Miracle of Your Value

We’re taught to listen up and get involved when we hear people say words that signal deep depression or possibly suicidal thoughts. Words like “I feel worthless”; “I’m good for nothing”; “I hate myself”; “The world would be better off without me”; and more. If we’re honest, we probably have had such thoughts ourselves at certain times in our lives.

Every human being longs to have value, but our world can never give it. To the chemist, our bodies are worth a few dollars in the elements that make up our bodies. Politicians value our votes. So-called entertainment stars value our loyalty to buy tickets and applaud.  The corporate world values us as paying customers. And if we’re honest, even loved ones might value us to the degree we value them. Unconditional value based on unconditional love is rare among the most godly of people—and we can only receive such love from God.

That’s just the point—your value to God. You can’t get away from it. The greatest sinner still carries God’s image. No matter how fast or how far you run from God, you cannot outrun His unconditional love for you. You matter. You have incalculable value. You’re important. To the most important person of all. Your Creator. God!

How else to fathom John 3:16—God so loving a “whosoever”—that’s “you-soever”—that He would allow His spotless Son to die for you, take your worst sins on Himself and tell you that He  wants you with Him—forever!?!

How else to explain Jesus’ words that even if you gained the whole world (and everything in it), that would not be enough value to exchange for your soul?! Because one soul—that’s you—has more value to God than the planet called Earth!

And how else to even begin to grasp your incredible worth to God as given in Hebrews 2:9-18. Jesus takes on Himself your sins and death (v9) and invites you to share His glory (v10). Then God says He wants you—you!—to call Him “Father” and Jesus your elder Brother (v11-13)! Incredible!

He then whips the devil on your behalf and “completely sets free all those who through the haunting fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives (v14-15, Amplified Bible).

Finally, we’re told Christ did not help fallen super-beings called angels but reached out a helping hand to lost and frightened you and me (v17) with a promise to “run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested (who are being exposed to suffering, v18 Amplified). That’s you. And me. It’s also those all around us to whom we can tell this wonderful up-to-the-minute, unchanging news of their value to the Creator of the universe and Savior of the world.

"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1)
The ST. PAUL SCHOOL, with Frank Eiklor, Eileen Young and Cecilia Contreras