A Tough Question

What’s your soul worth?

Salon.com reports that 18 year old Sterling Jones “Put his soul up for auction on eBay. Within a few days eBay removed Jones’ offer and alerted him that eBay did not allow the auctioning of human souls.”

“According to eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove, there’s no proof Jones can make good to the winning bidder. Jones would have to make a pretty strong case to us that he could deliver his soul.”

In a similar instance Wired Magazine reported that a 29 year old university communications instructor did manage to sell his soul after 10 days of bidding. His soul was sold to a New York real estate agent for $1,325.00. The seller said, “In America you can metaphorically and literally sell your soul and be rewarded for it. That’s what makes this country great.”

After I read these two accounts of soul selling, my mind started racing. I thought about all those people in the Bible who sold out cheap: Esau for a bowl of soup, Lot’s wife for a last look, the people of God because they wanted a king like everyone else, and Judas for thirty pieces of silver. I thought how silly, how could anyone sell out for so little. Then my thoughts started to get personal as I remembered all the times I’d sold out. I sold out because I didn’t want to be embarrassed, inconvenienced, or bothered. Sold out because I didn’t trust God, was being selfish, or I just plain thought it would cost me too much.

While I was sitting there, feeling a bit silly for selling out myself, I remembered something Jesus said:

26 And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?
Matt 16:26 (NLT)

This has led me to one conclusion. God places a much higher value on my soul than I do. He was willing to pay everything He had to buy me back after I sold myself so cheaply. He was willing to give His own son in exchange for my very soul. I don’t know if I’m ever going to sell out cheap again (I hope not), but I do know this, the next time I consider it, I’m going to think first about the price that God was willing to pay for my soul before I do!

In His Grip
Dale Phipps

P.S Who’s got the title to your soul anyway?