How Much Are You Worth?
The worth or value of something depends on how much one is willing to pay. Money talks! The parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:12-14 demonstrates the value God places upon the individual:
"What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish."
The shepherd left the ninety-nine to save the "one." He laid his life on the line to find one stray. That's what Jesus did for us! It seems incongruous that God would invest in the safety of one lamb, unless that lamb is us!
Do you remember the story of the washed-up starfish? A young girl was walking along a beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for quite some time when a man approached her and said, "Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can't save all these starfish. You can't begin to make a difference!" The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, "Well, I made a difference to that one!" This story beautifully illustrates the essence of the gospel. Jesus died for the world and the one.
That's what's happening at Hope Community! We are tapping into the unique value that God places upon individuals. Many of you are inviting people to the services. Many are visiting and returning. We strive to call people by their first name. We don't want to get into everyone's business but we'd like to share biblical and family values and mutual faith, as lived out Monday through Saturday. So having said this, what is the pastor's role in the lives of his sheep? To love you, pray for you, accept you for who you are unless you transgress Scripture, or just get plain weird; advise when asked, counsel you according to God's Word, preach God's Word in a balanced presentation, disciple, correct (sparingly) but never to micro-manage your life. You have the same Holy Spirit living inside you that we do! That's why we must get away from preacher-centered churches. No one is naive enough to minimize the wonder of strong leadership, but we all share a vital role in the beauty of community. The Bible tells us in John 16:13, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." Neither Pastor Lori nor I believe in micro-managing people. Micro-management robs people of their unique creativity and gifting. Micro-managing kills morale. If we ask you to do something, we invite you to work with others, to build leadership teams that are informed, educated, kind, and given dutiful boundaries. First, we ask you to "Know those who labor among you" (1 Thessalonians 5:12). I want to invite you to get to know one another! We insist that everyone remain in their own lane and work to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3).
Chemists tell us the human body in terms of chemicals is valued at six dollars and some odd change. Life insurance companies say we're worth more dead than alive! The prostitute believes her worth is found in her ability to satisfy lust. The alcoholic finds solace and escape from a bottle. The gambler finds his worth in winning. Many people find fulfillment in what they do. Their job determines their worth. That's why some retirees lose their sense of worth and die before their time. Yes, by all means, enjoy what you do! Experience satisfaction in your work but understand that real, fulfilling living comes only as we discover the beauty of "Christ within us, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Saints of God, keep your hope alive!
Athletes often feel undervalued when sidelined by age and declining abilities. Once loud, cheering crowds now turn their applause toward newer, active heroes. In this case, statistics determine worth! Many athletes feel useless after retirement.
They suffer identity loss. For decades, an athlete's entire self-worth is tied to their performance, team status, and public recognition. When that stops, many feel they no longer know who they are outside of the uniform.
Real worth slides into oblivion when we play the comparison game. Don't compare yourself to others in terms of looks, finances, career, gifts, callings and abilities. You alone bring worth to the table of life and God uniquely values you. He created you in His image to experience fullness of life. In 2 Corinthians 10:12, Paul writes that those who measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves among themselves "are not wise." Attempting to rank or grade ourselves against others shows a lack of true spiritual understanding. Perhaps you've heard it said "that God broke the mold when He made so and so." That's absolutely true. Among all the billions on planet earth, past and present, there has never been another you!
If you fall short in any area, don't maximize your failures. Maximize your potential! The tragedy of misguided worth is that it promotes extremes. Some undervalue themselves. They are the "let's eat worms and die" crowd. Others overvalue themselves. Romans 12:3 says, "For the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, so as to have sound judgment."
Good self-worth is invaluable as you walk toward your destiny. Remember, God went out of His way to seek you out and bring you to salvation. On another occasion Jesus assured a man short in stature of his unique value when he said, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that (one) which was lost" (Luke 19:10). That means you!