The Soul

We had a great conversation last night and the memory of the discussion got me thinking about and looking up verses about the soul.

"And 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 KJV

"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." - Proverbs 27:9 ESV

The word translated 'soul' in Genesis 2 and the word translated 'earnest' in Proverbs 27 are both the Hebrew word nephesh (Strong's H5315). Our soul has a form or structure but unlike our body which is made and matter our soul is inter-dimensional. It is more like wind. It has substance and that substance is felt more like an odor or like a breeze is felt on your body or when you look out the wind at the trees and see the leaves move.

We are a soul that has a body. The body ages. The soul does not but the soul does have capacities and incapacitates. It has inter-dimensional form and structure.

"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." - 1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV

The word translated 'fainthearted' is the Greek word oligopsychos (G3642) and it can be translated 'small souled'. People can have small souls. There can be damage in the structure of the soul or perhaps it is damage to the connection of the soul to the rest of the person that cuts off the flow. What we see is faintheartedness or as the KJV translates it... feeblemindedness.

A person with no (or little) soul can't cope. Processing reality is diminished or at a low level.

"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." - Acts 20:32 KJV

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily," - Colossians 2:6-9 ESV

Words of grace are able to build up. Like nutrition is able to build up our body because it is solid. Grace is able to build up our soul which is timeless.

"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." - Matthew 11:29-30 ESV

Yes. In Jesus our soul finds rest.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." - Psalm 1:1-6 ESV

I want to be concerned about a person's soul. I want to have a holistic approach to people and to myself. The body is important but so is the soul.

God please teach us to be mindful of invisible things.

"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." - Proverbs 27:9 ESV

Thank You for being our sweet friend.

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