This week’s seeking of soul-nourishment spends time in what author John Ortberg calls “The Soul Parable”. We are reminded of how important it is to care for our souls, including recognizing things and situations that damage our souls in the current lives we are leading.

The world diverts my soul-attention when it encourages me to think of myself more as a victim than as a human. I am so wrapped up in the hurt I have received that I do not notice the hurt I inflict.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, p. 55

Do not give the devil a foothold.
-- Apostle Paul, Ephesians 4:27

As we step into this week,

celebrating You, Father, breathes life into our souls;

We celebrate You, Jesus, who has redeems our souls from the pit;

We celebrate You, Spirit, who nourishes our souls with the life-giving Word of God;

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Mark 4:2-20
The "Soul" Parable

[Jesus] taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

What jumps out at you from this parable? Ask God why…

Somebody said a long time ago that if the devil can't make you sin, he will make you busy, because either way your soul will shrivel. Our world will divert your soul's attention because it is takes a little, such a tiny, little uncluttered space to give the seed some room to grow. The cluttered soul is closer to being saved then it knows… A soul can be saved. But it will take softness and depth and space. The world won't help much.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, pp. 59, 60

Father God, I want the soil of my soul to be fertile ground, able to receive your word and be fruitful. Give me wisdom to identify the potential choking hazards in my life, be they stress-related issues or seemingly harmless diversions. Show them to me now… (pause and reflect with God on this). I pray you find a receptive soul for your Word in Jesus’ name, Amen.

On What Has Now Been Sown

John Newton

On what has now been sown
Your blessing, Lord, bestow
The power is Yours alone
To make it sprout and grow.
O Lord, in grace the harvest raise,
And yours alone shall be the praise

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

As I unburdened myself to Dallas, I began to understand another soul truth: Confession really is good for the soul. The soul is healed by confession.
-- Soul Keeping, Ortberg, p. 65

Remember: Take five to ten minutes a day to stop and listen, to connect with God in music. Let the Holy Spirit use it to feed your soul.

Joshua 22:5

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

God designed us so that our choices, our thoughts and desires, and our behavior would be in perfect harmony with each other and would be powered by an unbroken connection with God, in perfect harmony with him and with all of his creation. That is a well-ordered soul... Your heart (that is, your will, your choices), your mind (all your thoughts and desires), your strength (all of your body), and your soul are all to be bound together and focused on love of God, and then the love of all that flows out of this. What sin does is break this connection, with God and his love, and it disintegrates one's life. That is why the basic human problem is at the soul level.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, pp. 66, 67

Immersing (and Reflecting) in God's Word

The ideal is to be in God’s Word daily, not just to read, but also to note how you are responding in your spirit, thoughts, and emotions. Highlight words and phrases that catch your attention, and ask God about them, knowing that he desires to shape and mold you. Consider journaling, even if only a line or two. Feel free to read the context (verses before and after) to the scripture passages.

Father God, the idea of my soul disintegrating disturbs me. But the idea of Jesus bringing forgiveness, wellness, and peace to my soul inspires me and warms my heart. 

Though sin still plagues my actions and thoughts, I rejoice that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus and that His Word, Spirit and Body are conduits to feed my soul and keep me connected to You, my life-source. In his name I pray,

Amen.

Psalm 62:1

Truly my soul finds rest in God;  my salvation comes from him.

When my will is consistently, freely, joyfully aligned with what I most deeply value, my soul finds rest. That is wholeness. When I live with half-hearted devotion, my soul is always strained.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, p. 68

Father God, let me recognize the sense of my soul at rest and negative impact of my soul not being at rest.

Teach me to value rest for my soul and to intentionality set aside and protect times to let your Holy Spirit feed my soul. Sure, I know that you always care for me, and that you can feed me at any time and place, but I also know that you seek a fully-devoted heart, promising through Jeremiah that your people would find you when they sought you with all of their hearts.

I want to seek you whole-heartedly and soulfully. Let it be so…

Amen.

1 Peter 2:11

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

King David
Shepherd, Warrior, Musician, Poet

King David is a man described in the Acts of the Apostles as a man who served God’s purpose to his generation and then died (13:36), But as great and devoted as King David was, he also experienced the power of sin and its ability to war against the soul (see stories of Bathsheba and Tamar in 2 Samuel 11-13). 

David had strong desire to worship and praise God, and his testimonies of God’s love may be unparalleled in the bible. God himself said of him: He is a man after my own heart (Acts 13:22). 

His poetry and writing have been a source of inspiration for centuries. If such a multi-gifted and dedicated man of God can be waylaid in the battle with the soul, we would do well to take the power of sin seriously.

Peter writes, "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul." In our day, soul language often conjures up images of herbal-tea-drinking, Birkenstock-wearing, flower-growing, scented-candle-lighting, conflict-avoiding granola crunchers. But that's not what Paul is talking about when he talks about soul work. He says soul work is war.

Spiritual war.

--Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, p. 73.

Lord, I want to serve your purpose in the context of my generation too – and I don’t want to be taken out by those seeking to destroy my soul. Help me to stand strong in the faith and grace of my Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray, Amen.

Psalm 32:3-5

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

I sat with Dallas and Jane during a visit that was painful, but there was hope in the pain. There is a pain that means things are coming apart. But then, sometimes there is a pain that means that things might be able to come back together. Surgery can be as painful as stabbing, but it leads to healing. I knew I was beginning to heal... So I held my pain dear, because it meant I was no longer deceiving myself. My soul was responding to its God-given ache for goodness.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, p. 78

Father God, as I see described above, some pain is a sign of danger to be avoided, but other pain leads to healing and is worthy of embracing even though it is painful.

I pray for the blessing of insight to my character and attitude that, though uncomfortable to see, will lead to a deep cleansing of my soul and make me more like you desire, more like Jesus, in whose name I pray, 

Amen.