what is a soul actually worth ?

Mt. 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and Have you ever wondered what a soul is worth? Not to you, or anyone down here on our planet, not the devil, but God? I do, it is something that I've thought about off and on quite a bit... I hope the above scripture from the bible, which are the words of Jesus Christ answers this question, or at least sheds some light on how much we are worth to God. Before we examine what God has to say about our “souls” worth; let us first look at what our body is worth in and of itself...

Ask me, and I'll give you a price that only a few people could afford to pay me for my body, really! Bill Gates comes to mind, or the world renown investment tycoon, Warren Buffet – they just might be able to pay me what I think I'm worth... lol. But, getting serious, if we are to truly be objective; let us look at what experts in these kind of things have to say about what a human body is worth in today's economy.

* When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person's skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50!
This value is, however, subject to change, due to stock market fluctuations. Since the studies leading to this conclusion were conducted by the U.S. and by Japan respectively, it might be wise to consult the New York Stock Exchange and the Nikkei Index before deciding when to sell!
The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculating the chemical and mineral composition of the human body, which breaks down as follows: 65% Oxygen , 8% Carbon , 10% Hydrogen , 3% Nitrogen , 1.5% Calcium, 1% Phosphorous, 0.35% Potassium , 0.25% Sulfur , 0.15% Sodium, Additionally, it was discovered that our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. Together, all of the above amounts to less than one dollar!

Our most valuable asset is our skin, which the Japanese invested their time and money in measuring. The method the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition at Tokyo developed for measuring the amount of a person's skin is to take a naked person, and to apply a strong, thin paper to every surface of his body. After the paper dries, they carefully remove it, cut it into small pieces, and painstakingly total the person's measurements. Cut and dried, the average person is the proud owner of fourteen to eighteen square feet of skin, with the variables in this figure being height, weight, and breast size. Basing the skin's value on the selling price of cowhide, which is approximately $.25 per square foot, the value of an average person's skin is about $3.50.

To be perfectly honest, only God really knows the answer to that... really. But, having said that, there are some clear indica- tions from the scriptures as to what a "soul" is worth. We know that as a collective, that meaning as the entire human race is concerned, God thought we (at least as a whole), were worth sending His' beloved son, Jesus to die for us. And, not just die, we are talking about the most horrific and gruesome of deaths imaginable to be sure. That is quite clear from to many scriptures for me to list in this short email. Perhaps the most quoted and beloved of all the bible is this familiar passage which reminds us all of what we are worth in God's estimation:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Rom.8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32.He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Also, we find in the Old Testament that God derives no pleasure in the death of the wicked - He has done everything in His' power to prevent the lost from going to hell...

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

The above passages from the scriptures, reveal an obvious truth: We were worth having the Father send His' own son, Jesus – to die the most horrible and cruel death imaginable. And if there were any other way of atoning for our sins, for paying the price to redeem mankind – other than Jesus having to go to the cross – it would have happened. MT.26: 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

                                           JESUS - REVEALS OUR WORTH...

Matthew 16:25-26   For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (emphasis mine)

Here lies the "key" to understanding what Jesus considers our soul to be worth, or at least a good idea for us to grasp. Jesus is talking about "saving our soul" - or in His' words "finding it". Interesting way of putting it, is it not? Have you ever found yourself in trouble? Or in a bad way? Or have you found yourself in need of a Savior? That is what He is talking about here friends...
Now, Jesus goes on to tell us further in explaining what our "life" or soul is worth, that even if we were to gain the entire world(that is beyond our human capacity to fathom), what would it really matter if in the end you were to find yourself in hell - and without God or hope of any kind for all eternity?

He goes on to tell ask us this simple yet profound question that really reveals the true worth of our "soul" or life in the eyes of God: WHAT WILL A PERSON GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR' SOUL? Put in a way we can all understand, Jesus is asking this question, "What will a person be able to give God to keep them out of hell?" or put still another way: WHAT CAN WE POSSIBLY GIVE GOD THAT WILL CONVINCE HIM TO LET US INTO HEAVEN WITHOUT JESUS? the answer: NOTHING!

FINAL THOUGHTS... The devil thinks a soul is worth fighting for. He will do almost anything to take one soul to hell... that is his' game. God thinks a soul is worth enough to send His' very own son to die for us - you and me. That is beyond anything I can understand , but I believe it is so. What do you think a soul is worth? That person you work next to everyday? That person you despise because they rub you the wrong way? Remember, every soul is precious to God, and when you look at a human being created in God's image, just remember how valuable he or she is to God. That will serve you well in all your' relationships. I close with the following story:

                                                       GOD'S GLORY REVEALED

A man died and went to heaven. He was escorted through the corridors of heaven, and was shown the glory and splendor of heaven and was speechless. He finally turned to the angel showing him around and said, "Will you show me the glory of God?" The angel smiled, and said, "Surely, follow me". As they walked along, the man saw the heavenly city and the mansions and the streets of gold, and he turned to the angel and asked, "Is this God's glory". The angel just smiled and continued on. The man then saw thousands upon thousands of angels singing and praising God with shouts of joy and loud hallelujahs. Again, the man asked the angel, "Is this God's glory?". The angel seemed to ignore the man, and just walked on. Finally, after a short journey, they stopped - There in front of the man was a sea of people, men and women, boys and girls all dressed in white robes as far as the eye could see... He could see smiling faces filled with joy, and he saw them singing and with hands raised singing: Blessing, and honor, and glory and power be to Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb Who was slain before the foundation of the earth. (Rev. 5:13)

The angel stopped, and looked at the man, who was now staring in utter amazement and wonder at the sight of this sea of humanity before him, and said, “Dear soul, this you see before you, THIS IS THE GLORY OF GOD.”

Of all God's riches, possessions - His' glory - nothing is more valuable to him than you and I. That should cause you and me to stop, and thank God for the unspeakable gift of His son, Jesus to all of us.

EPH. 1: 11-12 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.


                                            THE END

This short story, is just one of many stories God allowed me to share with readers in my first book, PEARLS of WISDOM.   I hope you enjoyed the small pearl of wisdom contained in this amusing, yet inspiring story.

You may read more of these stories, and other things God gave me to write about by simply going to Amazon.com. The book is available in paperback or in a Kindle format...

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