As is my custom, I began my day this morning reading, among other things, the current edition of Free Grace Broadcaster. This summer edition of the Chapel Library in Pensacola focuses on Thoughts for Young People.

The collection of articles includes a piece by J. C. Ryle in which he prescribes certain general counsels for young people. Needless to say many of these have application to believers of all ages.

One such counsel he gives is this: never forget that nothing is as important as your soul. He concludes that section this way:

Do not forget this. Keep the interests of your soul in view—morning, noon, and night. Rise up each day desiring
that it may prosper. Lie down each evening inquiring of yourself whether it has really got on…Set your immortal
soul before your mind’s eye; and when men ask you why you live as you do, answer them in this spirit, “I live for
my soul.” Believe me, the day is fast coming when the soul will be the one thing men will think of, and the only
question of importance will be this: “Is my soul lost or saved?”

You can read the entire essay here.

Of course as ambassadors for Jesus Christ and ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20) we labor under an obligation not just to live for our own souls but also for the souls of others.

That is why we will wash cars for free tomorrow at 9:30 AM at our church office and give out Independence Day flags and pins and tracts. We want to build bridges for the gospel into our community. This is what it means to live for souls, precious souls, lost and dying souls, who will soon ask the only question of importance, “Is my soul lost or saved?”

Whether you can participate in tomorrow’s outreach or not, please pray with us that God will pour out His Spirit on the effort, for grace to love well the folks we encounter, for wise and winsome conversations about the gospel, and for some to go away believing perhaps for the first time that they must start living for their soul.