Scripture Reflections

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matt. 16:26)
 
Jesus’ question presupposes a certain value system. Our souls are more valuable than what the world offers, like pleasure, money, power, or fame. Who we truly are—our identity before God, our capacity for love and relationship, our ability to hope and grieve, our calling to honor and represent God—matters more than what we own and the vacations we take.
 
But there is something else behind his question: We cannot buy a healthy soul with worldly goods, and yet the commodity we spend to get worldly goods is the same commodity that could be spent for a healthy soul.
 
It is probably obvious that we can’t buy a healthy soul with worldly goods. (Look at the rich and famous if you need evidence.) Diamonds, stock portfolios, and fame can’t be exchanged for a healthy soul. Even money, the ultra versatile commodity, can’t be exchanged for soul-health. (It promises to, in the self-care industry, but fails to deliver.) But the commodity we spend for money and for those worldly goods is the same commodity that could be spent on the health of our soul—our time!
 
For most of us, time is the most plentiful commodity we have at our disposal. We have far less of it than we would like, but we still have hours every day that we get to choose how we use. Those hours may not occur all together—they more likely occur in 5, 10, and 20-minute snatches, or while we are driving to work or school. But put these bits and pieces together, and most of us have a fair amount of time at our disposal. We fritter it away, but it could be reclaimed for the health of our souls.
 
In both Colossian 4 and Ephesians 5 Paul counsels us to “make the best use of our time.” He uses a marketplace word, urging us to buy time up wherever it can be purchased and value it highly. I imagine that reclaiming those bits and pieces of time is exactly what he had in mind!
 
What would it mean to use these snatches of time for the sake of our souls?
 
There are obvious answers, like prayer and Scripture. Instead of reaching for your phone when there is a 5-minute gap in your schedule, be quiet before Jesus in prayer or wrestle with a Bible verse you remember. But some of the other answers aren’t as obvious, and some might even feel like wasting time! Consistently, when the Bible gives lists of what to do in these moments, it includes things like “rejoice,” “do good to each other,” “give thanks,” and “be at peace.” The Sabbath itself is evidence for the fact that God wants us to use one seventh (!) of our time resting!
 
For the sake of your soul, snatch up these moments! Use them to turn towards, enjoy, and trust Jesus.
 
In Christ,
Steven+