You Have Value

Our society assesses value to everything and everyone. Tangible and intangible items alike all have a value we assign. What is valuable to one person may not be valuable to another. Certain rare items have such a high value that we compete to attain them. We may even battle for them.

The Lord said to his disciples, “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Matthew 10.23-31

God has assigned value to every living thing upon the earth. Small or large, when God created them, He said, “It was good.” (see Genesis 1) After God created humans, He looked at His entire creation and said, “It was very good.” (Genesis 1.31)

So, why do we look in the mirror and question if we are valuable? In today’s reading we are reminded that God doesn’t even allow a single bird to fall from the sky without His knowledge or will. Yet, we are “of more value than many sparrows.” That is why God fights for us.

Just as we fight for rare items of great value, such as precious stones and metals, the devil fights to get us in his control. If we had no value, the devil wouldn’t want us. He wouldn’t care if God ‘won’ and we all went to heaven.

The reality is, we are so valuable the devil never stops. That’s the bad news. The devil will never stop trying to ‘win’ us from God. The good news is, God will always win. He is stronger and smarter. He is kinder and more gracious. He is merciful and loving. Everything the devil isn’t.

The next time you wonder if you have value, remind yourself that God has declared you to be more valuable as a human being than any other living creature on the earth. God thinks you are so valuable He went so far as to die to ‘win’ you from the devil. God has already ‘won’.

The devil is just so stubborn that he still tries to trick us into believing we have no value. The devil plays elaborate games to fool us into believing we are no better than the wild animals. Don’t believe the devil. He is and always will be a liar.

The next time you feel the sting of this battle in your life, remind yourself God and the devil wouldn’t be fighting over you if you had no value. When the battle seems too much for you to endure, remind yourself God has already ‘won’ and the devil (or his helpers) can’t hurt you.

When God looks at you, He sees great value. It is time you saw the same value.