Value: October 12, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2012.

VALUE

DEFINITION:

Relative worth or importance; monetary or material worth; the worth of something.

SCRIPTURE:

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

What is of value in God's sight? God is all knowing and all powerful and has everything He needs. But He puts great value on our soul even though in comparison to God we are nothing. Sometimes we feel worthless and wonder how could we be of any value to God. God wants us to understand value from an eternal perspective.

Jesus often taught using parables. He taught the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 12:12-14. He said that if a shepherd owns a hundred sheep and one gets lost he will leave the ninety-nine to look for the one that is lost. Jesus said that the shepherd is happier about the one sheep when found than the ninety-nine others. This is the way that God feels about us. He places the same value on each of us and, like the shepherd, He does not want to lose a single one of us.

Jesus has offered us an eternal inheritance that is ours for the asking. We need to recognize the value of what God did for us by sending His son to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins and to make it possible for us to have the greatest of all gifts, eternal life. How can we reject so valuable a gift?

There are many things that are considered of value in life. However, our values are not God’s values. Many people put great value on material things. They feel they must drive the latest model car and will stand in line to get the newest cell phone as soon as it comes on the market. They are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill their desires, even to the point of compromising their integrity or sacrificing their health by working long hours.

Most of us put high value on having a healthy life. If you need to be reminded as to how valuable a healthy life is then go to your local children's hospital and look at a few sick children. God will do something special to you like break your heart with concern for these that are hurting and you will thank God for your good health.

Many who have been blessed with financial and material prosperity have forgotten to be thankful. If you are one who takes your prosperity for granted and have forgotten to be thankful, perhaps you need to talk to a family living in the slums of the inner city or a homeless man sleeping on the street. God will again move your heart to compassion to help the hurting and you will thank God for the blessings He has given you.

In Mark 12:14-44 there is the story known as “the widow’s mite.” It illustrates how differently our values are from God’s values. Jesus was with His disciples near where the people brought their money to the temple treasury. The rich were giving large amounts of money just to impress those watching in the temple. Then came a poor widow who put in to the treasury two small coins worth only a fraction of a penny. Jesus said to His disciples that the widow gave more than all the rest because she gave all she had. God honors whatever we give Him, no matter how large or how small. It is not the amount of the money God values but the attitude of the giver that our Lord values. We cannot out give God. It has been our experience that God blesses us when we give with blessings that far and away outweigh the value of what we have given. 

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Peter 5:7.

Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the value You have placed on my life. I take time today just to praise You. I praise You for being God, for being all powerful, all knowing and sovereign. I praise You for sending Your ONLY Son to this earth to die in order to pay the penalty for my sins. I praise You for being with me every moment of every day and leading me in the path that You desire for me.