Mrs. Burnett
AP English 12
27 March 2015
Recently in class we finished the play Dr. Faust. The plot of the play starts with Dr. Faust seeking more knowledge. Not just for himself, but so that he could confidently say he is superior in knowledge compared to his fellow humans. This desire for knowledge quickly evolves into a desire for power. Faust sees the best way to obtain this power is through a source outside the realm of this world, so he decides to dabble in the dark arts. Long story short, Faust makes a deal with the devil saying that Satan can have his soul for eternity if Satan gives him the power he desires while here on earth. As most people know, the story ends with Faust dissatisfied with the deal and even seeking repentance, but cannot fully flee the devil and his grasp, therefore sending Faust down to hell with the devil, completing their deal.
Faust sought out power over everything else in the world. During our Socratic seminar, it was mentioned that in today's age, the most likely candidate worthy of selling our soul for was money. This conversation, as well as the play itself, reminded me of a passage in the Bible — Proverbs 3:13-18. These few verses describe the worth of Godly wisdom. Godly wisdom can be defined in multiple parts: (1) Having a fear of God (Proverbs 1:7 - fear of God meaning that you realize you deserve His wrath and have an understanding of what His wrath is), (2) Forgiveness and repentance (Romans 10:9-10, Colossians 3:5-11 - fully believing that Jesus' death on the cross paid for your sin and therefore, naturally, you begin turning away from the sin you once lived in), and (3) Obedience (James 1:22, 3:13 - growing in knowledge of God's Word and living a life that follows that knowledge).
The difference I see between every other thing a person would "sell their soul for" (money, popularity, power, etc.) and the wisdom of God is how long each will last. Money (or whatever you would fill in the blank with) has an end date. Money is only valuable as long as you're alive. Money is only valuable if what you truly seek for most in life can even be bought (and if it can, I strongly encourage you to reconsider what you value in life). More reasons can be given to show how temporary money is (along with any other worldly desire).
However, with Godly wisdom, you are gaining something eternal. Once you set your life focused on God, and strive to live a life of Godly wisdom, your eternity is being established. That is why you will here me stress the gospel to anyone willing to listen because when life comes down to it, your view on God is all that matters in life. How you answer the question "who is Jesus to you?" effects your immortal soul. That is why I find it sad that people would waste their lives seeking such things as money, popularity, power, etc. because every moment they waste on pursuing that over God, they are literally wasting their life.
The difference I see between every other thing a person would "sell their soul for" (money, popularity, power, etc.) and the wisdom of God is how long each will last. Money (or whatever you would fill in the blank with) has an end date. Money is only valuable as long as you're alive. Money is only valuable if what you truly seek for most in life can even be bought (and if it can, I strongly encourage you to reconsider what you value in life). More reasons can be given to show how temporary money is (along with any other worldly desire).
However, with Godly wisdom, you are gaining something eternal. Once you set your life focused on God, and strive to live a life of Godly wisdom, your eternity is being established. That is why you will here me stress the gospel to anyone willing to listen because when life comes down to it, your view on God is all that matters in life. How you answer the question "who is Jesus to you?" effects your immortal soul. That is why I find it sad that people would waste their lives seeking such things as money, popularity, power, etc. because every moment they waste on pursuing that over God, they are literally wasting their life.
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