We all sense that there is a non-physical component of our being. We might call it our heart or our soul. We talk about people who are very close as being “soul-mates”. A popular wedding song refers to “the union of your spirits”.

Spirit
Soul
Heart
Essence
Vital force
Life force
Breath of life
and many other synonyms

I will call it the soul.

Most people would say that the soul is the most important part of our being. Many would say that the soul can exist apart from the body…….both before birth and after death. People who have had near death experiences often describe their soul as floating above their body. We typically see people who have “good souls” as good people……..whether they have money, health, success or anything else. We say that truly evil people……..and they do exist……..have black souls.

If the soul is real and if it is so important, then the question comes up……..who does my soul belong to?

This is so terribly important……..because it colors how we run our lives. More importantly, whoever owns my soul effectively owns me……and can dispose of me and my soul as he sees fit.

What are the possibilities?

My soul belongs exclusively to:

Me
God
Satan
Nobody
Some other human
It doesn’t matter because it doesn’t exist.

I’ll start with the easiest and work up to the most important:

It doesn’t exist. I doubt that many people believe this except for a few deeply committed (and intellectually honest) secular humanists. This includes the belief that when you die, the lights just go out. Thus, this is not popular. But, it does free me……..to do whatever I want to do. And that freedom is the big attraction.

Some other human. Again, not a popular option. Even for the most ardent star crossed lovers, nobody believes that their life force belongs to another flawed person. When push comes to shove…..we simply don’t trust the other guy……..and his agenda. This is the domain of those who join “cults”.

Satan. History is replete with stories of people selling their souls to Satan. Where it gets interesting is this: since he owns your soul, he controls it and can do with it as he pleases……….so what will he do with it? Since Satan is a liar, I cannot tell you what he will do with the soul that he has purchased and neither can the person who has sold their soul. But, I suspect that it will not be pleasant.

Me. I own and control my soul. I direct it where I want it to go. It does my bidding. I bend it to satisfy my appetites. I define it so that I can do as I please. This is best summed up in “Invictus” by Henley. “I am the master of my fate…….I am the captain of my soul”. The only problem here is that the as the “master of my fate”…..we never seem to honestly deal with the final disposition of our soul…..when we die. Some dream up a paradise that conforms to their appetites. Others accept death as the end for our soul. This is the heart of secular humanism.

Nobody. Your soul is a completely independent entity. It operates by its own rules. Nobody controls it. Nobody tells it what it can or cannot do. Your soul dictates your every action directly or indirectly. Your soul could be wildly different from mine. In a way, we are captive to an inner motivating force……and so is the other guy. This accounts for much of the conflict in our culture.

God. This is the Christian perspective. God created me…..including my soul. He did this for his own purposes, which I do not claim to fully understand. He has expectations of me and has given me guidelines to use in my life. Depending on how I manage in this world……depending on how I follow God’s agenda…….. when I die, he will send my soul either to paradise or to hell.

Most people operate on a combination of the last three choices. Christians generally say God owns and has dominion over their souls. God has ultimate control over my soul…….and its disposition. Most secular humanists fall somewhere between self ownership and an independent soul. The key to the secular humanist perspective is that no outside being has ownership of and therefore control over his soul.

In the final analysis……it all comes down to one thing……control. Either the primary control of my being…..of my soul……. is internal……or it is external. Either God is in charge……or I am.

Either I run my world based on “love God….love man” or I run it based on “what I want”…….today.

I propose that “what I want” isn’t working very well.

I propose that love and its cousins…….trust and obey………will work better. That is God’s promise.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Jesus, ESV

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Solomon, ESV

do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus, ESV

Meet Elsie…….the happiest cow on the planet.

First, let me fill you in on the back story.

About 30 years ago, I was driving down the California coast and I passed a pasture full of cows. What made this memorable was that the pasture was on a prime piece of beachfront property. My first thought was, “what a waste of valuable land……there are people who would spend millions of dollars to live on that pasture”. My second thought was, “those are the luckiest cows in the world”. They have a view to kill for, they enjoy cool ocean breezes day and night, they are well fed, and they have a million dollar view. They are living “the life”. Elsie truly is the most contented cow on earth

Years later, I had an epiphany. Elsie’s future is in fact rather grim. In a year or so, someone will lead her into a truck, take her to a smelly building, hit her on the head with a hammer, grind her up into little pieces and turn her into “quarter-pounders”. Elsie gets up each day, munches on the grass, enjoys the sun and sea breezes, and puts on a few pounds. She doesn’t have a clue. In a word…….Elsie is oblivious.

So…….what’s the point?

In a country like America, there are millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of people who are in the same spot as Elsie. They get up each day, they are well fed, well clothed, and they have good shelter. They can get anything that they need and just about anything that they want.

And yet, just around the corner, a few years down the road, there is a destiny, a fate awaiting them……..a fate that makes Elsie’s fate pale in comparison.

And they give it no thought, they haven’t a clue.

They too are oblivious.

Maybe you are one of them. If you aren’t, then you know dozens of people who are. This post is a plea to those people.

If you have carefully evaluated the facts. If you have decided that human knowledge is complete…….that God, paradise, and hell are a myth, then this post isn’t for you.

If you have given the Bible some thought and decided that you don’t like the philosophy…….it’s narrow minded, judgemental, old fashioned. If you reject it because it tells you that some of the things that you like…….are wrong. Even worse, if you reject it because it conflicts with your politics……or your favorite talking head, then you really need to reconsider. Because, if the Bible is true………then the fact that you disapprove is utterly and completely irrelevant.

Finally, if you just never gave it any thought……if, like Elsie, you have just been enjoying the view……….you really owe it to yourself to carefully study Christianity.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus, ESV

“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ybarns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, aeat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

Jesus, ESV

I have always been troubled by David. He was obviously very important to God. He was one of the two or three most important leaders of Israel. And yet, he committed the two most despicable crimes that a man can commit…..marital infidelity and murder. Then, as you follow him through Psalms, over and over, he brags about his righteousness and calls death and damnation down on those who oppose him. He repeatedly gives God explicit instructions as to how he wants his political opponents destroyed. He does a lot of whining.

As Christians, we are constantly reminded of how God uses broken people to grow his kingdom………and yet David seems to be a special case.

My best attempt to reconcile David is to divide his life into 3 eras. The Shephard era, the empire building era, and the mature era. These three eras are so different that it’s almost like looking at three different men. And that, I think, is the key lesson of David’s life.

The Shepherd era:

David grows up in a family where he is clearly the bottom of the heap…….the runt of the litter. He is given the dirty thankless jobs while his brothers go off to war to win glory for themselves. This era ends with the Goliath episode where he distinguishes himself and catches the eye of the king.

The empire building era:

David flees from his enemies, Saul and Absalom, while building an army. He clearly develops leadership skills and a cadre of loyal followers. He wages war for years and establishes Israel as a legitimate regional power. And he commits adultery and murder. His tryst with Bathsheba founds the family line that leads to Jesus.

The mature era:

David settles in as king of Israel. He spends the rest of his life torn between praising God, whining, and calling death and damnation down on his foes.

David is a complicated guy…….and clearly deeply loved by, protected by, and used by God. By human standards, after Goliath, he deserves a promotion and a raise. After Bathsheba, he deserves a lightning bolt. Through his mature era, he is pretty much a typical politician……..with one exception. He steadfastly praises God, relies on God, and thanks God for his blessings.

So why does God like David so much?

There seem to be two themes here:

How you end is far more important to God………than how you began………than how you got here. God values your praise, dependence, and thanks today far more than yesterday’s screwups.

God’s mercy is bigger than you know. It is bigger than your biggest mistake. God’s mercy is not subject to 4th grade math. You can mess up 10,000 times and do one thing right and still experience the full measure of God’s mercy.

The key is to end like David. End your life praising God……worshipping God……..thanking God……..in a word, loving God.

Remember Dimas, the thief who repented on the cross beside Jesus. He too received the full measure of God’s mercy……..after a life of crime and sin.

Dimas is in paradise right now……..and a lot of really good people…….people who failed to end like David…….are not.

It is never too late.

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus, a conversation with 2 criminals during his crucifixion, ESV

Literature is full of lists:

The 25 best restaurants.
The 10 worst cars.
The greatest movies of all time.

But what about the most important event in human history?

I can say without question……..that it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The resurrection is a big deal for two reasons:

The first is that the resurrection validates the Bible, Jesus, God, and creation. The resurrection absolutely proves that Jesus is divine. This means that what Jesus says is literally the word of God. And Jesus endorses the Bible, the father, and the holy spirit as well as heaven and hell.

The second is that the resurrection divides the human experience into two mutually exclusive realms. Prior to the resurrection, there was the “law” and there was no durable remedy for the fact that we never could live up to the law. After the resurrection, mercy became available to us all. Sin could be fixed……..by anyone……at any time. Prior to the resurrection, paradise was effectively unobtainable. After the resurrection, paradise is ours for the asking.

And so………the most important event in human history…….is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this is why we celebrate Easter. I don’t know where the Easter bunny and all of the eggs came from……..probably the same place as Santa Claus. What I do know is that the resurrection, which we celebrate on Easter, completely redefines the human experience.

The only way to get around this………is to say that it never happened. Unfortunately, that also excludes God, creation, the holy spirit, heaven, and hell.

It’s a package deal. And the stakes are high.

Which brings us to the next “most important”.

The most important decision that you will ever make.

This decision is so important because it defines the reality that you are experiencing……and even more importantly…… the reality that awaits you.

The most important decision that you will ever make is this:

Did Jesus Christ die and then rise from the dead……..is Easter real………or just another phony holiday? Because, if the resurrection is real, all of your other important questions have been answered.

This would make a good meditation…….for Easter.

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.

An angel in an empty tomb, ESV

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Jesus, ESV

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus, ESV

It happens to all of us……just about every day. Something happens to us……someone does something…….or doesn’t do something. And we get angry. Sometimes we just sit and stew……..sometimes we act on our anger. We tell ourselves that we are seeking justice……or that we want to correct someone else’s behavior. But, the truth is, that, often, we just want to punish the other guy. We want to hurt him. Typically, we do this with words…….rarely with fists or weapons.

This week, I did something. I don’t believe that it was actually wrong. But, it enraged one of my neighbors. He walked 2 blocks out of his way to treat me to a “counseling session”. It was a very uncomfortable situation…….for me at least. This “counseling session” was very well crafted. It was delivered in a raised tone of voice and the subtext was…..”you are a complete moron”. It included a veiled threat of retaliation. I sensed that he was very skilled at doing this……..that he probably got a lot of practice. And I began to reflect on anger, my anger, and what it does to those around me. More importantly, I began to consider what my anger does………to me.

There are people who are just angry people. Fortunately, these people are rare. We generally arrange our lives to avoid them as much as possible. They often find themselves socially isolated and I bet that most of them don’t ever realize why. This post is not really about them. This post is about situational anger. Something happens that harms us…….or inconveniences us……..or offends our sensibilities………or, even worse, offends our politics……and we get angry. You can easily experience this…….just tune in Fox or CNN……..for about 3 minutes.

This situational anger is a hallmark of our contemporary culture. How we deal with it will shape our experience of life.

What to do?

The first and simplest step is to avoid the situations that trigger your anger. I generally avoid politically motivated TV networks……like Fox and CNN……even when I agree with what they are saying. Sometimes, however, this is just not possible. Perhaps your boss is one of those angry people and you really need the job…….or someone goes out of their way to confront you…….or to punish you for some misdeed……..real or perceived.

So……in spite of your best efforts, a situation develops……and you find yourself becoming angry. Here are some basic facts about anger:

Using anger to respond to the other guys anger NEVER works.

Using anger to promote an idea that you are committed to NEVER works.

It is not possible to be angry…….and happy……at the same time.

Anger will shorten your life.

Every minute that you spend angry is lost forever……..each angry minute is effectively subtracted from your life.

Your anger at your fellow man distances you from God.

Anger defeats Christianity’s second rule: “love your fellow man”.

From a practical point of view, I have decided to try to use the “Meltzer filter”. Before I speak, I will ask myself……is this thing that I am about to say……. true, kind, necessary, and helpful.

After a week of trying this, I find that I don’t say nearly as much as I used to.

For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

James, ESV

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus, ESV