So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2nd Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT
Have you ever wondered at the value that is placed on some things - marveled at what people will pay for an item because it's old or rare or because of whose it was? According to Harry Rinker, renowned Worthologist, provenance adds value (one aspect of which is ownership history). Objects are perceived as more valuable when the story of their owner(s) is known. Mr. Rinker also points out this fact; the true value of an object is what someone is willing to pay and this value differs from person to person. Just because it was Great-Grandma's doomaflotchie doesn't necessarily make its value marketable. However, to YOU, the very fact that it was Great-Grandma's doomaflotchie may make it absolutely priceless!
Our lives are formed and patterned by what we've done and/or what's been done to us. Often times, those things that are less than desirable still influence our choices and behaviors. And it's not a matter of what we think in our head - it's a matter of what we believe in our heart. We can think all day long 'I'm a child of the most high God' but if what we believe is 'I'm the red-headed step-child just allowed to stay on sufferance' - that makes a HUGE difference in how we respond to God. Scripture tells us that what we believe in our heart is what makes us who we are. Selah...
Dr. Bob Hamp* uses this modern day parable as an illustration. The Kingdom of God is like a Beanie Baby. Do you remember those? Little beanbag stuffed critters with the red tag (and if you removed the tag, it lost its marketable value)? Material-wise, in mass market form, there's about twenty-five cents worth of value in one. In the cultural market, they sold for somewhere between $5.95 and $8.95, depending on where you bought them (Bob said $6.95, but obviously, he never bought many). However, he personally knows someone who collects them and that person recently paid $1,000 for ONE beanie baby. Yes, you read that correctly - one THOUSAND dollars. That may seem insane to you and me, but in the voice of Harry Rinker, the true value of an object is what someone is willing to pay and this value differs from person to person.
Continuing with Bob's analogy... Material-wise, if you were to melt it down, all told - the human body would be worth about $1.39 for mineral content; based on the Gold Standard, obviously not a candidate for marketing. In the cultural market, you might be worth a little more depending on what you drive, where you live, your level of education and ensuing career choice, and how you look. Based on that, it's sad to say, we all know people who would still see $1.39 as their personal value based on lies they've believed about themselves.
However - pay attention - your TRUE value is what someone is willing to pay for you. God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, paid an inestimable, incalculable price for you! And it doesn't matter how insane that may seem to anyone else, including yourself, that's your value according to God. And His standards don't fluctuate on any market, nor is your value diminished because of bumps, bruises, nicks, scars, or dirt of any kind.
Your TRUE value is what someone is willing to pay for you. On Calvary's Cross, Jesus paid it all.
Prayer:
Father,
Thank You for the cross at Calvary. Open our hearts to the Truth of You. Rip out the lies that we have bought and paid for. Replace them with the Truth of Your certificate of value for what we're worth to You, so we can get on with doing Your business. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
*http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/freedom-kairos/media1
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