is dry as dust. You will be drained, exhausted, shriveled up, and in a pretty poor condition to be much of a blessing to anyone else. But if you take the time to have your own soul refreshed and nourished by the Lord, then when you go out to meet the needs and expectations of others you will be doing so out the richness and depth of a healthy soul. You will be caring for them from the overflow of your own deep reservoir of spiritual richness. 

We have to stop making excuses for not spending time with God. We must do it for our own sake and we must do it for the sake of those who depend on us. If you don’t take care of yourself you won’t be well enough to take care of anyone else.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “This is what the Lord says … Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths; ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Your soul needs rest.”

Lance Witt is a devotional writer who sometimes contributes to the weekly Focus on the Family “Thriving Pastor” devotional series. The one I received from them yesterday was particularly good and deals with our theme for the month. So today I’m going to borrow from some of what Lance shared in that message.

In Jeremiah 6:16 the Lord tells us to “stand” at the crossroads. If we do that we will find the “good way” and it will lead us to a place of rest for our souls. Implicit in the word “stand” is the idea that you have to “stop”. Stopping and standing go hand in hand. This is a critical understanding for someone who wants to have a healthy soul. Jesus regularly took time to stop, to be quiet, to spend time with the Father.

The fact is that we cannot live life at warp speed without warping the soul in the process. If we fill our lives with unending frantic activity, if we’re constantly and breathlessly hurrying from one appointment to another, one task to another, there is no opportunity for our soul to simply rest in the Father’s presence. Jeremiah 6:16 tells us to stop and rest. Psalm 23:2-3 tells us that it is when we “lie down” in green pastures and beside quiet waters that He “restores my soul”. In Matthew 11:28-30 the invitation is to come to the Lord and spend time with Him so He can give rest to the weary soul and lift from us the burdens of life.

Back in Jeremiah 6:16 we find ourselves at a crossroads, two paths from which one must be chosen. One will lead us down the road of continued frantic activity. The other leads us to rest for the soul. A decision must be made, a path chosen. This is a choice each of us must make every day. The soul needs rest, it needs nourishment, and that rest and nourishment will only be found in the Lord, and it will only come to us once we stop, stand, and yes, rest.

Your soul needs rest. It needs a break from the activity and the noise. It needs time just sitting quietly and being with God. I encourage you to make time for that today. Your soul will be healthier, you will feel better, and you’ll find that everything else in life is a little easier to deal with.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The soul needs solitude and silence.”

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a Russian poet, writer, historian, and dissident in the old Soviet Union before, during, and after World War II. He spoke out against and wrote about the injustice of the Soviet system. He revealed the brutality of the forced labor camps and he exposed the hypocrisy of the communist leaders. For doing so he himself was sentenced to many years of isolation and hard labor in a remote Soviet prison camp.

Although those years of isolation, imprisonment, and forced solitude were brutal in so many ways, in Solzhenitsyn’s own opinion there was something positive and good that came from that time too. In the prolonged periods of isolated quiet he encountered God. Like so many before and after him, the isolation of prison became the holy ground upon which he met God. Like Peter in the Jerusalem jail, like John on the isle of Patmos, like Mandela during his decades of imprisonment, in that quiet solitude Solzhenitsyn met God and he learned some profound lessons about the value and importance of a healthy soul. He wrote:

“Bless you prison, bless you for being in my life. For there, lying upon the rotting prison straw, I came to realize that the object of life is not prosperity as we are made to believe, but the maturity of the human soul.”  He also wrote:

“The meaning of earthly existence is not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prosperity, but in the development of the soul.”

The lesson here is not that we all need some time in prison so we can have extended periods of quiet and reflection (although that might be the only way some of us would get it!), but instead it illustrates the importance for each of us to be intentional about carving out quiet time to just sit and be with God. That’s what God was saying in Psalm 46:10. He was telling us to calm down, sit down, quiet down, and just be with Him. “Just be still Jim, just stop all the activity, all the noise, all the doing, and know that I am God.”

One of my favorite kinds of prayer is to simply sit quietly before God. No praying or talking of any kind, no reading, no thinking – just being. It’s like when a young child crawls up into your lap, lays their head on your chest, and just sits with you. There’s nothing going on except enjoying each others presence. The relationship between you is growing deeper and being vastly enriched simply by being together. That’s what Psalm 46:10 describes and that’s what God longs for from His children.

Hopefully God will never find it necessary to put you or me in solitary confinement in order to get us to slow down and just spend time with Him. Although some of us we really don’t give Him any other option. Some of us allow ourselves to be so busy, and we make so many excuses for why we don’t have time to just sit quietly with God, that a little time in a Soviet gulag or on a deserted island like Patmos might do us some good.

The truth here is that the soul needs periods of silence and solitude. Why not carve out a little of that for yourself today?

God Bless,

 

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” Matthew 16:26 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The nature of the soul”

Before we go much further in our devotional consideration of taking care of the soul, I want us to revisit the question of what the soul is. As I pointed out in the first devotional on this subject, the Bible does not provide us with a clear explanation of the difference between soul and spirit. In some cases it seems to use the term interchangeably and yet, both the Old and New Testaments also indicate some distinct differences between the two.

In that devotional I also explained that the soul is the essence of life which God breathes into the human form. It is that which animates our mortal body and which gives us a form of life that is distinctly different from all other forms of life. I also explained that the most commonly held view, as described in the Dictionary of Evangelical Theology, is that the soul and spirit actually comprise a single spiritual entity. In its most basic form it is the breath of life which brings a mortal body to life to begin with. But then in the case of those who have new life from the Holy Spirit, the soul becomes multi-faceted, comprised of the lower form of soul which is simply the breath of life that every human being has in them, and the higher form of soul which only Christians have, and it is this which enables us to have a relationship with God.

However there is another view that has also been widely held in historical Christianity and which we should consider here as well. It is similar to the view described above and yet there is a significant difference. It was described well by the great Scottish pastor, theologian, and devotional writer Oswald Chambers (best known for his devotional book “My Utmost for His Highest”). Chambers wrote:

“In the Bible soul is always referred to in connection with the body. The soul is the holder of the body and spirit together, and when the body disappears, the soul disappears, but the essential personality of the man remains. Soul is the expression of spirit in the body; soul has no existence apart from spirit and body. Immediately body goes, the spirit returns to God who gave it, and soul is not … Spirit is the immortal, indestructible part of a man, and it goes back to God who gave it.”

So in the view explained by Chambers and held by many others, the human being is a triune being consisting of body, soul, and spirit. The body is mortal, the spirit is immortal, and the soul connects the two. When the body dies the spirit returns to God and the soul ceases to exist because it is no longer needed.

Whether we adhere to the more traditional evangelical view of the soul/spirit as a single but multi-faceted spiritual entity, or the view promoted by Chambers and others that body, soul, and spirit are three distinct entities, the truth remains that there is a spiritual essence within us that is the true “us” and it is the part of us that relates to and interacts with God. That spiritual essence has to be nurtured and cared for in order to be healthy. We will now spend the rest of this month discussing how to ensure that it is.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 84:2 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Your soul yearns for intimacy with God.”

The fact that each human being has a soul is virtually indisputable. Even atheists have to acknowledge that there is something unique within a human being which makes our life form distinctly different from other forms of life. That thing is the soul. It is the breath of life that God breathed into us.

And, the fact that the soul yearns for God is also indisputable. Deep within each person there is an innate sense that there is something more than just this mortal life – there is a spiritual dimension, there is a God, and there is an afterlife – intuitively we know this to be true. That’s why every civilization that has ever existed has always had notions of an afterlife and of spirits and of gods, and it is why every civilization has always had forms of worship and religious rituals.

The great fourth century Christian theologian Saint Augustine famously wrote about this: “You have created us for yourself, oh God, and our hearts are restless, searching, until we find our rest in thee.” The 16th century French philosopher Blaise Pascal expressed it like this: “There is a God-shaped vacuum within the heart of man that can only be filled by God.” 

The problem for many of us modern Christians is that we don’t follow the yearning of our soul. While the soul is reaching out for God, longing for more time with Him, desperate for deeper fellowship and richer and more meaningful interaction with him, our mortal bodies are driving us to frenzies of activity and distraction. The result is a soul which is hungry and thirsty, unfulfilled and dissatisfied.

The answer is time – time spent with God; sacred time that belongs to God and to Him alone; time that is protected and which nothing else is allowed to intrude upon. Your soul needs this. We will explore this idea in much greater depth in future devotionals but for now, for a deeper teaching on this subject, please read my article “”Room for the Singing of Angels”. You can download a free copy of it on my website at http://www.JimMersereauBooks.com.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul”

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The soul needs to be cared for.”

Theologically there has always been debate about the nature of the soul and whether or not the soul and spirit are the same thing or different. The Bible itself speaks of both soul and spirit, and in some cases it seems to use the terms interchangeably (as we commonly do too), but in both the Old and New Testaments the Bible also draws some distinctions between soul and spirit.

In its simplest form “soul” is understood as “the breath of life”. It is what God breathed into the man in Genesis 2:7 which brought the mortal body of flesh and bones to life. It is the thing that animates the mortal body and which distinguishes its life from that of a flower or a tree. In this sense animals have souls too (the Bible bears this out) and once the soul departs the body, that body no longer lives. So in this sense the soul is the very essence of life, the thing that brings the body to life and it is so deeply united with the body that a person is thought of as a body-soul. 

However, how the spirit relates to the soul is a tricky thing and the Bible doesn’t really give us a clear explanation about it. It appears that with the coming of the Holy Spirit into an individual’s life the “soul” is regenerated with new life from above, and essentially becomes a soul of a higher order – or a soul with an added dimension to it. The Dictionary of Evangelical Theology is helpful:

“It (soul) is often used interchangeably with spirit, although distinctions that begin to appear in the Old Testament are carried forward in the New Testament… soul in the NT normally means an individual spiritual entity with a material body, so that a person is thought of as a body-soul … spirit is the special gift of God which places one in relationship to him.”

So according to that explanation, everyone has a body and a soul, but when someone enters into a right relationship with God (through Jesus) they then have a body and soul/spirit – the soul being the lower element of this entity which infuses the mortal body with life, and the spirit being the higher element which enables that mortal man or woman to have a relationship with God. So in the unbeliever the soul is a single-faceted thing which simply infuses a mortal body with the breath of life. But in a believer the soul becomes a multi-faceted spiritual entity which both infuses the mortal body with the breath of life, and then enables that individual, by means of the Spirit, to have a relationship with God.

Throughout the month of June we are going to consider the well-being of our soul/spirit and how it is that we go about keeping it healthy. If our soul is the very breath of life that infuses and animates us, and if the spirit is the higher form of the soul and is that which enables us to relate to God, then we need to ensure it is healthy. We will spend this month discussing exactly how to make sure that it is.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom”

Our theme for next month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Biblical wisdom leads us to truly know God.”

We began this month of devotional thoughts on the subject of Biblical wisdom by considering the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is largely just an accumulation of facts. Wisdom is the ability to make good decisions based upon what we know. Biblical wisdom leads us to make choices that are right and true and of lasting value. It also leads us to a deeper understanding of God and His ways and to live in a way that is consistent with that godly wisdom.

But actually, the ultimate object of acquiring Biblical wisdom is so we can know God – really know Him, as the most real person in our lives and it will cause us to want to me more like Him. Biblical wisdom doesn’t just change our behavior, it changes our character and it makes us more like Him.

Philip Yancey is one of my favorite Christian authors. He once went through a time when he was deeply disappointed with the quality of his relationship with the Lord. His faith was based more on knowledge about God than on a relationship with Him, and it therefore seemed shallow and not very satisfying. So Philip went off to a cabin in the mountains for an extended period of prayer and immersion in the Bible as he sought to encounter God in a deeper and more personal way. He recorded the results in his book “Disappointment with God”:

“Simply reading the Bible, I encountered not a misty vapor but an actual Person. A Person as unique and distinctive and colorful as any person I know. God has deep emotions; he feels delight and frustration and anger … I was unprepared for the joy and anguish – in short, the passion – of the God of the Universe. By studying “about” God, by taming him and reducing him to words and concepts that could be filed away in alphabetical order, I had lost the force of the passionate relationship God seeks above all else. The people who related to God best – Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah – treated him with startling familiarity. They talked to God as if he were sitting in a chair beside them, as one might talk to a counselor, a boss, a parent, or a lover. They treated him like a person.”

The ultimate purpose of pursing Biblical wisdom is to encounter God as a real Person. We want to know Him as the most real person in our lives, and we want to adopt His character traits. The highest compliment a child can pay a parent is in their attempt to mimic the parent’s behavior. Biblical wisdom makes us more like our Heavenly Father. Biblical wisdom also leads to a healthy soul, which is the subject we will explore in June.

God Bless,