THE STORY OF SOUL

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but
lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
– Matthew 16:26


Kathy Bernard - Publisher 

There once was a man named Soul who was walking in his beautiful garden.  He was whistling a real sweet tune for he had salvation and the joy of the Lord.  He was a new to the faith and filled with hope.  As he was walking, a beautiful young woman came out from behind a tree and startled Soul because he thought he was alone.   In spite of his surprise at seeing her in his garden he politely said, "Hello, I'm Soul, what’s your name?"

She replied, "I am called Temptation, and I am here to give you everything you want to make you happy."  Soul asked, "What do I want or need?"  Temptation said, "You want a life that will be exciting and pleasurable.”  Soul said, "Okay.  This sounds pretty good to me.  Maybe I could use a little excitement in my life."  So Temptation took him by the hand to find the earthly desires of his heart. 

When Soul returned to the garden, there was a man named Condemnation standing there waiting for him.  He gleefully said, "Hey, I see you have met my friend, Temptation."

Soul said, "Yes I did, but who are you?"

"Let me introduce myself.  I am Condemnation, I always show up after Temptation. We work hand-in-hand."  Then Condemnation jumped on Soul's back and began to beat him.  He hit him in the face and kicked him when he was down.  The beatings went on for several days.  And on about the third day, a man called Mercy came running and said, "I command you, Condemnation, to stop beating Soul."

Condemnation snickered, "Make me."  So Mercy unsheathed his sword and cut Condemnation in two.   As Soul watched in astonished pain, he was overtaken by the power of Mercy.  Mercy walked up to Soul and said, "I have dealt with Condemnation before. He should not show up around you anymore."

Soul asked, "How can I ever thank you?"

"I was sent here by God” Mercy explained, “He told me to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. He’s called Redemption."

Redemption walked up, looked Soul over and said, "Hello Soul, I see that you are not doing very well."

Soul replied, "Not until Mercy came along. It is my pleasure to meet you."

"I am glad to meet you too”, said Redemption.  “Are you ready to accept me?"

"Accept what?" asked Soul.

Redemption said, "Well, when you accepted Jesus and decided to walk with Him, then you chose to accept the things of Him and His love.   The human spirit is weak but I am a part of Jesus' love for you.  I help you feel forgiven for straying away from the Lord.  I will always be here to help you deal with Condemnation again whenever you make bad choices in your life.  Temptation may come around, but I have someone I would like for you to meet who can help you with that.   His name is Grace."

Grace walked up to Soul and said, "Hello Soul, I have been waiting for you. As a matter of fact all three of us have been waiting to meet you since you accepted Jesus as your Savior. I will help you handle Temptation.   Now there is one more person we want you to meet.  He is called Faith."

Coming up to Soul he said, "Hi Soul, I am Faith, and I am here to help you strengthen your beliefs," said Faith.

Soul began to cry.  When he began to cry Redemption said, "This is what we came here to do.  Jesus redeemed you, saved you by Grace through Faith and gives you His Mercy.  Jesus loves you, Soul."

Falling to his knees Soul prayed, "Thank You, Jesus for giving me Your loving Mercy, giving me Your precious gift of Redemption, Your constant Grace, and the gift of Faith to follow Your path to eternity.   I love you, Lord Jesus."

Originally written by unknown writer with publisher modifications