Articles
“You Have Value”
“You Have Value”
At an estimated $350M, the Hope Diamond is one of the most valuable diamonds in the world. I had the opportunity to see this diamond when I visited Washington D.C. in 2017. It was remarkable how stunning and rich in color it was under the illumination of its display case. What was once a fortunate discovery in the 1600s, the 45.52 carat rock turned into a traveling item of varying currency as it exchanged owners numerous times. It was not until 1958 when the diamond became official property of the Smithsonian Institution that the Hope Diamond found a permanent dwelling place. This beautiful diamond is a perpetual reminder of how value can be ignored or go unnoticed, causing an exchange of hands to take place; that is, until someone expresses invaluable desirability.
We are subject to the ebb and flow of life, and with that we find ourselves being controlled or owned by various aspects of life. However, once we devote ourselves to God our value becomes transcendent, reaching heights otherwise impossible in human standards. You are not only valued but you are inexpressibly desired by God.
Your value is unique (Ex. 19:5,6) – As the people escaped the burden of the Egyptians through the deliverance of God, the Father expressed His desire to abide with them. He revealed, “you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” As God surveyed the expanse of the world, He found His delight in mankind; namely those who were devoted to Him.
Your value is divinely determined (Eph. 1:14) – Paul penning through the guidance of the Spirit states, “you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession.” What can be understood in Ephesians 1 is the mutual inheritance between man and God. Humanity gains a loving, kind, holy, and good God to shepherd over them. At the same time God gains a people as an inheritance for an eternal Eden. God values you so much that He extended a member of the Godhead to identify you as His own.
Your value is transformational (1 Peter 2:9) – in 1 Peter 2:10 the text says, “you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Peter is speaking in relation to the transformation that took place as God called you into His family from your sinful desires. 2:9 states, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession.” You are His, and He is yours. This should completely refurbish the idea of life and living in our minds.
