Touch of the Master’s Hand

Statistically, human life is worth very little.

With over 800,000 reported abortions a year in the USA alone, matched with the 155,000 drug and alcohol related deaths each year, and approximately 18 percent of all deaths being caused by obesity, it appears that life is really not worth living for many. The significance of these deaths is they all have to do with our choice in how to respond to life. We are told by our culture that what you are worth is based on how you look, what you do, what you make, who you’re with, or more precisely… how you contribute to society. If you don’t live up to these social constructs, you are worth little or even nothing at all.

So let’s consider how value is really determined; the first component is ‘How much is someone willing to pay for an item?’ How much did you spend on your car? Did you pay more than the Kelly blue book value? This is a guide based on what people have paid for a vehicle based on its age, make, model, and condition. It tells us what they were willing to pay based on how something meets their need. Generally it has been shown that people are willing to pay more for things that provide security, admiration, time, money, escape, pleasure, and passion. How much would you pay for a vehicle that met each of these needs? How about an app that would consolidate all these for you, making your life easier?

The second component to determining value is ‘ownership.’ Something is valuable because of who owned it.  For example, would a car owned by Elvis Presley be more valuable than the same make and model car that the Kelly blue book said was worth say 1200.00? How about the game worn socks of a famous athlete from their championship game (7000.00) or Justin Timberlake’s leftover French toast (sold on eBay for 375.00).

You can begin to understand here why someone who holds a naturalistic worldview would not value life more than what they can get out of it. They are limited by their belief we came from simple cell jelly with no meaning or purpose to our being here. Because the complex design argument has proven this false, this worldview has even forced to believe that nothing is something. But what value does nothing hold? And if what comes from a women’s body holds no value till it proves by its contribution to society that it has some worth, what value do you, being something that came from a women’s body, actually hold? The world will tell you very little if anything at all…

Let’s just cut to the chase, you are priceless! The Bible says, “You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him — be free now from all these earthly prides and fears” (1 Corinthians 7:23). It matters not if you believe,  Jesus, the Son of God, gave His life in payment to redeem yours. Regardless of what you believe, the truth is everyone is a sinner and the wage of that sin is death. But Jesus, knowing that holiness was unattainable for us who are sinners, put off all His rights as the Son of God and “instead, giving up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Phil 2:7-8). He did this for ‘all mankind’ (John 3:16), He did this for you, declaring your worth to be infinite, for what would someone have to pay now to cover the cost of His perfect sacrifice?

The Bible tells us, “And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev 5:9). So now ask the question ‘who owns you?’ Are you not God’s, having been purchased with the shed blood of Jesus Christ? God exchanged His Only begotten Son for you! John goes on to tell us that He did this so that you could reign with Him for all eternity.

God created man with the purpose of participating in His perfect Love. This gives tremendous meaning to our lives as we live out this purpose in worship of Him. Even when we chose ourselves over Him, He never gave up on us! And He sent His Son as the way through which we can enter back into His presence; for “I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.”” (Isaiah 44:22)

You are worth the priceless blood of Jesus Christ, shed for you. Because of this truth, I plead with you to give yourself to God because of all he has done for you. Let your body be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

(Romans 12:1-2)

Choose wisely….

Praying 4 U

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, grandfather, Pastor with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.