Chapter 165—The Worth of One Soul
Know ye not that ... ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a
price.
1 Corinthians 6:19, 20
.
All men have been bought with this infinite price. By pouring the whole
treasury of heaven into this world, by giving us in Christ all heaven, God has
purchased the will, the affections, the mind, the soul, of every human being.
Whether believers or unbelievers, all men are the Lord’s property.
We are His by creation and by redemption. Our very bodies are not our
own, to treat as we please, to cripple by habits that lead to decay, making it
impossible to render to God perfect service. Our lives and all our faculties
belong to Him. He is caring for us every moment; He keeps the living
machinery in action; if we were left to run it for one moment, we should die.
We are absolutely dependent upon God.
A great lesson is to be learned when we understand our relation to God,
and His relation to us. The words, “Ye are not your own, for ye are bought
with a price,” should be hung in memory’s hall, that we may ever recognize
God’s right to our talents, our property, our influence, our individual selves.
We are to learn how to treat this gift of God, in mind, in soul, in body, that as
Christ’s purchased possession, we may do Him healthful, savory service.
The wealth of earth dwindles into insignificance when compared with the
worth of a single soul for whom our Lord and Master died. He who weigheth
the hills in scales and the mountains in a balance regards a human soul as of
infinite value.
Let the youth be impressed with the thought that they are not their own.
They belong to Christ. They are the purchase of His blood, the claim of
His love. They live because He keeps them by His power. Their time, their
strength, their capabilities are His, to be developed, to be trained, to be used
for Him.
Christ has bought you at a dear price, and offers you grace and glory if
you will receive it.
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