Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26 HCSB

Say you wanted to sell your car. Maybe it’s an older, vintage car that is like new. This could make it very valuable. Perhaps it means a great deal to you or has some sentimental value. It’s value is determined by what you are willing to accept for it and what the buyer is willing to pay.

Our souls are like that when you think about it. The worth of our soul is determined by what price we are willing to accept for it and what the buyer is willing to pay.

God created Adam and Eve and placed them in this beautiful garden, their every need was provided for them. But God gave them free will. He did not attempt to control their minds. So, when the serpent tempted them, they fell for it and life for humans on planet earth was forever changed (Genesis 1-3). There were consequences for their actions that have been handed down throughout the generations.

We have the power to control our soul’s eternal destiny. I use that word, power, very carefully because we have a very limited amount of power. God controls the universe and everything in it, but He gives us free will. We can choose to follow God along that narrow road that leads to life or we can choose to follow the devil down the wide road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

I have heard people say, “I just sold my soul to the devil.” This term is used when someone feels as though they have done something they know they shouldn’t have done. They may feel that the end justifies the means, but in reality many of us sell our souls to the devil. We follow his way and not God’s way. We do something to gain what we want during our temporary life on earth, but we may be damning our souls to hell for eternity.

So, I must ask what you think your soul is worth? Is it worth the new job in the corner office. Is it worth that shiny new vehicle or big boat? Is it worth the big house? Is it worth sleeping in on Sunday and failing to study your Bible? I mean what is our soul really worth? Is it worth lying? Is it worth cheating someone?

The devil will lie to us in order to get us to do things his way. He will promise the moon and the stars but he can’t deliver them because he doesn’t control them. God controls them. Only God can truly give us the moon and the stars and the heavens above. The devil will lie to you in order to obtain your soul. But once the devil has your soul, God has the power to send it to hell.

But to God the Father, your soul is worth His one and only begotten Son (John 3:16).  To Jesus Christ, or God the Son, your life is worth His life (John 15:13). Jesus was willing to leave his heavenly home to come to earth and be persecuted. He was willing to be falsely accused, arrested, beaten and tormented to ultimately die on a cross for you and me. That’s what your soul is worth to Him. When we accept Christ as our Savior, He is willing to fill your heart with His Holy Spirit to help you follow His commands and do what He calls you to do.

If you sell your soul to the devil, you lose it forever. It’s kind of like selling a car. You get the money or whatever you bargained for, but you lose the car. If you sell your soul to Christ, you gain eternal salvation and get to spend eternity in heaven. This is what is Jesus means when He says if you save your life (or sell it to the devil) you will lose it, but if you lose your life ( or surrender it to Christ) because of Me you will find it. Jesus has already paid the price. He won’t step in and take possession of what He purchased while we live here on planet earth. You must choose whether you will surrender it to Him or surrender it to the devil.

But know that once you die, your soul belongs to God who has paid the ultimate price. He determines whether or not to keep it in heaven with Him or send it to a fiery hell. Please decide what price you are willing to take for your soul today before it’s too late.

Have a great day!