A thought
by John Ortberg (2014-04-22) from his book, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You (p. 105). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the
title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
John says, “One is sin. Sin cannot coexist with a soul centered on God.
If I choose to live in bitterness, or to indulge lust, or to deceive my wife, I
am choosing to keep God out of my thoughts.”
John says, “One is sin. Sin cannot coexist with a soul centered on God.
If I choose to live in bitterness, or to indulge lust, or to deceive my wife, I
am choosing to keep God out of my thoughts.”
And then he says, “The other disconnect is what
might be called the ‘troublesome thought.’ This soul-enemy is actually much
more pervasive. It’s not necessarily a sin. It’s simply a way of thinking that
does not take God into account. The troublesome thought begins with any normal
concern you might have. For example, you open your quarterly statement from
your 401K and notice that instead of gaining, your fund lost a few hundred
dollars. Certainly reason to be concerned, but then you begin a succession of
thoughts that practically consume you: Will I have enough to retire? What if
the next quarter posts another loss? Should I pull my money out of this fund?
By entertaining these thoughts, you are allowing something to squeeze God out
of your life. It’s one thing to pay attention to your retirement account, but
when you leave God out of the equation, your soul loses its connection.”
He then says, “A soul disconnected from its
center is like an unplugged computer. It is like a fish left on the banks of a
river that would give it life. Eventually it crashes. It dies. The soul cannot
be centered without God.”
Somehow we need to guard our soul. We need God in our lives. He is the One who makes the difference. Remember, “Sin cannot coexist with a soul
centered on God” and “when you leave God out of the equation of your life, your
soul loses its connection.”
So how is your soul doing?
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