Your body is like an ‘earth suit’ that will eventually die and be replaced with a new, celestial, Christlike body. Paul writes, ‘We have this treasure in earthen vessels’ (2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV). The treasure, the thing that matters most, the thing that will live for eternity, is your soul. John writes, ‘Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.’ Someone has estimated that the average body contains enough phosphorous to make 800,000 match heads, enough sugar to make 60 cubes, enough salt to cover 20 spoons, and enough iron to make a three-inch nail. The rest is just dust and water. The story is told of a little boy who was taught in Sunday school, ‘For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return’ (Genesis 3:19 KJV). One day, when he was looking under the bed, his mother asked him, ‘What are you looking at?’ He replied, ‘My Sunday school teacher said that we come from dust and go back to dust. There’s somebody under my bed, and I can’t tell whether they’re coming or going!’ Seriously, since your body is temporal and your soul is eternal, you must take the long view and practise soul care. Nurture your soul daily with God’s Word. Fortify and enrich it by spending time each day with God in prayer. Discover the talents and treasures He has placed within you and invest them into the kingdom of God. Next time someone says to you, ‘Take care of yourself,’ think not only about your body but about your soul.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.