ALL THAT IS WITHIN
Text: Genesis 2:7-10; Psalm 103:1-5; 3rd John 1:1
INTRODUCTION:
Good morning! How’s everyone doing today? Have you had a good start to your weekend? Well, it’s great to see you here today.
MESSAGE:
In Genesis chapter 2, the Bible gives a detailed account of creation and focuses on God’s greatest creation — mankind. In verse 7, we’re told that God Himself initiates the human race by breathing His own breath into Adam, giving him life.
If you’ve got your bible out, turn there with me. Genesis chapter 2, and verse 7. Here we read:
7 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.”
Genesis 2:7-10 (NIV)
In this passage, we discover that God is the initiator of life. He created everything from nothing. And when it came to mankind, He formed our physical being — but we were not alive until He breathed His breath, the breath of life, into us.
Verse 7 says, “the man became a living being.”
The Hebrew phrase translated “living being” is a word used repeatedly throughout the Old Testament to refer to the soul — the inner life of a person. In essence, the text shows us that Adam was not truly alive until his soul was made alive by the breath of God.
And I’d like to suggest to you today that nothing has changed. We are not fully alive until our soul is made alive by His presence within us. That is what happens in salvation. Christ breathes His life into us again, and we are made fully alive.
But what is the soul?
Deep down, I think we all sense that the soul refers to more than just our eternal destiny. If we had to take an educated guess, we would probably say the soul has something to do with our ongoing relationship with God. But beyond that, it can be difficult to define.
Throughout the centuries, many theologians have tried to describe the makeup of who we are. A common way of expressing it is this: we are body, soul, and spirit.
I don’t want you to get too caught up in the distinctions today — it can become complicated. But in simple terms:
- The body is the physical part of who we are.
- The spirit is the eternal dimension of our being.
- The soul is the inner life that shapes our personality — our thoughts, emotions, and will.
My goal isn’t to be overly technical, but simply to remind us that there is a part of us that is seen and a part that is unseen — a dimension of our life that is tangible and another that is not.
John Ortberg puts it this way, when he says:“You have a soul — it weighs nothing, but means everything…” He says, “The soul is the deepest part of you.”
The psalmist David seems to agree with Ortberg — as he defines the soul in Psalm 103 (ESV). If you have your bibles, look there with me. Psalm 103 and verse 1. Here he writes,
1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalm 103:1-5 (ESV)
David has a lot to say about the soul here in this psalm — and throughout his writings (for that matter). We know he was a great leader, a great warrior, a great song writer and musician, an incredibly creative person, and someone who wasn’t shy about revealing his deeply emotional thoughts that stirred within.
And I bet you love that about him! And what’s so ironic is that all of that creative wonder came from his soul. It is this aspect of his creative spirit and emotional expression that seems to draw us to his writings within the Scriptures. There’s something wonderful and magnetic about hearing and feeling the emotions of another expressed as David expresses himself.
And what is so unique interesting to me, is that the creative, emotional expression we all love — comes from His soul.
We get that — right? I mean, consider that genre of music that is super emotional and passionately charged, that which is connected to the struggles and wonder of black culture here in the U.S. We sometimes refer to that type of music as SOUL MUSIC!
The soul then is that place within us where our heart and passions and emotions and creativity flows. But more than that — David defines it as — that inner place — where all that is within me is kept. Again, notice verse 1 of this psalm. He cries out:
1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me…”
David points out that the soul is that inner reservoir where our emotions and thoughts stir. And to this place he calls out— even commands that everything within it — “all that is within” him, should boldly and unashamedly “Bless the Lord!”
David says this because he knew the necessity of maintaining a healthy SOUL — one that relies upon and acknowledges the Lord!
I’ve had the privilege of serving in pastoral ministry for 3 decades, and I can tell you — when it comes to the human soul, it’s vitally important that our soul remains healthy. Because, a healthy soul is able to maintain peace even when the external circumstance of life are hard.
Yet, an unhealthy soul struggles with anxiety and stress and hurt and is never satisfied — constantly in search for something more, something better, something lasting, something true.
Thomas Aquinas (a 12th century Italian church leader) once said that “the neediness of the soul is a pointer to God.” His point was that the cravings of the soul — the dissatisfaction of the should should lead us to God! Our basic neediness for more is fulfilled in Christ alone.
I would agree with Aquinas. The health of our soul is so critical to the health of our life — and we are only healthy when we find our fulfillment in Christ!
That’s the point of this morning’s message — to examine ourselves and determine if we have given attention to the care of our soul.
TRANSITION:
There’s a little book in the New Testament known to us as 3rd John. In its opening verses, it references the importance of what we might call “SOUL TENDING!”
It was written by the apostle John. He writes this letter to a friend of his named Gaius. Gaius was a fellow believer — and follower of Jesus. He was an elder and overseer within the early church. Listen to what John writes to him. He says,
1 “The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth 2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”
3 John 1-2 (NIV)
Embedded in this simple verse, located in this tiny book, tucked away at the very end of the New Testament we find these powerful words addressing the importance of our soul.
John reminds us that God created us with both an outside and an inside — and each needs to be cared for.
In the time that remains, I want to share a little of what I’ve discovered — throughout the course of my life as I’ve studied the scripture and what it has to say about our SOULS. And first foremost:
1. GOD WANTS YOUR SOUL TO BE WELL!
That’s why John prays that it would go well with us physically and externally just as it goes well with our soul. In other words, God is deeply concerned about what’s happening on the inside of us — not just what can be seen on the outside.
Have you ever stopped to think about how much attention we give to our physical selves? We invest enormous amounts of time, energy, and money into our bodies. We watch what we eat. We exercise. We go to doctors. We take vitamins. We do everything we can to stay healthy.
But how often do we give that same intentional care to our souls?
If we’re honest, while we have routines to maintain physical health, many of us have no routine at all for spiritual health. We are disciplined with our bodies, but careless with our souls.
Think about it:
- We care for our bodies — spending time and money to keep them strong.
- We care for our children — especially this time of year, buying clothes, backpacks, supplies, and preparing them for school.
- We care for our homes.
- We care for our cars.
- We even care for our money — hiring experts to manage and invest it for the future.
But how often do we intentionally care for our souls?
Have we given even a moment of thought to the condition of our soul? Too often, the soul is neglected altogether. Many people are walking around with a soul that’s barely surviving — when God desires a soul that is thriving.
We don’t schedule routine soul checkups, do we?
We don’t usually ask one another, “How’s your soul?”
But maybe we should.
Because God created us to live well — to experience deep, lasting joy; to walk in inner strength and peace that goes far beyond our external circumstances. No matter what’s happening around us, God wants what’s happening within us to be healthy. In short, God wants your soul to be well.
When God designed life, He had far more in mind than mere physical survival. Our existence isn’t just about making it through this world. We were created for more — for purpose, depth, and spiritual vitality.
That’s why your soul must be well.
In fact, if you ever want to be used by God, the health of your soul matters deeply. Ministry is not easy. It can be demanding. It can be exhilarating — but it can also be exhausting. And without a healthy soul, the weight of God’s calling can overwhelm us.
Have you noticed that God never calls people to easy assignments?
He never comes to Abraham, Moses, or Esther and says, “I’ve got a small favor to ask — it won’t take much effort.” God doesn’t recruit people for insignificant tasks. He calls us to great things — things that are life-giving, life-changing, and world-altering.
But those things are demanding. They require dependence on Him. They require strength that comes not from within ourselves, but from the supply of His Spirit. And that kind of life requires a soul that is healthy and whole.
So, let me ask you, “How’s your soul?”
Because, God wants your soul to be well!
The second thing I’ve discovered in my search of God’s Word regarding the soul is this:
2. YOUR SOUL NEEDS TO BE TENDED!
There must be an intentionality about the care of your soul. Soul-tending doesn’t just happen. When left to itself, the soul will suffer and struggle to find that peace and hope that God longs to provide.
I recently read a simple allegory that speaks to the importance of tending to our souls. As the story went:
There once was a town high in the Alps that straddled the banks of a beautiful stream. The stream was fed by springs that were old as the earth and deep as the sea. The water was clear like crystal. Children laughed and played beside it, swans and geese swam on it. You could see the rocks and the sand and the rainbow trout that swarmed at the bottom of the stream. High in the hills, far beyond anyone’s sight, lived an old man who served as Keeper of the Springs. He had been hired so long ago that now no one could remember a time when he wasn’t there. He would travel from one spring to another in the hills, removing branches or fallen leaves or debris that might pollute the water. But his work was unseen.
One year the town council decided they had better things to do with their money. No one supervised the old man anyway. They had roads to repair and taxes to collect and services to offer, and giving money to an unseen stream-cleaner had become a luxury they could no longer afford.
So the old man left his post. High in the mountains, the springs went untended; twigs and branches and worse muddied the liquid flow. Mud and silt compacted the creek bed; farm wastes turned parts of the stream into stagnant bogs.
For a time no one in the village noticed. But after a while, the water was not the same. It began to look brackish. The swans flew away to live elsewhere. The water no longer had a crisp scent that drew children to play by it. Some people in the town began to grow ill. All noticed the loss of sparkling beauty that used to flow between the banks of the streams that fed the town. The life of the village depended on the stream, and the life of the streams depended on the keeper.
The city council reconvened, the money was found, the old man was rehired. After yet another time, the springs were cleaned, the stream was pure, children played again on its banks, illness was replaced by health, the swans came home, and the village came back to life.
The life of the village depends on the health of the stream. In this story — the stream is your soul. And you are its keeper.
You aren’t the source of the life supplying water. You aren’t the designer of the city or even the river within. But you are the one responsible to oversee the ongoing care and tending of the river that flows within your life.
So, how do we go about caring for our soul.
Here’s what I’ve observed through the years:
When we feel empty inside or saddened inside or the pain of heart-break inside — when our soul is aching we often attempt natural solutions to try and fix our inner cravings. But they never work!
— Our first approach is typically to to try and double-down on human efforts.
And so, we may try to find the solutions to our pain or our problems within ourselves.
Or we try to cover up the pain and emptiness we feel inside with other relationships. Or we will try to distract ourselves with stories and books and movies and bingeing television.
But in the end — doing more doesn’t make our souls well!
When we feel empty inside or saddened inside or the pain of heart-break inside:
MORE OF THE SAME NEVER SATISFIES!
— Another self-reliant approach to satisfy our soul’s cravings is to try and solve the pain by exterior successes. And so:
We try to do more! To work harder. To achieve more. To give into the cry of success. We pour ourselves into our job. We work more hours. We gain more education. We fight for the bigger pay-checks and hoard our money until we do succeed. But in the end, we discover once again that:
Exterior solutions will never satisfy our inner cravings!
The only solution to the inner cravings of our SOUL is reliance upon God — and a closeness with His Son Jesus!
Which leads me to the third thing I’ve discovered in my search of God’s Word regarding the soul— and it’s this:
3. YOUR SOUL’S WELLNESS IS FOUND IN GOD!
For the soul to be well, it needs to be with God.
There are many who might think that the way to make your soul healthy and well (as the Bible puts it), is to try and avoid mistakes and error. To try and do less wrong. To try and sin less. But, in all their efforts to keep from sinning, what they are actually doing is focusing all their efforts on their sin!
But the way we tend to our soul, the way we help our soul flourish, the way we experience true health is not by focusing on sin avoidance — but rather by focusing on God! And why not? He wants us to focus on him. He wants us to draw close to Him. He wants us to be with him.
In fact, the invitation of our Heavenly Father is to “Draw close to God and He will draw close to you”! Jesus said it like this, “Abide in me.”
I don’t know about you, but I love to travel. I enjoy going out of town and seeing new things. I like meeting new people and experiencing the excitement of a new place. But after a few days — I like to come home.
More than that, I long to come home/ There’s just something about coming home that brings comfort. I like my own bed, and my shower, and my own bathroom. I like the security and the peace that getting back into my chair and my surroundings brings.
This is more than a mental place of comfort — it is a physical place of comfort. Home just FEELS RIGHT! And as much as my physical body longs for home, moreover — my SOUL longs for home. So where is home for the soul? Home for the soul is found in its creator.
And when we sense that life is hard — and our SOUL is empty, its probably because we are trying to live our lives on our strength — separated from Him.
It was Elisabeth Elliot who once said, “We know that there is no real satisfaction, no real rest, except in Christ Himself. God made us with a God-shaped vacuum, and nothing will ever fill that vacuum except God.” And she’s right.
There is a place deep within you and me — within our soul, that longs for home. And that home is found only in God — and His Son Jesus.
And so, over the next few weeks we’re going to explore how to tend to this place even more — but this morning, I want us to settle this most important issue: the longing we feel deep inside, that sense of dissatisfactionwith things and places, and even the pursuit of success, — it’s there because none of those things will ever be able to fill the void we have inside.
Only God can do that! Our souls long for home — and that home is found in our creator.
And it begins by surrendering our lives to Christ. By repenting of our sin and making Christ our Lord. But then it continues each and every day as we seek to live our lives completely dependent upon God.
Every day — we are given a collection of moments, 86,400 seconds worth of moments (to be exact). And God invites us to use those moments to draw close to Him. To rely upon Him. To welcome Him into the midst of our daily routines and ongoing experiences.
The fact is, He is with us and for us! And just as John stated, it is God’s desire:
“…that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1-2 (NIV)
The best place to start living your life with God (and having your soul satisfied by His presence) is in the simple moments of everyday. So, “Are you willing to share those moments with God?”
Maybe you’d say, “Pastor, I’ve not done so well at living my life dependent upon God.” Well, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t condemn yourself — instead, start where you are. Start with today. Start with right now and grow from there!
ALTAR CALL:
As we close this morning, I want to ask you the same question I’ve asked throughout this message — “How’s your soul?”
Not How’s your job?
Not How’s your family?
Not How’s your health or your finances?
But How is your soul — that deepest, truest part of you — really doing?
Some of us here today are tired… not just physically tired, but soul-weary. Some are burdened with anxiety, restlessness, or emptiness that success can’t fix and busyness can’t cover. Some of you love Jesus — but you’ve been living on empty, running fast and neglecting what matters most. And maybe you’ve realized today: “I’ve not been tending to my soul.”
Here’s the good news: Jesus is the Shepherd of your soul.
He invites you today — not to strive harder — but to come home to Him.
So today, I want to open these altars. If you’d say: “I need to come back to that place where my soul finds rest and strength in God,” —I want you to respond.
Maybe you’ve never fully surrendered your life to Christ. Or maybe you just need to reconnect at the heart level and let Him breathe fresh life into you. Let today be the day that your soul begins to thrive again.
If that’s you — come. Find a place at this altar. Kneel. Pray. Or just sit and be still. But don’t ignore the invitation of the Holy Spirit to come close and let Him restore your soul.
CLOSING PRAYER
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for caring about every part of us — body, spirit, and soul. Today we pause and confess that far too often, we’ve neglected our soul. We’ve filled our calendars, pursued success, and tended to everything but the deepest part of us. But today, we return. We draw near. We make room for You. Lord Jesus, You are the Shepherd of our soul. Breathe Your life into us again. Restore what’s been depleted. Heal what’s been wounded. Fill the emptiness. Calm the restlessness. Reignite the fire. We surrender our inner world to You — our emotions, our thoughts, our longings, and our fears. Let “all that is within us” bless Your holy name. And as we go from this place today, may we walk not in our own strength, but in the strength of a soul made whole by Your grace. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.