The Value of a Soul

As a children’s minister I’m often caught up in the day-to-day oversight of making weekends happen.  Are there enough volunteers? Is the curriculum ready?  Do we have enough Cheerios?  You know, the stuff that makes Sunday great for all children’s ministries everywhere.  As the lone paid staff member in the children’s ministry, I rely on the goodness, dedication and hard work of a team of volunteers who make it all happen, each and every week. I would be lost without them to say the least.  The preparation for Sunday is essential and has to happen every week, but the challenge I find is that with everything it takes to make Sunday’s happen all of that busy work makes me often forget the why or better yet, the who I’m doing it for.   

I can clearly justify the work and say, “I’m doing this for the Lord!” and yes that works but am I really doing it for the Lord?  Yes, but I think there is a clearer vision in God’s mind that I should focus on.  I think He wants me to focus on the souls of his children.  You and I cannot redeem the souls of anyone, but we can recognize the value of the souls of the children and also recognize the value of the souls of those we work around.  Believe it or not, you may work around people who go through the motions of helping you “work for the Lord” but they themselves have not given their lives to Christ.  Their soul is still dead and has not been redeemed yet.  Their feelings, their good conscious and perhaps their good work ethic help get the work done, but they may actually be doing it to “work for the Lord” and hope that their good works will save them on judgment day.  

As ministers of the Lord, we need to look at everyone we encounter and understand the value of their soul to God.  Remember that he loves our souls so much that he gave up his Son to redeem it.  So, when we see a child, a volunteer or a parent, we should do our work with the thought that every ounce of work we do is indeed to help every soul to know how much it’s loved by God.  If that coloring page for that PreK kid or that text message to that volunteer or that parent hand out helps soften or break down that wall between a person’s soul and Jesus’ work on the cross to redeem that soul, then the work is worth it.  

I challenge you to look at everyone you come in contact (good or bad) with and remember that their soul holds a value to God that is beyond our comprehension.   Perhaps, that will make you want to spend just a few seconds or minutes more with them and help them understand their worth.  If God would give up everything for you and me so that our souls would not perish and instead be with him for eternity, we must certainly know that we are worth everything to him.  Take a moment to ponder that thought!  Don’t you feel pretty valued right about now?  Jesus think’s so anyway – “There is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for one’s friends.”  John 15:13NLT  

Brian