What Determines your Value?

It's easy to question how much I matter in life.  Do I matter more or less now that I'm a Father?  As a loving husband?  Because I've succeeded?  Because I've failed?  Maybe you can relate with the feeling, comparing yourself to others, wondering if you're worth as much as someone else.

We do it with our pay, our relational standing, our athletic prowess.  What's your value?

I think most of us have a sense where our own self-worth fluctuates between all of these things.  If I performed well, I value myself highly.  If I didn't perform well, I value myself far less.  If it's in the middle, I feel like I'm not living up to my potential.  If people love me, I feel valued.  If people critique me, make fun of me, or give me the slightest feeling that I've disappointed them, my sense of worth plummets.

The problem with this is we miss the fundamental question:  What determines your value?

I have sold a few things on ebay over the years, mainly old baseball cards and other collector's items.  At one point, I was selling two VERY different items:  an autographed baseball by Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, in pristine condition, with a certificate of authenticity (guaranteeing it was actually signed by him), and the other object being a toy from the show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with the stickers peeling off, scratches all over it, and the electronics in it busted.

I thought I'd make a killing off the baseball, and I really just wanted to get rid of the toy.  So I put them up for auction.  And the ball did fetch around $30.  A nice night out with Heather.  But the toy, that's what surprised me.  Someone paid $80 for a beat up, broken little toy from an obscure kid's show!  I learned a very valuable lesson then: value is determined by how much is paid.  It doesn't matter how much I thought it was worth.  It matters how much some one is willing to pay for it.

So what's your value?

I Corinthians 6:19-20 says this:  "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price..." 

Paul argues that we are not our own.  That we were once like slaves, but no longer!  We were bought out of slavery, and we were bought with a price.  What price?  The blood of Jesus.

What does that mean?  It means that your value is not determined by your self-esteem, your self-worth, what other people think of you, what you've accomplished throughout the day, or whatever other things you use to evaluate yourself with.  Ultimately, your worth is measured by your purchase price, and the blood of Christ is invaluable.  If you're a Christian, your worth is priceless.  You're a son or daughter of the King, so we no longer have to give in to the whims of what other people think of us, the feelings we feel when we do or don't accomplish anything, etc.  Your self-value matters no longer, because you have the value of Christ.

And because of this, Paul finishes v. 20 this way:  "So Glorify God in your body."   Because you are worthy, you can glorify our great God and King.  Not because you were worthy on your own, but because you were bought with the precious blood of Christ.

In His Grace,
Zack