December 18 – You Are Valuable to God

         Matthew 10:31 – "So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

        Ever wonder why we have speed limits? Or crosswalks? Or any number of other laws that restrict our free flow of movement? They are there to protect us – yes, to protect us from harming each other with large pieces of machinery (like cars). Why do we need protecting? Because we are valuable. In 2017, society sometimes thinks this way, at least for those who are not elderly, or who are already born. Think of how many legal rights and accommodations are given to the handicapped. People are thought to have intrinsic value. The ultimate reason is that we are made in God's likeness – we are valuable because he puts a high value on us, not because society assigns values to its individual segments.

       Think about these verses. Genesis 1:27, 31 states "So God made created man in his own image....God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Psalm 139:14, 17 states, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made....how precious concerning me are your thoughts, O God!" Matthew 6:26 states, "Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Psalm 8:4, 5 states, "What is man that you are mindful of him....you made him a little lower than the heavenly beings, and crowned him with glory and honor." 1 Peter 5:6 states, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." Finally, put these two passages together, which have even yet more bird references. Jesus says in Matthew 23:37: "O Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." Psalm 91:4 states, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge."

       Are you starting to see a concept emerging, that describes us humans as having worth in God's eyes? Today, meditate on how much God loves you. Psalm 103:13, 14 – "As a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust."