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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: SOUL / SOLE (03/02/23)
He was "the rich young ruler" in the Bible, a very good and upright young man. His parents were wealthy but God-fearing. They kept the commandments of God and taught their son to do likewise. They were also ardent churchgoers, and the son followed in their footsteps. They were happy together as a family and were devoted to each other.

When both parents died, the son became the sole owner of the inheritance. He also had the sole responsibility of continuing his parents' business. Even though he had great possession, his soul was not at rest. There was a longing in his heart that the wealth of this world could not satisfy. He started to think more about life. And something within him constantly reminded him that life is more than riches, and he couldn't get away from that thought, that feeling deep within.

He decided to get married, but he was unsure that it was the right decision at that point in his life, so he postponed his plans. He needed to settle the longing in his heart. As the songwriter said, "Only Jesus can satisfy the longing of the soul."

Then he heard about Jesus and sought to meet Him, and when he saw Him, he came running to Him and knelt before Him and said to Him, Matthew 19:16-22 NKJV. 16 … “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Salvation of his soul stood before him, but he refused the opportunity for eternal life. The price was too great to pay. The love of his wealth and the plans to increase it consumed him, so he walked away sorrowfully and lost his opportunity for eternal life.

He didn't become a pauper or a beggar, but he became a more excellent businessman and a well-known one in his city. He was so rich that in Luke 12:17-20 NKJV, the Bible said 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

And that night, he died, and his plans to have a family died with him.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Jennifer Percell
03/10/23
Interesting speculation on what happened to these Bible characters. Maybe give us a little more contrast on what can happen when we decide to do better.
Barbara Culler 
03/14/23
This is a unique take on the well-known story.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
03/16/23
This is an interesting retelling. I like the idea behind it. I'd urge you to go even further and give the man a name, use dialog and body language to bring it to life. So many of your words are actually the Bible's words. By making it biblical fiction, and retelling it in your own words, you could make it pop more and still have a footnote saying it's based on those verses. An important start is vital these days when the next read is a click away. Vary your sentence structure some to pull the reader in more. In your first paragraph, every sentence starts with a pronoun. You've a great foundation here and I can feel your passion to spread the Word. You did write on both topic words and have a powerful message.