“The real value of an object is that which one who knows its worth will give for it. He who made the soul, knew its worth, and gave his life for it.”
Arthur Jackson (1593-1666)
Good counts my soul worthy of Christ’s death — amazing love!
Good morning, Lord. You are the breath of life to my soul here and now. You are eternal life for my soul now and forever.
Bless You, Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless Your holy name (Psalm 103:1).
My husband and I restored the home we live in. It started in the 1800s as a post-and-beam barn. In the 1970s, someone made it into a house and covered every hand-hewn beam with drywall.
We tore out unneeded and damaged drywall. We updated the plumbing and electricity. We tweaked the floorplan.
Psalm 23:3 (KJV)
He restoreth my soul.
God restores my soul, tearing away the misguided thinking of our culture. He updates my connection to His Word with less milk, more meat (Hebrews 5:13-14). He rearranges my priorities. I am His work in progress.
Good morning, Lord. Restore my soul! Remove everything that is not of You — all false beliefs and worldly notions, all bitterness and resentment, every self-serving and arrogant attitude. Sweep away the bad habits and secret sins. Clean the space by the power of Your blood. Fill it with the breath of Your Spirit and wisdom from Your Word.
What’s the antidote to a sagging soul?
Psalm 19:7 (ESV)
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
God’s Word … it’s good for what ails you.
Good morning, Lord. Sometimes I’m reluctant to study Your Word. I think I’m too busy, too tired or simply not interested. That happens because I’m listening to the enemy’s whisper. Forgive me.
Tune my ears to hear Your voice. Tune my heart to study Your Word. Fill my mind with Your wisdom. Revive my soul!
3 John 1:2 (TLB)
Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is.
How often do we pray for the health of the body while ignoring the state of the soul? Maybe our priorities are upside down.
Good morning, Lord. I am quick to pray for the state of someone’s body — that is, quick to pray for physical healing. I’m slow to pray for the state of their souls. Forgive me for ignoring the souls of others (and ignoring my own soul).
Teach my soul — my mind, will and emotions — to be sensitive to others’ souls. Teach me to think about more than their bodies, to do what I can to help and to acknowledge their feelings and my own — in Jesus’ name.
Genesis 2:7 (MSG)
God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!
Without the breath of God in me, I would be an empty, lifeless body.
Good morning, Lord. I am more than the shell that is my body. It is Your breath that makes me a living soul. It is through You I live, move and have my being (Acts 17:28). I am Yours, O God, body and soul.
Fill my soul–my mind, will and emotions–with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Teach me think, act and feel in ways that are pleasing in Your sight.
This Scripture is about the Church, the body of Christ. But let’s not miss the other wisdom herein.
1 Corinthians 12:12 (ERV)
A person has only one body, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts, but all those parts are still just one body.
As I’ve aged, I focus on my aches and pains. I overlook other body parts.
One body, so many parts still working. And I’m grateful.
Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for complaining about my aging body. Truth is, more parts work than don’t. I am an amazing collection of cells quietly doing their jobs, day after day. They keep working, whether I appreciate them or not. Thank You!
You call me to do likewise, to be a cell in Your amazing body of believers, quietly doing what You created me to do, day after day. Let me do it, not for praise from other people, but out of love for You.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
… train yourself to live a godly life. Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come.
Training the body is good, training the soul is better. It’s not either/or, it’s both/and.
Good morning, Lord. Show me how to live a godly life, training my body and my soul. I know I should eat better and exercise more — for the sake of my body. I know I should study Your Word and pray more — for the sake of my soul. Grant me strength, body and soul, to fulfill Your purpose and plan for me today and every day.
Sometimes I look at other people and wish I looked more like them. I envy their slim, trim, athletic bodies.
Proverbs 14:30 (NIV)
A heart at peace gives life to the body,
but envy rots the bones.
Envying someone else’s body is bad for my own body.
Good morning, Lord. Sometimes I look at my body, focusing on everything I don’t like. I compare myself to others, wishing I looked like them. I criticize Your design for me (as though I could have done better, how presumptuous!). Forgive me.
Thank You, O God, for the ability to walk, touch, think and speak. Thank You for making me the unique person I am — body, soul and spirit.
Let’s me be honest. I tend to blame God for the things I don’t like about my body and take personal credit for the things I do like.
John 1:3 (NKJV)
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Truth be told, without God there would be nothing to like.
Good morning, Lord. You see me in intricate detail. I merely see myself in the mirror. You see me as I truly am. I imagine what I’d like to look like. O Lord, teach me to see myself as You see me!
I am not a mistake. I am not assembled from left-over parts. I am Your one-of-a-kind creation, made with a plan and a purpose. Show me Your plan, reveal the purpose You established for me. Set my feet on the path You planned for me from the beginning.
I recently read this article by Bob Brody in which he thanks his body for its faithful service and apologizes that he hasn’t treated it better. I could do likewise.
I’m quick to complain, slow with the gratitude.
Psalm 139:14 (ESV)
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
I know this full well, and yet I ignore it. I owe God an apology.
Good morning, Lord. My body has worked wonderfully well for decades, so well that I rarely notice it. Thank You! Forgive me for neglecting and even abusing it. Teach me to treat it like the treasure it is.
I am a walking, talking, thinking display of Your intricate design. May my actions, words and thoughts be acceptable in Your sight, O my Creator and Redeemer (based on Psalm 19:14).
