BY GREG CRUM
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” I Peter 1:18-19
Inflation, escalating prices, rate increases…these are all terms we’ve become more closely acquainted with the last few years. It seems the cost of everything essential has gone up rapidly, and in a way that far outpaces most people’s increase in available funds. This economic situation has put a squeeze on a lot of people and made all of us reconsider the value of the goods and services we’re paying so dearly for.
Whether it’s at the grocery store, at our favorite restaurant, or on the couch staring at our bank account balances when the bills are due—the current financial situation in the world has many asking, “Is this worth that to me? Is what I’m paying, what I’m giving up, worth it?” Yes, inflation has made many question the value of the possessions in their lives, but you know what? That’s not a bad thing.
Anytime there are finite resources, decisions have to be made. We have to choose where and when to allocate the resources we have. When this is the case, we naturally start evaluating what’s most important to us. Value becomes the value lesson. The things we deem the most important, essential, the things we don’t want to live without, the things most precious to us—these things we invest in. We suck it up and pay the price and make whatever cuts need to be made elsewhere. I’d say if most people would take a moment and review the financial decisions they’ve made the last few years, they’d see they’ve done this, and they’d also clearly see what’s most important to them.
So, if you remember your economics lessons from Social Studies all those years ago, you know that the price of a good or service, specifically the price people are willing to pay for it, determines its value. This is a fundamental principle of economics but also a spiritual principle that should help all of us understand how wonderfully and completely God loves us. Friends, I’ve got some great news for you: the old Sunday School song isn’t wrong, “We are precious in His sight”! How can I be so confident in saying this? I Peter 1:18-19 reminds us of the huge price that God paid to give us the opportunity to be sons or daughters of God. If the price of our redemption was the most precious element God had to offer, the lifeblood of His Son, then by logical extension, we must be the most valuable possessions He owns!
Now, I know that makes very little sense, considering our track record, what we have become, what we are all capable of. Still the truth remains that God evidently values us more than these human minds can understand. We all know John 3:16, right? “God so loved the world that He gave His Son,” well, that’s just a preview of the depth of our value in God’s eyes. In Matthew 13:44-46 we read that we are the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price that Jesus gave it all for!
Brothers and sisters, as unjustified as it is, God values us. He’s sought us out. He’s taken the time and effort to craft a master plan for us to have good lives. He has and continues to pour out His grace and forgiveness and every other spiritual blessing into our lives to help make us into people of even greater value to others. He works in us continually to shape our character to help us become who we really want to be, who we should be, so we can reflect His image to the world. Truly, we must be precious in His eyes!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.