No.

G L E A N I N G S F R O M A C H R I S T I A N ’ S L I B R A R Y

Is not your the soul more precious than raiment, more than friends, more
than life, yes, more than all? Then why do you not labor daily to care for and
enrich your soul?

I weighed the earth – its wealth untold,

Its vales of green and hills of gold;
The mines of many a far-off land,
With treasures hid beneath the sand;
The monarch’s crown and costly gems
(The scale moved not for diadems);
The height of fortune and of fame;
The glory of a noble name;
Next came the sciences; and then
The pleasures of the sons of men;
With all the eminence that art
Or skill or learning can impart;
And, lastly, all designed or done
By mortal man beneath the sun:
Against all these I weighed my soul,
And found it far outweighed the whole.

Consider the worth and excellence of your soul. A soul is a spiritual, immortal
substance; it is capable of the knowledge of God, of union with God, of
communion with God, and of a blessed and happy fruition of God. Christ left
the bosom of his Father’s bosom for the good of souls; he assumed man’s
nature for the salvation of men’s souls; Christ prayed for souls, he wept for
souls, he bled for souls, he hung on the cross for souls, he trod the wine-
press of the father’s wrath for souls, he died for souls, he rose again for
souls, he intercedes for souls, and all the glorious preparations he has been
making in heaven all these years are for souls. Our soul has an unutterable
value – and not only that but also an unthinkable, inconceivable,
incomprehensible value.

If he be a monster among men, who makes liberal provision for his servant,
and then starves his wife and children, what shall we call he who pampers
his body and makes much provision for his baser part, but neglects his
nobler nature; his soul!
Our body should be cared for, as such, yet not with the same care bestowed
upon the soul. Good health. What a blessing it is! Nobody knows what it is
worth till they lose it. But when they do lose it, what pains do they take to
recover it! No expense too heavy, no time too long, no thought too constant,
if only we can get back good health. I do not say a word against this anxiety.
Good health is one of God’s best gifts. We have no right to trifle with it, or to
lose it, if by proper care and God’s blessing we can retain it. Only I say, our
care and anxiety for the health of the body ought to put us very much to
shame, if we are neglecting the health of the soul. It is a shame if we are
spending money, time, and thought about the one, and have no regard for
the other but are thoughtless and careless.
‘For what will it profit a man
if he gains the whole world, and then loses his own soul?’ Mk. 8:36

If one should send me, from abroad, a richly-carved and precious statue, and
the careless drayman who tipped it upon the side-walk before my door
should give it such a blow that one of the boards of the box should be
wrenched off; I should be frightened lest the hurt had penetrated further,
and wounded it within. But if, taking off the remaining boards, and the
swathing-bands of straw or cotton, the statue should come out fair and
unharmed, I should not mind the box, but should cast it carelessly into the
street. Now, every man has committed to him a statue, molded by the oldest
Master, of the image of God; and he who is only solicitous for outward things
– who is striving to protect merely the body from injuries and reverses – is
letting the statue go rolling away into the gutter, while he is picking up the
fragments, and lamenting the ruin of the box.

And had there been in all this wide,

Wide world, no other soul beside,
But only mine, then He had died
That He might be my Saviour.

You have only one soul, give it to the one Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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 I have not much to offer To Christ, my Lord and King;
No wealth, no might, no wisdom, No noble gift to bring.
"Five loaves and two small fishes?" But what alas are they
Among the throngs of hungry who crowd life's troubled way?

"Five loaves and two small fishes?" Not much, dear heart, 'tis true;
But yield them to the Master and see what He can do!
Placed in His hands of mercy Thy little will be much.
'Tis not thy gift that matters But His almighty touch!

All the above material is taken from books which are in my

library. Totaf

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