Worth More

Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.

Isaiah 43:4 (ESV)

Missy’s story: "Missy" is a Senior at a small, rural High School. She's an average student, has 'friends' she isn't very close to, and works as much as she can to help with the bills at home. She'd like to be more involved at school, but she doesn't have the time to because of work. There's a guy she has a relationship with, but he isn't really her boyfriend. He's her older brother's friend, whose away at college, and he only treats her like they're dating when no one else is around. This makes her feel a little used and not good enough, but she puts up with it because they're 'in love'. Her older brother resents their relationship and doesn't talk to her very much anymore. Her younger brother follows his lead and is mean to her, even though he doesn't know why. Missy's dad works out of town for extended periods of time and still isn't able to pay the bills. He takes out his feelings of inadequacy mostly on Missy and her mom. Missy's mom, as the only other female in the house, should be a comfort to her, but she isn't. She works a lot, makes very little money, is unhappy in her marriage, and mainly just tries to stay out of the way. To Missy, her mother's withdrawal feels like rejection. Recently, Missy was accepted to a college near her 'boyfriend' and decided she wouldn't be joining the Navy, like her favorite aunt did when she graduated. This aunt, who is about to retire from her service, told Missy she was disappointed in her decision and expects Missy won't ever amount to much  because of her choice. Missy is a Christian, and has been making progress in her relationship with God. Yet, with so many voices speaking their disapproval and rejection, she reluctantly admits the world might be better off without her. Missy feels like she's worthless.

“You’re worthless!” You didn’t get the job, your wife left, your husband is a drunk, your kids won’t listen to you no matter how loud you yell (which you secretly feel guilty for doing), you never get a break, and you don’t know what you’re doing anyway…

You aren’t the first to feel this way. We all struggle with feeling worthless. Worth less than we ought to be. Worth less than we want to be. Worth less than anyone else. Worth less than anyone around you knows…

Israel struggled with feeling worthless. They felt they were rejected and abandoned by God, and for good reason: Generations of pride and sin, military defeat, death in each of their homes and families, international and personal humiliation, national exile, and constant ridicule in their new home, where they are practically slaves…

Yet, in the midst of all these realities speaking “worthless” into their lives comes another word: "Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I have loved you; I will give men for you, and people for your life." (verse 4 of Isaiah 43:1-11 [cf. ESV])

If Israel, whom God would sacrifice nations for, was worth more than the fallen world told them they were, how much more true is it for us, whom God himself, in Christ, purchased by his own blood?

The world tells us we are worthless. But, the truth is we are worth more. Worth more than we think we are. Worth more than the world tells us. Worth more than you could possibly imagine.

How do I know? I know because of the price that was paid for you.

Romans 5:6-8 says, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Imagine I just pulled a key out of my pocket and asked you, “What’s this key worth?” Well, it depends, doesn’t it? On what this key goes to, on what it can do. If it's the key to a mansion, it might be worth a great deal. If it's the key to my car, it's not worth much at all. If it's a key I found on the ground at the dump, it probably isn't worth anything. So, how much is this key worth? This key is worth whatever someone will pay for it based on what they think it will unlock.

So, if something, or someone (like you), is worth whatever someone else will pay for it, are we truly worthless? Haven’t we been bought at a dear price?

Paul told the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20 that the Holy Spirit had made them overseers, “to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

And, in The Revelation, chapter 5, we see that the Lamb is worthy to be praise because he was slain and with his blood purchased each of his people for God “from every tribe and language and people and nation” in order to be a kingdom and priests to serve God and reign on the earth.

So, if this (the death of his only son) is the price God paid for you, and this (serving God and reigning forever) is your destiny, can you possibly be worthless? No!

You are worth more, and it’s time to start walking in that reality. Whose opinion of you matters more, the world’s or the Lord’s? God’s opinion is ultimately the only opinion that matters. That’s why David could dance in the blood of the sacrifices before the Lord when they brought the Ark into Jerusalem in 2nd Samuel, chapter 6. That’s why Ezekiel could lay on his side for over a year, eating bread cooked over cow manure. That’s why Stephen could forgive the very men who were stoning him to death. And, that’s why you can walk in the knowledge that you are precious in God’s sight and worth more, not worthless.

You are worth more, no matter how loudly or consistently, or confidently the world tells you otherwise… Because of Christ, because he died for you, and because of the plans God has for you in this life and even more so in eternity, you are worth more.

You are worth more, and don’t you ever forget it.