What Are You Worth?

“For whoever finds me finds life.”  Psalm 8:35 NIV

 

Do you know the U.S. Government sets a monetary value for a human life?

 

They do.

 

It goes up and down. (Weird that it goes down!)

 

As of 2010, if you are a citizen of the United States, the government values your life between $7.9 million and $9.1 million—depending on which agency’s numbers you’re using (EPA, FDA, etc.)

 

That’s only the government’s assessment. Throw in a few civil attorneys and the monetary awards in court cases these days range anywhere from a few thousand to 60+ million dollars—and rising—which eventually puts a dollar sign behind every human being.

 

I was hoping to easily find values of life in past decades for comparison, but that proved more time consuming than I hoped.

 

However, there were a couple of numbers I easily found, for a time wayyyy back when.

 

In 2000 B.C. the going rate for the value of a slave was about 30 pieces of silver (Exodus 21:32).

And two thousand years later, the value stayed the same because another man was sold for silver—Jesus. 30 pieces to be exact. Just like a common slave—worth the same—about 120 days of wages. Ask Judas—he knows.

 

Life’s worth.

 

What do you think yours is?

 

Does some magical number pop in your head?

Maybe the government’s numbers are high enough; maybe they’re way too low in your estimation.

 

How can you put a price on a life? Doesn’t it seem like an odd thing to do? Values change with each passing year, so the numbers will always change.

 

But one value doesn’t.

 

One value of your life will always remain constant.

 

The price was pretty high; the number’s immeasurable.

 

Death.

 

His death.

For you.

Forever.

For eternity.

 

The cost doesn’t change. The amount doesn’t change. Inflation or depression doesn’t move the needle. The price remains the same.

 

A Cross.

 

A Decision.

 

A Payment.

 

A Value.

 

 

What are you worth?

 

Can you put a number on that?

 

How about someone else dying for you?

 

One Man thought so. Well, really, One God thought so.

 

God, who was in the most perfect of places in the heavens, came here to this yucky world and said YOU are worth every ounce of pain of a Cross. He says, “You, my child, are worth Me dying so that we can be together forever. I would do anything for you; I did.”

 

Where is your worth?

 

Is it in a number you seek?

 

Or is it in a Redeemer?

 

Because I believe the answer to those questions determines your daily life.

 

When you see yourself as someone who was worthy of God dying for you, your life’s value goes through the roof. If you choose to say it doesn’t matter and you stick to the daily assessment, well it’ll never be enough.

 

Nothing will ever be enough.

 

Because when you look at the world thru the eyes of your worth that is the world you will see.

 

So what are you worth?

 

What you have in this life or a Cross?

 

He asks you to ask this every day.

He’s given you the answer.

He’s waiting to see which you will pick.

 

If you struggle with this question, maybe it’s time to seek the answer that will last. Maybe it’s time to see you from a different set of eyes…

The eyes that saw you before you were born…

The eyes that cried when the price was paid…

The eyes that look upon you in only one way…

 

…with LOVE

 

…with worth

 

…with longing

 

 

Your worth is priceless because anything less wouldn’t have been worth the price.

 

Can you see what you are worth?

 

Will you see what you are worth?

worth

Photo: Renae Bowman

 

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