Taking Time to Take Care of Your Soul

 “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirst for thee, my flesh long for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” – Psalm 63:1
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There are many brothers and sisters in Christ who thirst for the living God, that they would rise early each morning to seek the Lord, then spend hours in His Word. This is their delight, this is what they love to do, and this is their life.
 
You may say that’s too much time to spend with the Lord and studying His word. But I say to you, is not eight hours on a job too much time to labor for a paycheck? And if that isn’t enough, do you not jump at the opportunity to do overtime (extra hours) to get a little more money, for a little more of the things you want?
 
What profits a man to have spent so much time in gaining praise, notoriety, material things and wealth, rather than taking the time to work on gaining a healthy and prosperous soul?
 
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” – Matthew 16:26
 
If you’re working so many hours in one day, how much time are you left with to spend with God, and to take care of your soul? Should God get less from us, when he gives us so much?
 
The worst thing that can happen to a believer in Christ, is that they have worked themselves into a fever, with sleepless nights in order to secure outward prosperity. The end result is always disastrous when outward prosperity become more important than inward prosperity. It has already, and unfortunately ruined so many people.
 
“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” – I Timothy 6:9-10
 
When we become too involve with work spending long hours to complete a project, to make a little extra money, or just simply trying to impress the boss or a client, it can rob us of the important things in life that requires just as much attention and time, we dedicate to working all the time.
 
If the soul is to become healthy and prosperous, there must be progress – an increase in the knowledge of the truth of God’s Word, and growth in grace.
 
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” – II Peter 3:18a
 
 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” – II Peter 1:5-8
 
Nothing will move, grow, advance or be improved if there is no effort on the part of the man himself. If he makes no effort to improving the condition of his mind and soul; he will be a stagnant and untransformed man, with an un-nurtured and unhealthy soul.
 
Will this be the end result for you?
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SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES
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• Matthew 16:26
• I Timothy 6:9-10
• II Peter 3:18a
• II Peter 1:5-8

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Copyright © by Gale Wilcox. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages quoted are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.