Luke 11-12 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Luke 11:1-12:59.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before god. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).

Look in the mirror today and say, “I am worth something. I am valuable.”

Isn’t that what we are all searching for? Significance. Value. Worth. Meaning. We want to know that our existence has a point. We want to know that we are more than a waste of space. Sadly, if you are like me, you have searched for it in all the wrong places. Perhaps if you have a great GPA and graduate at the top of your class. Maybe if you follow your parents occupational dreams for you. Maybe if you were the star quarterback. Maybe if you dated and married the right person. Maybe if you accomplished some goal for which man proclaimed your greatness. If you made it on radio or TV, if you became the American Idol, or the Nashville Star, then you would be worthy. If your name became a household word synonymous with greatness, then perhaps you would have value.

Or you codependently strive to make yourself invaluable in someone’s life. Enmeshing yourself in their problems so that at least one person has to learn that they can’t live without you. Then you feel you have value. But, the problem is you aren’t the ones invaluable here, the other one is. If the other person ever learned to live on her own, you would go back to being worthless. And you know it, at least subconsciously.

But for most of us, the dreams are never realized, the codependency never fulfilling, and we squander our existence in anonymity and misery, feeling abandoned by all. We place no value on ourselves and can’t imagine that anyone else does either.

But here is the good news. You are valuable. Not because of your accomplishments. Not because of your grades. Not because of your looks. Not because of your fame. You are valuable because God values you. God, the most powerful being in existence, values you. He values you so much He has numbered the hairs of your head. He values you so much, He sent His Son to die for you so you could be set free from all that enslaves you.

Today, don’t worry what your family thinks of you, don’t worry what your friends think of you, don’t worry what the world thinks of you. Today, take comfort that God notices you. God values you. God said you are worthy. You are valuable because you are God’s creation and God’s love.

Look in the mirror today and say, “I am worth something. I am valuable.” But don’t just say it. Believe it.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is John 3:1-4:54.

Before getting to today’s thoughts, let me say thanks with your patience as I had to take a sabbatical from this blog during most of November. I hope to stay with you all the way through December and get started again in January. I hope this daily look at God’s word is helping you as much as it is me.

Now, on to today’s thoughts.

What are you worth?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils our bodies are made up of the following chemicals and minerals:

• 65% Oxygen
• 18% Carbon
• 10% Hydrogen
• 3% Nitrogen
• 1.5% Calcium
• 1% Phosphorous
• 0.35% Potassium
• 0.25% Sulfur
• 0.15% Sodium
• 0.15% Chlorine
• 0.05% Magnesium
• 0.0004% Iron
•  0.00004% Iodine

Additionally, our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. When we add to that a study done by the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan about the value of your skin, we learn that to a metallurgist, interested only in the mineral make-up of your body, you are worth about $4.50 (http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/worth.asp).

However, to a black market body parts seller, you are worth a great deal more. Your heart would be worth $57,000, a kidney is worth $91,400, a lung would be worth $116,400. That however is nothing compared to your antibodies worth $7.3 million, your DNA worth $9.7 million and your bone marrow worth $23 million. All in all, in the human body chop shop you are worth about $45 million (http://soundmedicine.iu.edu/archive/2003/quiz/humanWorth.html). Of course, that is completely illegal and doesn’t do you much good because you have to die to get all that value out of your body.

We have heard all our lives what we are worth to people around us. Some of us heard, “You are worth a million bucks” from our parents and peers. Some of us heard, “You ain’t worth a plug nickel” from them. Sadly, this value was often presented to us based on how well we measured up to some standard they had developed for us. So, whether the message was positive or negative, many of us have a mistaken sense of our value. If you are like me, you know your performance doesn’t really measure up to how others view you; therefore many of us believe we simply aren’t worth much.

Today’s reading should obliterate that thought. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believe in him should not perish but have eternal life.” I know it is easy to read that most popular of verses and gloss right over it. It is easy to think of ourselves as separate from that world that God loves. He loves the world, that is, He loves all those people out there. How could He love me? We need to reread this verse. God loved the world so much with us in it, that He gave His Son for us.

Understand this: God looked down at you and said, “You’re worth a Son to Me.” I don’t care what anyone else has ever said about your worth. God has said, “You’re worth a Son.” Rest in that today.

***Question: What do you do to find your sense of worth and value in God and not in the world around you?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. I admit, I cheated a bit. Today’s reading reminded me of a sermon I preached some time ago entitled “Worth a Son.” If you’d like to read or hear the whole sermon. Click here.

I’m sure you already knew when you read today’s chapters that I would be drawn to Romans 5:6-8.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die–but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”(ESV).

Jesus died for the ungodly. That is, we were not pious and reverent. Jesus didn’t die because we were spiritual enough. Jesus died while we were weak. He didn’t die because we were strong enough. Jesus died while we were still sinners. He didn’t die because we measured up enough. He didn’t look down and say, “For all of you who make the grade, pass the final cut, stand out and measure up, I’m sending my Son.” Jesus died for you, He died for me by virtue of nothing about us, but about God’s love for us. God loves you. You are worth a Son to God.

Most of the time, I think I’m not worth much. I need to read this passage everyday to remind me that to God, I was worth so much, He sacrificed His Son to buy me back from the devil when I so willingly sold myself into his bondage.

Thank you God for loving me. Help me love You.

Keep the faith and keep reading,
ELC