What’s better – a strong character or clarity about our eternal soul? Well, I believe the best gift of all involves both our heart and our eternal soul. Read this post to learn more.
Heart and Soul
Unsurprisingly, heart and soul is a familiar phrase. In fact, it’s commonly used in casual conversation to show deep commitment.
As expected, the phrase appears in scripture as well.
In Deuteronomy 6.5 we’re instructed to “…love the Lord with all our heart and all our soul…”
Similarly, that same phrase appears in Deuteronomy 4.29. There, it’s used in regard to seeking God. It says: “…if you seek the Lord…you will find Him…if you seek with all your heart and all your soul.”
What’s the difference?
So, what’s the basic difference between our heart and our soul?
Our character is who we are in our heart, that deepest inner self. As such, it represents traits such as integrity, honesty, and a willingness to do the right thing.
But, our eternal soul focuses on who we are before God. It’s that part of each human that last’s forever.
Moreover, soul carries with it the idea of my accountability before God Himself. The quality of my character strongly suggests how my soul stands before God. See Psalm 1 to understand this relationship better.
Therefore, taken together, those two are what matters most in regard to our present life and our eternal life.
Building character is good for my spiritual self. Likewise, building insightful capability is good for me, according to Proverbs 19.8.
Where do we focus?
Without doubt, humans tend to focus on the temporal over the eternal.
For instance, the concept shows up in decision models such as the Eisenhower Matrix where managers tend to focus on the immediate crisis while ignoring that which is long-term and strategic.
Additionally, we tend to focus on externals, such as personal appearance. In so doing, we exclude internal, character traits that are much more impactful.
One place we read about this internal/external precept is in First Samuel 16.7: “…man looks at what’s external, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing – therefore choose life! Deuteronomy 30.19
Now What?
In a season where we are focused on gift giving, it’s good to focus on the best gift of all.
Temporal and external is a poor trade for the eternal.
Now, we choose the gift of a sound character by the intentional choices we make each day to do the right thing. That’s hard work!
We choose the best gift of all – a right relationship with God – by accepting what He offers us in regard to our eternal soul. Therefore, choose life!