Temporary Body, Eternal Soul

          "Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but, unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.'" Luke 13:1-5

          What is more important, the temporary physical body or the eternal soul? We spend our lives catering to this physical body, feeding it, clothing it, possibly exercising it, nursing it when it is sick, pleasuring it ....etc. Is that wrong? That is certainly what comes naturally to us. We all have that innate self-centered, self-serving, self-preserving programming that tells us what to do all the time, but, as a Christian, I believe I must get past that. The flesh is not supposed to be in control! It is the spiritual side that must be exercised, nurtured, and strengthened. Gal. 5:16-25
          Yes, it is important to take care of the body God has given me. It is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and God expects me to treat it as such, but there is something about me that is much more important than my physical body, and that is my eternal soul. This physical body that my soul dwells in is only going to last at the very most about 100 years. None of us will get much past that, if we even get close to it, so shouldn't we be preparing for what comes next, after our physical bodies have given out? Shouldn't we spend at least as much time cultivating the spiritual side of life as we do caring for the physical? What is 100 years, more or less, compared with eternity? It is the snap of a finger!
          I think that is what Jesus was trying to say in the passage quoted above. Don't we realize that sooner or later our life here on earth will end? That is inevitable, but what comes next? This is a very important question that we would be foolish not to ask. Not contemplating what comes after physical death would be like blindly walking off the edge of the Grand Canyon with no thought of the obvious consequences; only worse, because eternity is forever, and forever, and forever.....
          "A voice says, 'Call out.' Then he answered, 'What shall I call out?' All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field, the grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever."  Isaiah 40:6-8
          Let's do all we can to be sure we will be with the Lord forever! Believe! Have faith! Submit and be obedient to His voice. Walk with God.