“Although He was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” (Heb 5:8-9)
Hebrews, Chapter 5, goes on to say, “About this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need some one to teach you again the first principles of God’s word.”
As I read these passages in my study Bible, I was struck by the fact that even the Son had to learn, obey, and suffer before being made perfect; before He became the eternal source of my/our salvation. I thought, geeez, is there really any hope for me then, a born sinner, a wretched repeat offender, who doesn’t seem to learn the lesson of obedience spoken of above?
For many years a favorite daily devotional of mine has been “God Calling” edited by A.J. Russell. The reading for the same day I read the above scripture was this… “Down through the ages My Power alone has kept millions of souls brave and true and strong who else would have fallen by the way. The faith has been kept alive not by dwellers in ease, but by those who struggled and suffered and died for me. This life is not for the body, it is for the soul, and man too often chooses the way that best suits the body. Not the way that best suits the soul. And I permit only what best suits the soul. Accept this and a wonderful moulding is the result, reject it and My Purpose is frustrated, your best prayer unanswered, progress (Spiritual progress) delayed, trouble and grief stored up. Try, each of you, to picture your soul as a third, being trained by us -by you and Me- and then you will share, and rejoice in sharing, in the discipline and training. Stand apart from your soul with Me and welcome training- rejoice at progress.”
I realized I am a soul in training. But I also realized I may not be helping or cooperating with God in my training. As a result I continue to repeat mistakes and am not prepared to rebuff the Devil’s advances when he attacks at the very gates to my soul.
Seeing our physical body and mind as a third party assisting God in keeping our soul alive in the Spirit is one more powerful tool in our arsenal. With this viewpoint, this different way of thinking about our soul, we can be less timid about actively participating in the ‘care and feeding’ of our own soul. As long as we keep God as the Guidepost and seek His Wisdom and Will, we can make everyday choices that will fortify our soul against the onslaught and bombardment of the evil forces ever waiting to pounce on us. We can make prudent choices in reading materials, activities, friendships and relationships that will help our soul to thrive, to sing its life song out loud in praise and glory of Him who created it. When our soul thrives, we thrive!
A Prayer For Wise Choices
“Lord, Help me this day to choose not the way that is best for my body and it’s senses, not the temporal satisfaction; but instead, to reach out for what my soul is indeed thirsting for, a heavenly reunion with You.
Lord, help me this day to wisely choose You above all this earthly life and Satan have to offer. Your Strength shall be my weapon; Your Love my shield.
For You are my soul’s true home; You are my Lord and my God.
Amen
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