The Worth of Your Soul

Have you ever felt worthless as you looked around at what all those other people were achieving and compared it with your own miserable, rotten existence? Perhaps that's overstating it a tad, but isn't that how we sometimes see ourselves, as completely worthless in the scheme of things? As worthlessness goes, I think you'll agree that nothing on planet Earth could be more useless than bird poo. But in the 19th century, bird droppings—guano—became white gold. Rich in nitrogen, it was a miracle fertiliser fuelling global agriculture. Peru's guano islands drew international attention, prompting the U.S. to pass the Guano Islands Act in 1856, allowing Americans to claim guano-rich territories. Spain seized the Chincha Islands in Peru in 1864, sparking a war. A decade later, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia clashed in the War of the Pacific, again over nitrate-rich guano territory. All this, not about oil or gold, but bird poo—the most unlikely resource that shaped empires, fuelled conflict, and fed the world. There's an even greater battle raging today, over something that perhaps you may consider to be a bit on the worthless side, too. Said Jesus of Satan and Himself … John 10:10-11 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (ESV) As Charles Spurgeon once said, "Ponder how valuable your soul must be for Satan to pursue it tirelessly and the King of kings to lay down His own life for it." Worthless? Not on your life! That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.