Have you ever had one of those seemingly perfect moments in life when everything just came together?
It may have been that stunning sunset. That beautiful star-filled night. That special moment with someone you love. You may have thought to yourself, I always want it to be this way. But it wasn’t.
Maybe you thought that when you reached certain goals you had set in life, that would bring a complete fulfillment to you. But it hasn’t.
Or when that right person came into your life, the man or woman of your dreams, surely that person would satisfy the sense of longing deep within you. But he or she didn’t.
Have you ever felt happy and fulfilled and wished that your life could last forever? But soon you realized that it won’t.
Why don’t things last? Why is life so frustrating?
From the day that you were born you have been on a quest. You have been searching for that something more. Deep down inside you sense that life must have some kind of meaning and purpose beyond mere existence. Maybe you’ve even wondered if you are the only person who feels this way. You aren’t. Deep down inside we all are searching.
You haven’t found that real thing or filled that void in your heart because you are a living soul. You see, the "real you" is not just that physical body you are living in right now. The "real you"—the part that is eternal—is your soul. It’s that spark that gives you your uniqueness. The Bible says, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7, nkjv, emphasis mine).
The reason you have this soul is because you have been uniquely made in the very image of God himself. And in each human being made in his image, God built this sense that there is indeed more to life.
The Bible explains that God has "planted eternity in the human heart" (Eccles. 3:11). That is why mere earthly pursuits, achievements, and pleasures will never quite fill that void within us.
Oxford professor C. S. Lewis described this longing we all have for "something more" this way:
All the things that ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of heaven. Tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear . . .
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world . . . Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy, but to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.
You are not the only one who is interested in this topic right now. So are millions of others—especially baby boomers. You may have noticed that many of the most popular books today deal with the subjects of the soul, the meaning of life, and what happens beyond the grave. As the inevitable passing of time marches on, we face constant reminders that this body we live in won’t last forever.
Michael J. Fox, star of the Back to the Future movies, has Parkinson’s disease. This came as a great surprise to him and many others, as Parkinson’s is generally diagnosed in people more advanced in years than the relatively young Fox. He said, "I’ve realized I’m vulnerable no matter how many awards I’m given or how big my bank account is. The end of the story is you die. We all die."
Though my generation used to sing the anthem "Forever Young," we know that we are not. Take the Rolling Stones, who have now become the "Methuselahs of Rock" and are closer to sixty than the sixties. For years they have performed classic songs like "Time Is on My Side." But if you’ve seen them lately, you would find it hard to agree. And time is not on the side of most of us either.
Generation Xers are also searching for something to fill this void. Many have witnessed the futility of the lives of their parents, who came from one of the most narcissistic generations ever to exist. Having seen their parents’ never-ending chase after an ever-elusive personal fulfillment, many in this generation feel cynical and disillusioned about life. The suicide rate among them is alarming. They are on this search for "something more," as well. We all are. It is the search of the soul.
At one time I thought alcohol would fill that void inside of me. That surely only exacerbated my problems and then created some new ones. Maybe you thought that drinking and partying would do it. But by now you have either burned out on that—or you will soon.
These are but cheap substitutes for the "real thing" that you have not yet found. Why is that?
You see, there is something in man that material things and possessions can never satisfy. That is why there are so many miserable successful people. How often we read in the morning paper about a celebrity who has just checked in to or out of a rehab clinic. Or we hear about some star who was so miserable that he or she committed suicide.
Why is that? It is because the person "has it" but knows that what he has isn’t it!
You would think after the first million dollars or so, that would do the trick. But it is always the "bigger and better" syndrome. If you make a thousand, you want two thousand. A million, five million. Five million, twenty million. And so forth. As King Solomon so wisely observed many years ago, "Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied" (Proverbs 27:20).
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Would You Sell Your Soul to End the Frustration?
People have no idea how precious and valuable their souls actually are.
In preparation for his book, Greg Laurie interviewed some people on the street and asked them this simple question: “Would you sell your soul—and if so, at what cost?”
What would your answer be to such a question?
One self-assured thirty-something guy said, “Oh yeah, I’d do it in a second. Give me a million dollars! No soul!”
Another said, “I’d trade it for a few weeks—for the excitement. I’d get into a lot of trouble, but that’s a decision you have to make. I’d be willing to take that chance.”
A young hipster cockily said, “I’d sell it for money. I could get anything I want. You could buy another soul!”
Ironically, in our culture today, we place the greatest value on what, for the most part, has no value. Then we completely ignore what has the greatest value: the human soul.
Every day in the paper we read of tragic and senseless killings—people being gunned down, often by young kids who have no concept of the value of life, not to mention the value of the human soul.
You probably remember reading the story of the eighteen-year-old girl who gave birth to a baby boy in a bathroom stall at her senior prom, disposed of him in the trash can, and then returned to the dance floor. Once the whole incident came to light, one of her friends told a reporter, “She was sitting near me and my friends, talking and laughing. She looked like nothing was wrong.”
Even more unbelievable, this smiling young woman who had just discarded her newborn requested the band to play a song by the rock group Metallica for her boyfriend. The name of the song? “Unforgiven.”
This cheapening of human life is not only seen in the heartless taking of others’ lives but also in the growing number of people who take their own lives. A recent article on young people and suicide cited that the number of ten- to fourteen-year-olds taking their lives has risen dramatically since the early 1980s. A recent Center for Disease Control report indicated that in a survey of the largest industrialized countries, the U.S. suicide rate for children fourteen and younger was double that of the other twenty-four countries combined. The word that experts use over and over again to describe the mood of suicidal youth is hopeless.
Once we lose sight of the value of human life, it is easy to lose sight of the value of the human soul.
Many years ago Jesus asked this probing question: “Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Most of us aren’t even aware of the fact that we have one, much less that it has any intrinsic value. We tend to place all our stock in the way we look and feel as well as in what we possess. Yet all of this will pass away. Then that which really matters—the human soul, the eternal—is ignored or even spurned. On that final day, however, that’s all that will really matter.
Let me tell you the story of a man who forgot about his soul. He seemed to have everything together in life except the most important thing. Then when he faced eternity, it was too late. This story was given to us by Jesus Christ.
Here is what he said:
A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. So he said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ ” But God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?” Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. (Luke 12:16-21)
There are many commendable things about this rich man. He apparently was a hardworking farmer to have accomplished what he accomplished. Jesus is not faulting this man for his success or his possessions but for his failure to make plans for eternity. He was living high on the hog, not even realizing the clock was ticking. Then suddenly—without warning—his life came to an end. He was a fool because he died unprepared.
His philosophy would be shared by many today: “Take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry. Live it up!” But they gloss over the part of the story where God says, “You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?” (Luke 12:20).
Gianni Versace, the famed clothing designer, did not plan on dying when he left his beautiful mansion in Miami Beach to get the morning paper one sun-drenched morning. His fashions were celebrated around the world, worn by rock stars and the Hollywood elite. Then, without warning, the celebrated life of an internationally known man was over.
Much like the man in the story Jesus told, Versace lived in the very lap of luxury. He was quoted in the New Yorker in 1994: “I can spend 3 million dollars in 2 hours. I go shopping one day in Paris, buying things for my house in Miami. That night, I come back home, and I see the figure that I spent—oh, I start to dance . . . I want to kiss myself.”
What was the condition of Versace’s soul? Only God knows. Yet a close call with death did not change the way that he lived. After surviving a life-threatening bout with cancer, Versace was quoted as saying, “ ‘I could just . . . go,’ I said to myself. Well, every day that I live from now on—it’s my party.”
He sounded a lot like the rich man in this story that Jesus told. That man said, “I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry’ ” (Luke 12:19, NKJV). What Versace did not know was that this was the day on which his soul would be required.
In preparation for his book, Greg Laurie interviewed some people on the street and asked them this simple question: “Would you sell your soul—and if so, at what cost?”
What would your answer be to such a question?
One self-assured thirty-something guy said, “Oh yeah, I’d do it in a second. Give me a million dollars! No soul!”
Another said, “I’d trade it for a few weeks—for the excitement. I’d get into a lot of trouble, but that’s a decision you have to make. I’d be willing to take that chance.”
A young hipster cockily said, “I’d sell it for money. I could get anything I want. You could buy another soul!”
Ironically, in our culture today, we place the greatest value on what, for the most part, has no value. Then we completely ignore what has the greatest value: the human soul.
Every day in the paper we read of tragic and senseless killings—people being gunned down, often by young kids who have no concept of the value of life, not to mention the value of the human soul.
You probably remember reading the story of the eighteen-year-old girl who gave birth to a baby boy in a bathroom stall at her senior prom, disposed of him in the trash can, and then returned to the dance floor. Once the whole incident came to light, one of her friends told a reporter, “She was sitting near me and my friends, talking and laughing. She looked like nothing was wrong.”
Even more unbelievable, this smiling young woman who had just discarded her newborn requested the band to play a song by the rock group Metallica for her boyfriend. The name of the song? “Unforgiven.”
This cheapening of human life is not only seen in the heartless taking of others’ lives but also in the growing number of people who take their own lives. A recent article on young people and suicide cited that the number of ten- to fourteen-year-olds taking their lives has risen dramatically since the early 1980s. A recent Center for Disease Control report indicated that in a survey of the largest industrialized countries, the U.S. suicide rate for children fourteen and younger was double that of the other twenty-four countries combined. The word that experts use over and over again to describe the mood of suicidal youth is hopeless.
Once we lose sight of the value of human life, it is easy to lose sight of the value of the human soul.
Many years ago Jesus asked this probing question: “Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Most of us aren’t even aware of the fact that we have one, much less that it has any intrinsic value. We tend to place all our stock in the way we look and feel as well as in what we possess. Yet all of this will pass away. Then that which really matters—the human soul, the eternal—is ignored or even spurned. On that final day, however, that’s all that will really matter.
Let me tell you the story of a man who forgot about his soul. He seemed to have everything together in life except the most important thing. Then when he faced eternity, it was too late. This story was given to us by Jesus Christ.
Here is what he said:
A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. So he said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ ” But God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?” Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. (Luke 12:16-21)
There are many commendable things about this rich man. He apparently was a hardworking farmer to have accomplished what he accomplished. Jesus is not faulting this man for his success or his possessions but for his failure to make plans for eternity. He was living high on the hog, not even realizing the clock was ticking. Then suddenly—without warning—his life came to an end. He was a fool because he died unprepared.
His philosophy would be shared by many today: “Take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry. Live it up!” But they gloss over the part of the story where God says, “You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?” (Luke 12:20).
Gianni Versace, the famed clothing designer, did not plan on dying when he left his beautiful mansion in Miami Beach to get the morning paper one sun-drenched morning. His fashions were celebrated around the world, worn by rock stars and the Hollywood elite. Then, without warning, the celebrated life of an internationally known man was over.
Much like the man in the story Jesus told, Versace lived in the very lap of luxury. He was quoted in the New Yorker in 1994: “I can spend 3 million dollars in 2 hours. I go shopping one day in Paris, buying things for my house in Miami. That night, I come back home, and I see the figure that I spent—oh, I start to dance . . . I want to kiss myself.”
What was the condition of Versace’s soul? Only God knows. Yet a close call with death did not change the way that he lived. After surviving a life-threatening bout with cancer, Versace was quoted as saying, “ ‘I could just . . . go,’ I said to myself. Well, every day that I live from now on—it’s my party.”
He sounded a lot like the rich man in this story that Jesus told. That man said, “I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry’ ” (Luke 12:19, NKJV). What Versace did not know was that this was the day on which his soul would be required.
BROKENNESS... GOD'S BEST
THIS IS NOT MY OWN, BUT IT IS SO GOOD TO SHARE...
November 18, 2004 - by Crown Financial Ministries
Nothing can befall us unless He allows it. It will rarely seem beneficial at the time, but it will always turn out for our good.
November 18, 2004 - by Crown Financial Ministries
Nothing can befall us unless He allows it. It will rarely seem beneficial at the time, but it will always turn out for our good.
Perhaps no principle in God's Word is less understood than that of brokenness. Brokenness does not mean being broke (financially). It is a condition during which God allows circumstances to control our lives to the point that we must totally depend on Him.
It seems that the greater God's plan for a person, the greater the brokenness. The life of the apostle Paul reflects both great power and great brokenness; yet, Paul never considered his personal circumstances as punishment. He consistently asserted that his sufferings were a direct result of service to Christ. "Just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:5).
The Purpose of Brokenness
In God's wisdom He realizes what it takes to keep us attuned to His direction. He then allows problems to occur that will break our will and keep us dependent on Him. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance" (James 1:2-3).
How is Brokenness Accomplished?
Since finance is the most discussed topic in the New Testament, it seems obvious that God would use this area to test our obedience to Him. Many Christians have had their egos shattered by financial setbacks. Some respond by panicking to the point that they abandon their Christian principles and cheat and lie to protect their security. Others fall back in defeat and lose their trust in God. Some even live a life of fear, and as a result, they lose their witness. Others accept God's authority over their lives and use this as an opportunity to trust God more fully and to demonstrate to others that they serve God. For instance, "Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God" (Job 1:22).
Ego: God's Enemy
Few Christians are willing to share an experience with brokenness. So often we equate problems with sin and illogically conclude that those who have problems are being punished by God. If that's so, Paul was the worst sinner in the history of Christianity. He was flogged (five times), beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and deserted; and yet he said that he was in God's will and was comforted by God. "We do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). God desires to break our egos and pride--not our spirits. Paul was truly a broken man but not a defeated one.
In Conclusion
If you're going through a period of trials and testing, don't get discouraged. God is in control. If we are serving Him, nothing can befall us unless He allows it. It will rarely seem beneficial at the time, but if we believe God's Word, we must believe He will ultimately receive the glory. "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
It seems that the greater God's plan for a person, the greater the brokenness. The life of the apostle Paul reflects both great power and great brokenness; yet, Paul never considered his personal circumstances as punishment. He consistently asserted that his sufferings were a direct result of service to Christ. "Just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:5).
The Purpose of Brokenness
In God's wisdom He realizes what it takes to keep us attuned to His direction. He then allows problems to occur that will break our will and keep us dependent on Him. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance" (James 1:2-3).
How is Brokenness Accomplished?
Since finance is the most discussed topic in the New Testament, it seems obvious that God would use this area to test our obedience to Him. Many Christians have had their egos shattered by financial setbacks. Some respond by panicking to the point that they abandon their Christian principles and cheat and lie to protect their security. Others fall back in defeat and lose their trust in God. Some even live a life of fear, and as a result, they lose their witness. Others accept God's authority over their lives and use this as an opportunity to trust God more fully and to demonstrate to others that they serve God. For instance, "Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God" (Job 1:22).
Ego: God's Enemy
Few Christians are willing to share an experience with brokenness. So often we equate problems with sin and illogically conclude that those who have problems are being punished by God. If that's so, Paul was the worst sinner in the history of Christianity. He was flogged (five times), beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and deserted; and yet he said that he was in God's will and was comforted by God. "We do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). God desires to break our egos and pride--not our spirits. Paul was truly a broken man but not a defeated one.
In Conclusion
If you're going through a period of trials and testing, don't get discouraged. God is in control. If we are serving Him, nothing can befall us unless He allows it. It will rarely seem beneficial at the time, but if we believe God's Word, we must believe He will ultimately receive the glory. "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
Christmas... so what?
Every year there is the ''Football Season'' and everyone just eats, sleeps and dreams of football. They even go to the extent of creating an office pool, a constant barrage of emails and parties to watch every game on TV.
I know very little to nothing about football and have never desired to be a part of it, but my previous co-workers try to pressure me to get involved. They have tried to get me to participate in the office pool, but I insisted that I didn't even know the names of the teams. They assured me that it didn't matter who I bet on, it would be fun to play. They wouldn't take no for an answer. I wasn't trying to spoil their fun, but I wanted to be left alone on this area.
Think of something that you're not interested in but that everybody else seems to be talking about. Maybe it's a sporting event: Thomas Cup, FA Cup, the Olympics, or F1. Maybe it's the latest "reality" TV craze: Survivor, Malaysian/American Idol or The Apprentice. Maybe it's something political: the election, the war in Iraq or the latest political sex scandal. Maybe it's the "trial of the century" du jour: OJ Simpson, Enron or Anwar Ibrahim. You can't get away from it: it's on TV and radio, newspapers and magazines. Everyone is talking about it, and expects you to express an opinion on it. You aren't interested and just wish everyone would leave you alone.
Now magnify that feeling a hundredfold, because there is nothing that permeates our culture as thoroughly as Christmas does. It's on TV news, programs and commercials. It's in radio music, the news, chat and commercials. Some radio stations go to a 24/7 Christmas music program as early as November or even earlier. It's in the mall, in every store. It's in the supermarket. It's on the lampposts along the shopping district. It's in the post office and every other government building. It's in your office. It's on everyone's garden in your neighborhood, and if it's not on your house, the neighbors want to know why it's not.
And that is the worst part of it: no one will respect your desire to skip the holiday. Yeah, sure, you're Bible believing Born-Again (BA) Christian, but Christmas isn't a Christian holiday, they will tell you. It's everybody's holiday, they say, it's a secular holiday, which means you're not allowed to "just say no." And even if you're not going to celebrate Christmas, they say, you can celebrate the holiday season, which in their minds is just an extension of the 12-days of Christmas. After all, it's about peace on Earth, good will towards men, and of course PRESENTS !?!
Judaism have their Chanukkah which is about a struggle for the Jews to maintain their distinctiveness in a culture that tried to force them to do things the way everybody else did. Sound familiar?
In ancient Greece and in the world today, it is the same struggle, and it is a struggle that we lose a little bit every time a Bible believing BA Christian celebrates Christmas, every time we use tinsels, stars and angels as ornaments on a pine tree or hang a wreath on our front door or exchange meaningless gifts just because it's ''Christmas''...
I know very little to nothing about football and have never desired to be a part of it, but my previous co-workers try to pressure me to get involved. They have tried to get me to participate in the office pool, but I insisted that I didn't even know the names of the teams. They assured me that it didn't matter who I bet on, it would be fun to play. They wouldn't take no for an answer. I wasn't trying to spoil their fun, but I wanted to be left alone on this area.
Think of something that you're not interested in but that everybody else seems to be talking about. Maybe it's a sporting event: Thomas Cup, FA Cup, the Olympics, or F1. Maybe it's the latest "reality" TV craze: Survivor, Malaysian/American Idol or The Apprentice. Maybe it's something political: the election, the war in Iraq or the latest political sex scandal. Maybe it's the "trial of the century" du jour: OJ Simpson, Enron or Anwar Ibrahim. You can't get away from it: it's on TV and radio, newspapers and magazines. Everyone is talking about it, and expects you to express an opinion on it. You aren't interested and just wish everyone would leave you alone.
Now magnify that feeling a hundredfold, because there is nothing that permeates our culture as thoroughly as Christmas does. It's on TV news, programs and commercials. It's in radio music, the news, chat and commercials. Some radio stations go to a 24/7 Christmas music program as early as November or even earlier. It's in the mall, in every store. It's in the supermarket. It's on the lampposts along the shopping district. It's in the post office and every other government building. It's in your office. It's on everyone's garden in your neighborhood, and if it's not on your house, the neighbors want to know why it's not.
And that is the worst part of it: no one will respect your desire to skip the holiday. Yeah, sure, you're Bible believing Born-Again (BA) Christian, but Christmas isn't a Christian holiday, they will tell you. It's everybody's holiday, they say, it's a secular holiday, which means you're not allowed to "just say no." And even if you're not going to celebrate Christmas, they say, you can celebrate the holiday season, which in their minds is just an extension of the 12-days of Christmas. After all, it's about peace on Earth, good will towards men, and of course PRESENTS !?!
Judaism have their Chanukkah which is about a struggle for the Jews to maintain their distinctiveness in a culture that tried to force them to do things the way everybody else did. Sound familiar?
In ancient Greece and in the world today, it is the same struggle, and it is a struggle that we lose a little bit every time a Bible believing BA Christian celebrates Christmas, every time we use tinsels, stars and angels as ornaments on a pine tree or hang a wreath on our front door or exchange meaningless gifts just because it's ''Christmas''...
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