Is your soul prospering?

3 John 1:2

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

John, the beloved disciple, writes to a man named Gaius, who likely was his son in the faith, as he spoke of no greater joy than to hear that his children walk in truth. There is no greater joy, no higher fulfillment, no more enriching enjoyment than to hear the news that your child continues in the ways of the Lord. Gaius was a faithful man. He was a trustworthy man. He was a man upon whom the brethren could depend. He was faithful to the brethren and to strangers. But one thing we discover about Gaius is that he was not a healthy man. Spiritually, he was a strong man; physically, he was a weak man. Spiritually, he was robust and astute in his lifestyle; physically he was faltering and failing in health. His health was not prospering! It was uncertain. It was faint and ailing. But even in the midst of this, something else was prospering! Something else was healthy! Something else was robust and acute! Something else was increasing while his health was diminishing. And that was his soul! His soul prospered continually! It was increasing in vitality and vigor! It was strong and healthful! Although his body had little strength, his soul was filled with spiritual health.

Now, I ask you this morning a mightily important question. Is your soul prospering? Your body may be torn. It may be aching and hurting. It may be weak and frail. It may have ebbing life and failing strength. But even so! Your soul may prosper! For we must remember that the soul is of infinitely greater importance! For you see! Our soul lasts forever. Our soul outlives our body. The span of our soul’s life far eclipses our body’s threescore years and ten. Our soul lasts forever; our body is but for a moment. It is a vapor. It is transient. It is momentary. Our bodies must be properly and diligently cared for as they are the temple of God’s Holy Spirit. But even with all the care we can give them, they are still liable to crumble and fall apart. This we may not have jurisdiction of. This we may not always control. But, my friend, I contend today, we have much control of our soul’s health! It is our responsibility! Our soul doesn’t die without reason or cause. We must keep it healthy. And this is vitally important above all things.

Now, how shall we do this? How shall we keep our soul healthy and prospering? Well, we may think of the ways in which our bodies are kept healthy, and then transpose that to the need of our soul. We must take in food and water into our bodies every day. In like manner, we must take in the bread of life and the water of the Word every day. We need physical strength for our work, so we need spiritual strength. For the journey is too great for us. We must rely on His nourishment and His sustaining strength. The morsels of His Word will serve as bread from Heaven, and as manna for our weary souls. Our bodies also need nutrition. A balanced diet is essential to maintain a strong physical condition. So we must be sure what we are ingesting into our souls daily that which is sustaining us and giving the necessary nutrients. We need our daily bread. We need all the elements of the spiritual walk. We need good music. We need to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We need the fellowship of the believers. For it will serve as the lifeblood of our starving souls. It will serve as the tonic for our ailing spirits, and the balm for our wounded hearts. These things are necessary! Above all things! Nothing is of greater impact on our lives than the prospering of our souls! The body must not be forgotten. But, my dear friend, whatever you do, don’t neglect your soul! For it must prosper above all else.

“Dear Lord, we confess that Thou hast dealt with us very clearly this day. We know that our souls sometimes are starved and anemic because we have not nourished them. Please forgive us for placing the emphasis on lesser things to the neglect of the greater things. May you be the pure water and nourishing bread that our souls need today. Help us to feed them! Help us to fatten them with the goodness and plenty of your Word and prayer. Help us to quicken them with the healing joy of Christian fellowship. May we never neglect our souls again, but above all else, may our souls prosper for Thy glory! In Jesus’ wonderful name we pray, Amen.”