What are we worth?

I wrote about the Luke scriptures concerning the lost sheep and the lost coin on Monday. Since then, I’ve read more about it, both in Disciplines and in William Barclay’s Daily Bible Study volume about Luke.

Barclay spends much time discussing WHY the sheep was valuable to the shepherd and WHY the coin was valuable to the housewife. It is very interesting information, and he uses it to paint a picture of God, who rejoices and celebrates when something so valuable is found.

It made me want to ask the question, “Why are we so valuable to God?” I am not a sheep. I am not a lost coin, worth a day’s wages or a coin from a precious head adornment. I am me. What makes me valuable to God?

And why do I want to argue with him about it?

Do you ask yourself these questions?

How do we value people? How do we value ourselves?

Is our value dependant upon how much work we do at church? How often we drive the carpool? How clean our houses are? Does our value depend upon how much money we earn? The prestige of our career? The affirmation of those around us? Do we value ourselves by how well we sing? Play the trumpet? Play golf? Play with children? Raise children? Grow flowers? Does our worth have anything to do at all with what we do?

No. We are valuable to God because he has said we are.

Isn’t that interesting? Our value to God has nothing to do with who we are, what we do, how we do it, or what we don’t do. Our value to God is not diminished by sin, failure or disappointment.

Why do we want to argue with him?

What don’t we just accept grace?