Soul Stew...

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
-- Mark 8:36

What is the worth of your soul? Or mine? 

Throwing aside philosophical and religious arguments for the moment, let's say that our soul is the deepest part of us. It is who we are at our core. And biblically, it is the us that will post-date our physical life on this blue-green marble. 

So what is the worth of your soul? Or mine? And what would be a worthy trade (-off) for it? 

There is an Old Testament story of a man's-man named Esau who basically traded away his soul for a bowl of stew (I realize this is a bit of an oversimplification). When we read the story, we scream for Esau not to take the deal. "Don't be so short-sighted!" we exclaim. "It's not worth it!" 

It is easy to see Esau's folly. A soul for stew? Never! Our trade-offs however, are more subtle; money, possessions, a career, a relationship, a reputation, comfort, etc. Daily, we trade the eternal for what is only temporary. If it were just a bowl of stew, it would be an easy call. Ultimately though, anything we trade parts of our souls for is just stew. 

It would be easy for me to now preach on the temporary nature of stuff, and the eternal qualities of the Christian life. That would be easy. But instead I want to go a step beyond; and into the personal. (I touch on this in my posts on Potential vs. Kinetic):

http://davidmstanley.blogspot.com/2015/11/fixin-to-potential-v-kenetic-pt1.html

http://davidmstanley.blogspot.com/2015/12/if-potential-v-kinetic-pt2_6.html

http://davidmstanley.blogspot.com/2015/12/if-only-potential-v-kinetic-pt3.html

and the upcoming What If... (that I am for some reason having so much trouble completing)

The idea is that God has wired us - our souls - in such a way as to fulfill a purpose, a divine calling if you will. And anything short of this pursuit is trading the eternal for stew. It is simple to say that a soul-trade for a bigger bank account, for example, is foolish or at best, short-sighted. But what about the trade-off that occurs when we diverge from the path of purpose and step into the comfortable, the mundane? Is it no less trading one's soul for stew?   

OK - I have diverged here (it's a good word, so I'll overuse it) from a normal devotional thought. (And welcome to my brain!) There will be more to come on the subject. But for now...

God, help me to never forfeit (parts of) my soul for anything that smells like stew...

For now...

D