Good morning! Welcome. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday last week. Christmas is on the horizon, and we are trying to figure out what to give our family and friends. They say I am a difficult person to buy for. I have already been given everything I could ever dream of; salvation in Christ, my family, my Christian family at Harding Street and all over the world, my health, life, food, clothing, shelter, faith, hope, love…I mean I’m the richest man in the world. You can probably make a similar list of all the gifts and blessings you have and feel the same. But let’s ask ourselves a question when it comes to gifts and giving: Is what we want to get and give really “worth it?” Now before we can answer this question, we need to know something about the meaning of “worth” or “value.” How can one determine the “value” or “worth” of something? Value or worth can be determined by the following characteristics: Age – Is it new? Is it old? How old? Is it just “old” or is it a “classic” or an “antique?” A dollar may only be worth a dollar, but last time I looked an old silver dollar is “worth” almost $100.00. Duration – Is it good quality? Will it last? Will it hold its value or worth? I am thinking of a “Case” pocketknife. Name Brand – Some things are valuable or have a high worth due to the brand: Rolex, Mercedes, Jordan. Time and Effort Involved – Consider the worth or value of a doctor, a lawyer, a professor, an athlete, a musician, etc. and why. Supply and Demand – Why is gold so expensive? And nurses, just apply and start to work. A painting was recently sold at auction for more than $80 million. Why? Well, gold is rare. So are nurses. And the painting? There is only one. Intrinsic Value – Why is your grandmother’s old “whatever” worth so much to you? And why is a set of items often worth more than the value of individual items? Before she died my grandmother gave me my great grandmother’s tobacco knife. Ten thousand dollars wouldn’t tempt me to part from it. So, as we think about the gifts we get and give, think differently. I know this. A hand-written card or some individual “creation” from one on my grandchildren is priceless to me. And when Cindi gives me even a small gesture of her thoughtfulness, I am deeply thankful.
Think of the greatest gift ever given; Jesus. God so loved us that “He did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32). Know that Jesus is worth it. Worth whatever I have to think, say, or do in my life. He is ageless, timeless, one of a kind, gave everything He had for me, supplies my every need now and forever, and His value is beyond anything I could ever imagine.
You are worth it, too. If your value could be calculated, you’d be worth more than all the world. Jesus said so in Matthew 16:26 – “For what profit is it to a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
We are in a new sermon series entitled “I’m Not Much, But God is Everything” from Colossians 3. We may not be as big, as educated, as wealthy, or as sophisticated as others, but God is everything. Whatever we do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. On the evening we are studying about how often we expect the impossible.” Thank you so much for your support and attention. MB
Leave a Reply