It’s very important for us to realize our value. I must first realize how valuable I am before I can help other people feel valued. The same is true for you. You must know you’re important. You must know you’re valuable. You’re not insignificant.
You are and have always been worth it. This is the truth we’re to carry and pull out in others. Contrary to popular belief, knowing your value is not prideful.
The Great Misunderstanding
It seems there has been a movement in the church where we devalue ourselves in the name of humility. I feel there has been a great misunderstanding. This misunderstanding is keeping you from receiving all God has for you, all because you believe you’re not worth it. You are worth it!
God said so, He sent His son to die for us. He would not have done that if you were not worth it. The truth is we can not be humble until we know our value.
If you don’t know your value then you have nothing to be humble about. You’re merely getting what you think you deserve even though God calls you royalty.
We are to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. But, we leave the cross at the baptism. We follow in the footsteps of our Lord. He isn’t carrying the cross for all of eternity.
Once we are saved and baptized, that cross—on which we were crucified with Christ—is left and we arise with a crown. Many people cite the passage when Jesus tells us that
“…when we are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited us comes, he may say to us, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then we will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with us.” (Luke 14:10.)
Knowing Where to Sit
There’s a big difference between where we ought to sit and knowing where we’re permitted to sit. If you were to just sit in the back because you believe that’s where you belong, you’re not being humble. You’re merely sitting.
However, when you know you’re permitted to sit at the front table and choose to sit in the back, then you’re humbling yourself. Believing you are valued unlocks your ability to be humble. Therefore, know your value. You are not insignificant!
My Dream
I once had a dream where I was preaching on a bus. I opened my Bible and was reading scripture to the passengers and they begin to see their value. One of the scriptures I read I was not able to find when I awoke. Though I believe it correctly conveys our Father’s heart to us.
In the dream I read aloud a scripture—in which God was speaking—saying, “It was my good pleasure to send my Son to die.” Why did killing His only son bring our Father pleasure?
Because we’re worth it! God sent His son to die because of our value to Him—because of your value to Him.
The Creation Story
God, when creating the Heavens and the Earth spoke everything into existence; however, when it came time to create man, He did something new. He formed man with His own hands.
Out of mud He formed the first man. Maybe God did this not only to give us humble beginnings but to also show our value to Him. He took dust, something worth nothing, and made us—something worth everything.
Every star in the sky, every animal on this planet, even the world itself was created through the God speaking it into being. When you speak there is an innate sense of distance; however, when you create something, there is intimate closeness.
God created us with His own hands and then breathed life into, what I suspect, to be the most beautiful sculpture ever crafted and it became a living man.
When He breathed life into Adam he did more than make man come live, God imparted part of Himself! He gave Adam a soul and a spirit. Man became a triune being just as God is a triune God.
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26).
We were made, both, in the image of God and according to His likeness. We were made to look like God and to have His nature. Moreover, we were created to rule with God. We truly were wonderfully made endowed with a gift from our Father, a Spirit.
God Valued You First
It makes me sad when I see people ashamed of their body. I’ve been there before, I’ve wanted to be skinnier or more handsome. It took quite a long time for me to realize I am handsome because God created me. I am beautiful because I’m work of God.
God created me. Because God created me, I have value. Therefore, it’s not prideful for me to say I’m extremely valuable because I am. I am because He valued me first. For me to consider myself anything but highly valuable is to devalue God.
Doctor Who
In an episode of Doctor Who, the doctor visits Van Gogh. Van Gogh had been painting but has an extremely low self-esteem. He believes he’s worthless. Van Gogh believed he had nothing to contribute to the world and, therefore, had zero value.
He even mentioned that no one would even buy one of his paintings unless they wanted to be laughed out of town. I know this is merely an episode from a television show, but how many of us have felt the same? I know I have.
You feel like if you were gone, the world would never notice. You’d leave nothing because you’re worth nothing. This is not true.
In this episode of Doctor Who, the doctor takes Van Gogh to 2010 to visit a museum in Paris. Van Gogh is ecstatic as he walks around the museum, eyeing every painting and admiring each sculpture. Finally, Van Gogh walks into the “Van Gogh Exhibit.” He notices his own paintings on the wall.
These painting, which he had painted over a hundred and twenty years prior, were being marveled and adored by a room packed full of people. Slowly, tears welled up in his eyes as he scanned the room watching people admiring his worked.
Where Does Van Gogh Rate in the History of Art?
The doctor then grabbed the museum curator and asked, “between you and me—in a hundred words—where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?” Not knowing Van Gogh was listening, the curator said,
“Well. Um, big question, um, but to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly the most popular great painter of all time. The most beloved. His command of color, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty.
Pain is easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world. No one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again.
To my mind, that strange wild man who roamed the fields of Provence, was not only the world’s greatest artist but also one of the greatest men who ever lived.”
Van Gogh—with tears of joy running down his face—thanked, hugged, and kissed the curator. By giving value to the paintings, they curator had given value and honor to Van Gogh, the painter.
We are God’s masterpiece. We are the finest price of art to have ever been made, yet the vast majority of us have no idea how valuable we really are, and those that learn and begin to teach people their value, the church reacts by labeling them as prideful. We’re teaching people to devalue themselves, and by doing so they’re devaluing God.
From Dust to Throne
1 Timothy states: “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The man Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God. Not the spirit, but the man! Again, this shows the value of man. Jesus did not stop becoming a man after the crucifixion. God was born a man and is thus forever more.
God’s value for mankind has taken man from the humblest beginnings—dust on the ground—to the very throne of God. From the lowest to the highest; from dust to a throne.
Is that not the reason Christ came and died? Was not His mission to restore our relationship with the Father? Have you ever considered why? Maybe it’s because God so values us, each and every one of us.
That Which Was Lost
In the story of Zaccheus, found in Luke 19:1-10, Jesus made an interesting statement. After Zaccheus had “received Jesus gladly, he made the statement,
“Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” Then Jesus responded with “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19: 9-10).
Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. This begs the question, what was lost?
In the garden, God breathed into Adam the breath of life. This life gave Adam a spirit and a soul. What was lost after the fall? Well, the soul lived on. The soul is what gives us our emotions, thoughts, and personality. It was the spirt that was stifled after the fall.
We are a triune being: body, soul, and spirit. In reality, we are a spirit being. A spirit who possesses a soul, which inhabits a body. After the fall the spirit of man fell deep within us, completely taken over by the soul. What was lost?
Our spirit was lost. The very spirit God breathed into us—the very thing that not only was to be our identity but was also to connect us with Holy Spirit—was lost within ourselves. God’s desire was to return everything back to normal.
A New Creation
God’s desire was to reposition our spirit man back on top. He so longed for that connection to be rebuilt. It was God’s intention that His spirit communion with our spirit; therefore, our spirit needed to be found. It needed to be brought back to life.
God yearns for us to draw near to Him. Maybe this is why James stated, “…do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’?” (James 4:5 ESV).
When we become a Christian, we become a new creation. With that our spirit is placed back on top. It governs our soul and our body. We are a spirit who has a soul, which possesses a body. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost—our spirit…us.
The Two Parables
In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus tells us two parables. Though these two parables are quite short, one is only one verse and the other two verses, they give great insight into how valuable we are.
Remember, we must know our value before we can help others feel valued. And they are—others—they are valued. More valuable then we can fathom. You are more valuable than you realize.
The Hidden Treasure
The first parable, titled “The Hidden Treasure,” is found in Matthew 13:44.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Why is a treasure hidden? Maybe there was an invading army. When an invading army comes through, the owner of a treasure would bury the treasure to keep it from being discovered, to keep it from being stolen or defiled. So what is the treasure?
I’d argue the treasure, the kingdom of heaven, is actually connected to our spirit. Jesus said in Luke 17:21 that “…For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (NKJV). How can an entire kingdom be in us? Maybe our spirits are not the kingdom itself but are a gateway into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus said, in John 7:38, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” Our spirit is the door to heaven. A door where living waters are to flow into the world.
Lets break this parable down a little. The man is Jesus. The field is the world, as Jesus mentioned earlier in the chapter. Finally, the treasure is our spirit—the very breath God breathed into Adam.
When the fall occurred, way back in Genesis 3, the treasure was buried in the field, lost in the world. We were lost. Then Jesus comes to the earth and finds the treasure. After finding the treasure, Jesus sold all Had, He gave His life, to buy the field. Jesus didn’t die to buy the field. He died to buy the treasure. Jesus didn’t want the world…He wanted the treasure…He wanted us.
The Pearl of Great Value
In Matthew 13: 45-46, Jesus tells the parable titled, “The Pearl of Great Value.”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
A pearl merchant understands pearls. He knows their value. In this parable, God is the merchant and you are the pearl. It’s interesting that Jesus used pearls for this parable. A pearl is created by a sand rubbing inside an oyster.
Pearls come from suffering. Maybe Jesus is saying though sometimes you may suffer, the suffering only makes you more valuable and more beautiful.
So the merchant—God—found a pearl—you—which was worth everything He had in life. God then sold everything and bought the pearl. God, the creator of the universe became poor so that He may purchase you. When Jesus died, He had nothing on the cross. They even buried Him in a borrowed tomb. Jesus sold everything so He might once again have you.
You are the pearl of great value! So great, in fact, that it cost God everything to have you. God, being the merchant of pearls, knew from the beginning that you were worth it.
Interpretations
In these two parables we’re introduced to the treasure and the pearl. The treasure is the spirit God breathed into His people. The treasure is God’s children. Where the treasure is the God’s people, the pearl of great price is you.
It is as if God is saying, “I died for the Children of God; however, even if you were the only one, I would have still paid the price. Because you, my child, are worth it.”
Maybe you are still thinking, if you only really knew who you were talking to you would not say these things. beloved, God really knows you. I mean He knows everything about you. Think of your darkest hour. The worst mistake of your life. God was there and, beloved, He still declares, “You are worth it!”
You value is not dependent upon your actions. Just like God’s love for you is not something you have to work for, neither is your value towards Him. He doesn’t see one of His children as more valuable then the other. What an absurd thought to think one of our kids would have more value in our eyes then the other.
The same is true with God. God is absolutely in love with you and He holds the utmost value for you. He sees where you are and declares you are valuable, so valuable, in fact, that He desires to help you move forward into a deeper love with Him. God loves you where you are, but He loves you too much to leave you there.
The Ministry of the Gospel
There are too many people battling depression today. If only they knew how valuable they are. There are too many women selling their bodies because they don’t feel like they’re worth anything. If only they knew how valuable they are. Too many children feel abandoned and unloved. If only they knew how valuable they are.
Jesus bought and paid for the field; however, much of the treasure remains buried. Maybe the ministry of the Gospel is to dig up this treasure. Maybe our ministry is to dig up this treasure.
Each and every person holds a great value, though most have no idea how much they’re worth. We see them walking down our streets, shopping in our malls, and even in our classrooms.
In fact you, the reader, are one person who holds infinite value in the eyes of God. I want you to know that you are worth it.
You’re not insignificant. You’re important. You, my friend, are of great value. You are His masterpiece. You’re not a pice of junk metal to be thrown in the scrap yard. You’re not a ruined painting destined to be painted over.
No matter what you may be going through, understand that God does not make junk. You are a one of a kind masterpiece—always have been and always will be.
Conclusion
Once you understand your value you can help others see how valuable they are. Maybe this is digging up the treasure. Remember, we have to receive our value before we can help others feel valued. We are only valuable because God first gave us value.
Therefore, receive the value God has for you. Learn to look at yourself through the eyes of God. Just like praising the painting gives value to painter, when we value ourselves we’re giving value to our maker. Accordingly, as we understand our value, we are simultaneously valuing God, valuing ourselves, and positing ourselves to help others feel valued.
Learning how valuable we are is the first step to learning who we really are—it’s the first step in learning how to love ourselves. Once we glimpse our value we will have a grid to explore our identity and the nature that comes with it.
What next? I’d recommend spending time with God through having a quiet time. Having a consistent and life-giving quiet time is extremely beneficial not only for your walk with God, but also for your business and blog.
Do you struggle having a consistent and life-giving quiet time? If so, check out this article titled “How a Quiet Time Transforms Your Life, Blog, & Business.”
How will you show others how valuable they are? Let me know in the comments below.
