Valued, Part 1

“We set our value by what we do. God sets our value by who He has made us to be.”  

- Unknown

Way too many of us determine our value or self-worth based on what we do… whether or not we measure up to some earthly standard of wealth, status and role. Does my job title earn respect? Am I a good parent? How do I compare to other spouses I know? Do people speak highly of me?

We ask these types of questions because we often value ourselves based on the opinions of others, or even our own opinion of ourselves. Truth be known…other people’s opinions, and even one’s opinion of oneself, does not need to become our reality.

Jesus made it very clear as to how God values us:

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

- Luke 12:6-7

Think about it. God knows the number of hairs on my head. And with more falling out each day as I get older, it's pretty impressive that He knows exactly how many of my hairs remain.

In addition, if God cares about the sparrows, then how much more does He care about us?

We matter to God. We are His handiwork, His masterpiece, His workmanship. He created each one of us “on purpose” for “a purpose.”

When I look at what God’s Word says about each one of us, I can truly imagine God looking at you, and at me, and saying, “If I could give you one gift, I would give you the ability to see yourself as I see you, so you could see how truly special you are. Remember, you’re worth dying for.”

Friends, as we continue to look at the life of Jesus according to Luke’s Gospel, it is imperative that we know and understand that Jesus came from Heaven to Earth for one specific purpose - to reconcile you and me unto God. We matter to God - it is that simple.

God sent His Only Son to die in our place so we could live with Him for all eternity.

And if there is any doubt as to what that means, giving one's life is a very high price to pay, and only occurs if someone is valued enough to pay that price. Evidently, we qualify, and since that is the case, it only makes sense to me that we began living and seeing ourselves that way.

As Holy Week approaches and we prepare to celebrate the death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, may we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and may we live, with a humble confidence that only comes from Him, that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are brothers and sisters with Jesus. We are children of the Most High God, and joint heirs of all the splendors of Heaven

Pastor Ken

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