An “ology” is the study of something. There are dozens of “ologies” out there and some are familiar to us like:

Theology – the study of God
Anthropology – the study of man
Dermatology – the study of the skin
Hematology – the study of blood
Meteorology – the study of weather

There are some less familiar “ologies” that I find amusing:

Telmatology – the study of swamps (Think Shrek)
Sindonology – the study of the Shroud of Turin

And one that takes little or no effort, because they do nothing but sit and stare you down.

Felinology – the study of cats

But how often do we as followers of Jesus take time to study that which defines who we are: our soul? As I walk our congregation at The Fountain through this series, we will be posting Monday through Friday devotionals based on the previous Sunday’s talk with questions to help us grow deeper in Soul-Ology.

Let’s start with this foundational verse that the Apostle John wrote to a dear friend of his named Gaius toward the end of the first century.

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

“Prosper” comes to us courtesy of the Greek word ευοδουςθαι which literally means to “have an expeditious and successful journey.”

At The Fountain, our vision is “Empowering our generation to journey with God and shape culture.” As John so wonderfully points out to his friend, our capacity to have an expeditious and successful journey is to have a prosperous soul. How well you are doing on your journey is tied to how well your soul is doing.

Healthy soul = healthy journey.
Prosperous soul = prosperous journey

As you meditate on today’s verse, consider a question that John Wesley would use as a greeting with those he came in contact with.

“How is it with your soul today?”

As you pray today, ask yourself that question. Write an honest evaluation of how it is with your soul in your journal and ask God to be with you on your journey toward a healthy soul.

Tomorrow: What is the soul?