It Is Well With Your Soul

Texts, tweets, posts, emails, vmails, ecards . . . with short messaging being in vogue and social media having become a very popular way to have a conversation, practically no one takes the time to write a letter, send a handwritten note or mail a card any more.  I so value the letters and notes I have received from my big sister, Pearl, through the years beginning when she went away to college.  I also love receiving the notes and cards that I regularly find in the mailbox from my sister-friend-mentee, Crystal.  Those letters, handwritten notes and cards really encourage my heart and bless my soul!  In 3 John 1:2, the theme scripture for Soul Care Ministries International, we find where the Apostle John wrote a letter to his friend, Gaius.  Gaius must have been elated when he received John’s letter.  I imagine that the letter encouraged and blessed him just as the letters I receive do.  It is with this in mind, that I am ‘posting’ this affirmation just for you . . . .  . . .  It Is Well With Your Soul! . . . think of this as my handwritten note to you and let it bless your heart and encourage your soul:

 “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 1:2 NKJV)”.

In John’s letter, he greeted his friend with a prayerful wish for his physical, mental and spiritual health as well as for prosperity in his affairs.  The King James Version says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”.  The Amplified Version says it this way, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers”.  In that same manner, my prayerful wish and affirmation for you is for your holistic health and prosperity in all of your God-given aspirations and affairs just as your soul prospers in the Lord.

In this scripture, Apostle John addresses his friend Gaius as ‘beloved’ (Greek: Agapitos) signifying that he is a dear friend and loved one.  The New International Version (NIV) says, ‘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’.   While John originally wrote this letter to his friend, we can all receive this scripture on a personal basis.  Any believer who has placed his or her faith in Jesus Christ has been recognized in the ‘beloved’.  God is our Father and He also desires friendship with us, His beloved . . . “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God (James 2:23 NKJV).”  Jesus also calls us His friends . . . “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15:12-15 NKJV)”.

A wish (expression of earnest desire) for good health is historically typical of ancient letters.  Here, John has stated it as his prayer for Gaius.  John’s specific prayer is that all may go well for his friend Gaius, and he affirms ‘even as his soul is getting along well’.  The word translated ‘soul’ (Greek: psyche) refers to his friend’s whole being.  John is prayerful that, whatever his friend may be going through, Gaius is getting along well including his.  John obviously knew that Gaius was sometimes catching a hard time from Diotrephes and that he needed encouragement.  John makes it plain that he earnestly desires for Gaius to be spiritually, mentally and physically well and that he hopes that Gaius prospers in all things including his secular endeavors.

My earnest and prayerful wish for you, in all respects, is that you will be in good holistic health and experience successful outcomes (prosperity) in every area of your life and living!  Why? Because, it is God’s will and His desire for you.  The key to receiving the holistic prosperity and health that God wants for you is found in the last part of 3 John 1:2, “just as your soul prospers.”  Please understand this . . . prosperity is not a religious movement or doctrine.  It is not defined by sociological or economical status nor is it limited to financial riches or material possessions.  Prosperity is not something that has escaped you nor is it beyond your reach.   Prosperity is all encompassing and includes your spiritual, physical, emotional, mental and financial well-being.  The words ‘prosper’ and ‘prosperity’ are found more than 50 times in the Old. One of the three Hebrew words for prosperity is “shalom” which means peace, prosperity and health.  The New Testament Greek word, used in 3 John 1:2, is “euodoo” and means to have a happy, successful journey.  Prosperity is something that God set in order for us when He created us just as He made our souls to prosper in Christ!  Here are some keys for experiencing God-given well-being, health and prosperity:

7 Keys for Your Well-Being , Good Health and Prosperity

Key #1: Having a right personal relationship and fellowship with the Lord (cf. John 3:20, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Philippians 4:6).

Key #2: Being His ‘beloved’ 24/7  . . . loving the Lord, loving your neighbor, loving yourself and being loveable (cf. Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27).

Key #3: Studying and actively applying the true and living Word of God in every area of your life (cf. Joshua 1:9, 2 Timothy 2:15).

Key #4: Envisioning yourself and your loved ones as a prosperous people (cf. Zechariah 8:12, Luke 6:45).

Key #5: Thinking thoughts that honor God (cf. Proverbs 23:7, Philippians 4:8, Romans 12:2.)

Key #6: Doing the things that a prosperous person needs to do like taking care of yourself holistically – physically, mentally and spiritually (cf. Luke 6:45, 1 Corinthians 6:19).

Key #7: Speaking and affirming faith when you open your mouth (cf. Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 18:21, Romans 4:17).

We, at Soul Care Ministries International (SCMi™), encourage you to pray and text, tweet, email, leave it on a voice mail, write a letter, share it and speak this powerful scripture (3 John 1:2) to your friends and loved ones.  It will also encourage their hearts and bless their souls! It is God’s desire, and His will, for us to succeed (prosper) in all things that honor Him just as He has prospered our souls through the finished work of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, at the cross.   SCMi™ is here to come alongside you and help you ‘prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers’.

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