Looking at one of my collections the other day I told my wife this is worth a ton of money. She looked me in the eye and said what I have said many times, “it’s only worth what you can get for it.” It only takes one time of selling an item on facebook marketplace or eBay to find out a dearly valued treasure is worth exactly nothing, zilch, nada.
This got me thinking. We value ourselves by our pocketbook, bank account, or pay check. We value ourselves by the car we drive, the shoes we wear, or the house we live in. We assess a value on our life that we believe matters. Maybe it is the likes on a post, blog, or vlog that determines a person’s value, maybe affirmation for a job well done, or maybe the lack of affirmation determines my value. Every one of these determinates is a moving target. One day we are up and another down. A hurtful comment by a trusted friend or teacher can push us over the edge, acting out based on what we believe our worth is to the world.
The truth is much simpler. The truth is radically freeing. The right consideration is not what am I worth, but what is someone willing to pay for me? Everything. Your Father in heaven values you so much that you cost Him His only son. He paid the full price for you. In First Corinthians 6:20 we read just that, He bought you with a price. Your worth is determined by nothing else, nothing less, and nothing that you determine or hear from others. You are worth enough for God to break the bank.
If this is true, and it is, we need to act our value. We need to care for our bodies, not abusing them or mistreating them. We need to speak the truth to ourselves, we are of value! At the same time we see our value in God’s reality, we need to honor others because God cared equally as much for those around us as He did for you. This changes everything. If you believe your worth is determined by God and others’ worth is determined by God, not set by yourself or others, the way you interact with the world around you changes. You want to share how much you and others are worth with your neighbor, you treat people as valuable, no matter their appearance, preferences, or skin color.
Beware! We are not to treat others with more value than God assigns. We are not to create our own value set or reality. Truth is not to be turned into a lie. We are to love others but not love them to hell. Two errors arise. First, we may slip into the error of accepting everyone along with their sin. God says we are not to call good evil or evil good. Be careful that you should not create an all accepting God who says, “I love you and your sin doesn’t matter.” There is no doubt that sin does matter to God. David Chauncey, one of our Associational pastors, recently preached a sermon that reminded me when the Bible clearly calls something black and white we are not to call it gray. Second, it is not our job to judge others. We are not to condemn, we are not to point fingers, we are only called to love. The world often looks at the church and feels condemnation when the church is called to love.
It’s a fine line. Let me encourage you today to see yourself the way God sees you. See others the way God sees them. And most importantly, see God for what He has done for you. He paid for you. He values you. He loves you. Act like it!
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