Soul For Sale
About a year ago, my wife and I started an eBay business. I'd bought various items on eBay for years (e.g., household items, gifts, toys, and even a vehicle). For those who may be unfamiliar, eBay is an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell goods and services worldwide. Our business has gone well thus far and we're thankful for the extra income it provides our family.

If you've ever surfed eBay, you probably already know that just about anything under the sun is listed for sale there. If you're trying to find a certain type of classic car, you can probably find it there. If you're looking for any type of technology, you won't be disappointed. In fact, you'd probably have to spend some time (perhaps a lot of time) trying to think of an item or product that isn't listed for sale on eBay.

Overall, I think eBay is a good marketplace, but there are people who abuse it. Some use it to sell merchandise they have stolen. Occasionally, people will try to sell items that cannot legally be listed for sale (like human organs, for instance). Recently I read about an atheist who tried to sell something he didn't believe he even had--a soul!

That's right, he tried to sell his eternal soul! Bidding advanced to $400 before eBay officials were made aware of the listing and deleted it. The seller said he didn't mean for anyone to take it seriously. He was just bored and wanted to have some fun. He wished the high bidder luck in collecting!

While obviously this was a prank, the incident highlights some serious matters. I'd like to share four points on this subject briefly.

First, we ought to be concerned about the well-being of our souls above all else. A typical atheist doesn't believe he even has a soul. He believes he is merely "matter in motion" and that he exists only by chance evolutionary processes. How tragic! Friends, God is Spirit, and we are made in His image (cf. Gen. 1:26,27). The spiritual part of us will exist forever.

Second, while some joke about it, one really can sell his soul to the devil by sinning. "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey?" (Rom. 6:16). Those in the world have already sold their souls to the devil, and most do not even realize it. Praise be to God that Jesus paid the price to redeem (or buy back) our souls, thus delivering us from the bondage of sin!

Third, a human soul is worth far more than $400! Jesus asked in Matthew 16:26 - "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Your soul is worth more than all the world's riches, but do you believe it? Do you live in such a fashion as to send a clear message to everyone as to what is really important to you? Too many followers of Christ spend decades accumulating this world's wealth while doing little or nothing to benefit their souls and the souls of others whom they should be influencing for good. There is no excuse for this pitiful and heartbreaking behavior!

Fourth, it is deplorable that so many people are bored in a world in which there is so much good to be done! Too many so-called Christians are addicted to television, video games, and computers, but bored with anything that requires them to actually work or think. May it not be so with you! Learning the truth is a fine alternative to boredom! In America, anyone can get access to a Bible if they desire such. Yet, the population is dreadfully ignorant of the Bible. Selfless service to others also alleviates boredom. Anyone who has time and resources and supposedly nothing to do should be ashamed and get to work for the Lord and His kingdom! Opportunities to serve others and improve oneself spiritually abound everywhere. To be bored is to waste precious time (i.e., life). What will you do with your soul? You can give it to Jesus or sell it to Satan. Neither one will have any problem collecting. It's up to you to decide!