Jesus asks some of the most provocative and evocative questions. His questions always cause us to stop and think. Sometimes the questions are mind boggling, jaw dropping, and perplexing, as if to have you say "I've never thought of that before." In the true style and technique of teaching of His day, the Masters, the Teachers, the Rabbis enlighten you, by guiding you, by way of questions until you find the answers to the very questions you may have asked, may have been asked.

I am no gemologist, and so can be easily fooled about the value of so called precious stones, as diamonds and the like. The many varieties, styles and colours and cuts, make it very confusing for me to determine, which should I chose and which one is really worth my purchase. That's why when I want to buy a diamond, or even gold for that matter, I prefer to go to a reputable dealer, whose trained eyes can tell me the merchandise's true value and worth. God who made us is the only one qualified to tell us our true worth. The scientists, a number of years ago determined that chemically we were worth about One Dollar and Sixty-nine cents ($1.69). Factoring inflation, the present and up-to-date value, may be that value times ten, Sixteen Dollars and Ninety cents. Are you prepared to believe that? Then you are selling yourself far short of your God given value and 'North. Zechariah 2:8, "For he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of His eye."

WHAT IS YOUR SOUL? Your Soul is the true essence of who you really are, without physicality. Your Soul In other words, is your spiritual existence without your body. We read in Genesis 2:7; "And the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." The expression 'Living Soul" usually refers to a being, who is alive, visible and palpable, with all physical, emotional and intellectual faculties intact. With the absence of the Body through death, the Soul of that individual is in an inactive state, though being preserved and kept alive by the Spirit of God, who alone is the giver of life. Isaiah 38:17-19, "For the grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee: They that go down into the pit, cannot hope for Thy Truth." We must always remember that death was never meant to be, and that we were intended to be in perpetual blissful fellowship and communion with God our Creator. The Devil would have you believe that you are not worth much, and that no one even cares for or about you. That is lie contrived in the pit of hell, by the devil himself. You must tell the devil what the Word Of God says of him, "he is a liar and the father of all lies." John 8:44 The truth is that you, a single individual, are worth more in the sight of God, than the accumulative worth or value of this entire world. What a perspective! That is indeed how very special you are, and why God love you so much.

GOD'S PERSPECTIVE ON YOUR SOUL. We need to understand the nuances of the different words, and their application. The value of an article can be determined by its replacement cost, or it's material and componential composition, plus it's utility value. On the other-hand it's intrinsic worth is quite another matter, which can make the same object which previously did not value much, now to be of inestimable value to another. This reminds me of the poem, "THE OLD VIOLIN." That old violin was going to be auctioned off for a mere pittance, until being touched by the Master Violinist's Hand. Indeed our soul is of inestimable worth, should we submit to the Master who created us in the first place. We can have a sense of the value and worth of a soul, by appreciating the extent to which God has gone in order to save us.

In John 16:21-22, Jesus foretells His death and resurrection, which was His fulfilling the Father's plan of redemption for us all. He who was the treasure, the gem and jewel of Heaven, was made a little lower than the angels, and took on Himself the nature of man, was made conformable to death, that by dying He may save us. This was the greatest manifestation of Love ever demonstrated. Indeed as the hymn states, '0 love of God so rich and pure, How measureless and strong, It shall forever more endure, The Saints and Angels song.' That soul which was made in God's image and likeness, which was subsequently marred by sin, God is determined that the devil shall not have the victory, but that all those that are His, vis a vis all those souls who rejected His offer of salvation, shall be restored into full fellowship with Him. 1Corint. 2:9 states "But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have it entered in the heart of man, the things which (:';od hath prepared, for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

You can easily determine the worth of anything to a man or a woman, by how much he or she pours his soul into it. We are told that we should love the Lord Our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength. David said in the Psalms 103:1, "'Bless the Lord 0 my soul and II that is within me bless His Holy Name." God must be worshipped, praised, honoured and adored, Psalm 113:3, "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, The Name of the Lord is to be praised." The Word tells us that if we do not praise and worship God, He will command the rocks and the stones to cry out, and give Glory to His Name.

Outside of God, outside of Jesus Christ, this life with all it's endeavours, never gives satisfaction, or fulfillment, no wonder why many find their lives to be meaningless, void and empty. For your soul to thrive and be radiant, and to enjoy the life abundant that Jesus offers, from God's perspective, we need to seriously contemplate the question Jesus still poses to us, "What shall it profit a man, if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

All Bible Verses: KJV