Beloved, I am so grateful to share what the Lord has placed on my heart this Lord’s Day. We often focus on what we can see, but God’s concern for us is much deeper. My prayer for you today is the same as the apostle Paul’s: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23, NASB 1995). We must remember that "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (1 Thessalonians 5:24, NASB 1995).
We are complex beings. While we can only physically see the body, God created us as a trinity of spirit, soul, and body. As we were reminded earlier, "the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7, NASB 1995). Our bodies are from the dust and will return to it, but the breath God gave us—our soul—is eternal. When we pass from this world, our body returns to the earth, but our soul reaches the Creator, leaving behind the memory of how we lived and helped others.
The Value of the Soul and the Urgency of the Gospel
In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve the freedom to choose, yet they chose to disobey, breaking our relationship with Him. Praise God that through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, that relationship has been restored.
Because of this, we must understand the immense value of a single soul. The world may look at wealth or status, but Jesus asked: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NASB 1995).
Whether someone is rich or poor, or from a different country, every soul is the same and its price is more than all the wealth of people like Elon Musk. This should give us a great urgency to share the Gospel. We have a privilege that even angels do not: the opportunity to tell someone that Jesus died for them. You don't always need to be a fluent speaker; you can invite people, offer to pray for a sick coworker or their family, or simply let them see the change in your life when you choose not to use foul language or lose your temper under pressure. Every Monday morning when people ask about your weekend, that is an opportunity to share that you went to worship the Lord.
Aligning the Spirit and Transforming the Mind
To live a whole life, our spirit must align with God. As Scripture says, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24, NASB 1995). True prosperity flows from this living connection.
However, we must also deal with our minds. Our thoughts go everywhere—to our jobs, our schoolwork, or what we are cooking for lunch. We are told: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2, NASB 1995).
I want to give you a "prescription" that is good for everyone, whether you are on medication or not. "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17:22, NASB 1995). We must choose to "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4, NASB 1995). When your soul prospers through the Word of God, fellowship, and the Holy Spirit, your thinking aligns with truth and your decisions become wise.
Honoring God with the Body
Finally, God cares deeply about your physical body. Scripture asks, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19, NASB 1995).
We must make every effort to keep this "temple" healthy through exercise and diet so we can glorify Him. I have managed diabetes for 27 years, so I understand there are things we cannot control, but we must do our part. Sometimes, God allows us to go through physical trials so that we can comfort others. When my wife, Molly, went through cancer, or when we lost loved ones to accidents and heart failure, God taught us how to sympathize with those who are suffering and show them that God is the healer.
A New Perspective on Prayer
Think of Fanny Crosby, the famous hymn writer who was blind for almost her entire life. She wrote thousands of hymns like "Blessed Assurance". While her body was not healed in the way we might think, God blessed her soul and spirit so significantly that she became a blessing to the whole world. Sometimes divine blessing is not the way we are thinking because our dimension is limited, but God can use us even in our weakness.
My challenge to you today is to change the way you pray for yourselves and others. Instead of only praying for physical healing, pray according to 3 John 1:2: "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (NASB 1995). Let us seek to be preserved blameless—spirit, soul, and body—until the day the Lord returns.