How much are you worth? Do you have value? I was recently faced with this question when simply sharing with my boss the value I felt I bring to the team. There are several ways to determine what your value is. When we look at people all around us we are determining their worth and our worth. When we look at the formula to determine our value, things considered could be our toys, our assets, who we know, our standing in society, and more. Let’s take a look at the formula for value.
Things Considered in Giving You Value:
- Who your parents are and who they know, and who knows you
- as opposed to being unknown
- How much money you inherit
- or lack of it
- How much money you earn
- in a corner office or as a busboy
- How many “likes” or followers you have on social media
- or being just as unpopular as the loner back in elementary school
- How attractive you are to others – recognition
- or being virtually unrecognizable or even invisible
- Outstanding accomplishments
- or just doing your job
- Belonging (to the right group(s))
- or not
- Comment below about other considerations that bring value
The Formula – Worth
After 9-11, there was a man who was determined to find the worth of the victims to allow their families to be compensated for the financial hardship this catastrophic event created. Michael Keaton starred in portraying Ken Feinberg who was charged with coming up with the number for compensation of all the victims. The formula for the value of each one. Check out this little clip.
What is Your Value
I love that this was something Ken and others tried to tackle when it came to helping others after such a devastating situation. And this movie really makes you consider the topic.
Worth = Assets – Liabilities
The above is the formula, right? Let’s see what God’s word says. One thought and a few verses. The thought?
You can NOT earn your worth with God.
Ephesians 2:8 AMP
For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;
So your value with God can’t be earned on your own effort. There is no office or Executive position high enough. It doesn’t matter how much money you’ve made or inherited. It doesn’t even matter who you know or how powerful they are in the world or how much recognition you have. You can’t even be ‘good enough.’
On the other hand, God’s love extends into the lowest of valleys that we may find ourselves in. Some of us couldn’t earn it even if it was possible – and it’s not. So no matter if it is the dysfunctional, broken family we’ve come from or working at the bottom of the employee chain, or no matter the financial hardships we find ourselves in. God’s love shows our value.
God’s Love Shows Our Value
The other day a scripture in the book of Mark, chapter 2 caught my attention. Mark made a statement about Jesus. He said, “Jesus SAW their faith.” It didn’t say, He heard their faith. Or He knew of their faith. And it didn’t say, He had seen them in church or at the prayer meeting. But He saw their faith.
Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So our faith comes from hearing the word of God. But the thing about faith, God’s word, is it can’t NOT have action. Faith without works is dead. So Jesus saw their faith, their faith in action.
God SHOWED His love and the value He sees in us by sacrificing His own son Jesus Christ, who willingly gave His life (an act of love because He greatly values all of us). He also says here, again showing the great value He places on us:
Hebrews 1:14 AMP
Are not all the angels ministering spirits sent out [by God] to serve (accompany, protect) those who will inherit salvation? [Of course they are!]
Why is this verse important?
In God’s mind, we are worth so much that He has ordered angels to serve us. This is an amazing thing. In today’s worldview of value, those in high positions are served by those with less. However, in God’s purpose, angels who are beings of far greater powers and intellect than mere men, attend to God’s children.
So these amazing God-created gifted and mighty beings wait on even the humblest of us no matter what we lack in our own value or worldly value. That’s how much God values us, like a Masterpiece. Check out this song by KB – Masterpiece, it’s how God views us:
Challenge of the Week
Recognize your value in God. Realize that in most situations you will never be valued to the point of what you are really worth. And that is because no one else can ever value you as much as God does – the formula for value. Show (don’t just tell) someone this week the value you see in them. So be it!
