What Are You Worth?
Elon Musk (Tesla) & Jeff Bezos (Amazon) have recently been alternating the claim of the world’s wealthiest person ($180+ billion). It’s hard to fathom that kind of wealth. However, no matter what your actual bottom line may be, anyone of us can find ourselves comparing and subtly feeling our worth in terms of the clothes we wear or the car we drive. So, what are you worth?
There’s a story I like to tell about a little boy who made a boat with some of his father’s extra materials. He took great care to make the wood smooth and the paint shiny. He dearly loved his little boat. One day as he was playing with it along the riverbank it drifted out of his reach. He took a stick to try and knock it back but even that didn’t work. Eventually the boat drifted out of sight. The little boy was very sad.
Several days later as he was walking home from school he happened by a pawn shop and saw his boat in the store window. He rushed in and told the store clerk, “That’s my boat! It belongs to me!”. The store clerk kindly smiled back and said, “Son, if you want this boat you’ll need to pay $1.00”.
The little boy darted out of the store and ran all the way home. He broke open his piggy bank, grabbed all his coins, ran back to the store, and plopped the coins on the counter. The store clerk slowly counted out the coins and said, “Exactly $1.00”. He then reached into the store window, pulled out the boat, and handed it to the boy. As the little boy stepped out of the store and into the sunshine he hugged his boat tight and exclaimed, “Now you’re TWICE mine. First because I made you and now because I bought you!”
As a pastor I like to tell this story as we’re preparing our hearts for communion. As we bless the cup we must remember that it’s not only a cup of Christ’s suffering and His amazing love for us, but that cup contains something else.
The scripture states in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
Each of us were in that pawn shop at one time. However, the price tag around your neck was not $1 or even $180 billion dollars. You’re worth much more than that. In God’s eyes your value is the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You are TWICE His. First, because He made you and now because He’s bought you.
So, what are you worth? You’re worth exactly what God paid for you!
There’s a story I like to tell about a little boy who made a boat with some of his father’s extra materials. He took great care to make the wood smooth and the paint shiny. He dearly loved his little boat. One day as he was playing with it along the riverbank it drifted out of his reach. He took a stick to try and knock it back but even that didn’t work. Eventually the boat drifted out of sight. The little boy was very sad.
Several days later as he was walking home from school he happened by a pawn shop and saw his boat in the store window. He rushed in and told the store clerk, “That’s my boat! It belongs to me!”. The store clerk kindly smiled back and said, “Son, if you want this boat you’ll need to pay $1.00”.
The little boy darted out of the store and ran all the way home. He broke open his piggy bank, grabbed all his coins, ran back to the store, and plopped the coins on the counter. The store clerk slowly counted out the coins and said, “Exactly $1.00”. He then reached into the store window, pulled out the boat, and handed it to the boy. As the little boy stepped out of the store and into the sunshine he hugged his boat tight and exclaimed, “Now you’re TWICE mine. First because I made you and now because I bought you!”
As a pastor I like to tell this story as we’re preparing our hearts for communion. As we bless the cup we must remember that it’s not only a cup of Christ’s suffering and His amazing love for us, but that cup contains something else.
The scripture states in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
Each of us were in that pawn shop at one time. However, the price tag around your neck was not $1 or even $180 billion dollars. You’re worth much more than that. In God’s eyes your value is the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You are TWICE His. First, because He made you and now because He’s bought you.
So, what are you worth? You’re worth exactly what God paid for you!
Ed House
Pastor at Door of Life Christian Church in Sister Bay, WI
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