Richard Roberts – Third of four parts
A sculptor once took a big block of marble and began to chisel it and fashion it into the image of a man. Months later, when he had finished his work, he stepped back from his creation to admire it. A man walking by stopped to ask him a question, “Can you put life into it?”
The sculptor looked at him with a curious look. “Of course not,” he said. The passerby replied, “Then it isn’t really a man even though it may look like one. It’s still only a block of marble.”
The Bible says, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The Bible only says that about mankind. Only man was given a “living soul.”
Man is a distinct creation. He has a part of himself that was breathed into him by God. He is more than flesh and blood. He is more than a brain. He is a soul that was created with an ability to choose and to decide the matters of eternal life.
It is with your soul that you believe. You will either believe God is your Source, that Jesus is your Savior, that the Holy Spirit is your Helper… or, you won’t believe. You will either choose to follow God, or choose not to follow Him. What you choose will determine whether your soul lives or dies. It will determine whether your soul prospers or not. It will determine whether your soul is filled with joy and love and peace… or despair, hatred, and turmoil.
Isaiah prophesied that one day Jesus would be born and it would be within His power to “know to refuse the evil, and choose the good” (Isaiah 7:15). The man or woman today who believes in the Lord Jesus is also a person who has the ability in his or her soul to refuse evil and choose good.
What are the choices facing your soul? Ask God today for His strength and wisdom to make the right choice.