Articles
Priceless to God
When you look in a mirror, what do you see? Often what we see are imperfections that should be changed and improved. The outward appearance for many people is the start of their self-esteem or the worth that they place upon themselves. God, however, places value on the inward heart and soul of a person, instead of outward appearances (1 Sam. 16:7). Mankind often believes that one’s wealth, fame, attractiveness, professional status, and other physical attributes determines their personal value. Vanity is just one tool that the devil uses in our society to distract us from God.
Matthew 4:1-11 tells the account of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. When the devil tempted Jesus for the third time, he promised Him the entire world. Yet, Jesus denied all the physical attributes and riches of the world because He would not place them, or the devil before God. The apostle Paul accentuates a relationship with God being of more worth than physical gain when he says, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8)
Having a relationship with Christ is invaluable to us because He knows our true worth and saved us from eternal suffering. Psalm 49:5-8 says, “Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever never see the pit.” God created you and you are so valuable to Him that He sent His only son to die that you can live a life of eternal peace.
Formerly, each person on Earth was separated from Christ, having no hope of peace due to the debt of sin that separated mankind from God. Jesus paid our debt with God by shedding His divine blood. (1 Peter 1:3-5) This act gave us access to God’s Holy Spirit, which gives you the choice to become unified with God in this life and the next. Every soul was beautifully created to display the love which God showed them first through their own acts of righteously good works (1 John 4:19). Accomplishing good works shows our obedience to God and indicates where we believe true value lies.
