Monday, May 18, 2009
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It's hard to believe it, but it's true. This man went into antique stores basically for one reason: he was interested in old baseball cards, which can be worth a lot of money sometimes. Well, in this one store he didn't see any on display, so he asked the owner if he had any baseball cards. The shopkeeper produced a cigar box with some very early baseball cards which dated back to the early 1900s. He said, "I don't put these out for everyone to see. I keep them in a drawer most of the time." Among those cards, the shopper found one of the most valuable baseball cards there is; one of those rare cards featuring Hall of Famer Honus Wagner. When the shopper inquired about the price, the owner said, "Well, I bought all of these from a woman for $20.00. But I know they're worth a lot more. I'll tell you what. I'll sell them to you for $200.00." Well, knowing the real value of just that one card alone, and desperately trying to keep a poker face, the shopper took him up on his offer. Later he sold that Honus Wagner card on the Internet - that one he got for $200.00 - for something like $200,000!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Worth More Than You Can Imagine."
The woman who sold that card to the store owner didn't know what it was really worth. The store owner didn't realize its value either, and he let it go for what turned out to be really cheap.
It's one thing to undervalue a baseball card and let it go for cheap. It's another thing for a person to undervalue himself or herself and to let themselves go for cheap. That could be a mistake you've been making. You don't understand how much you're worth, and you've been making hurtful choices because of it. It could well be that some people in your life have treated you like you're not worth much and you've believed it. Maybe you've been told you're not worth much, or you've let your inadequacies and limitations and your failures convince you that you must not have much value.
What a mistake! And it leads to so many other mistakes. You end up trashing yourself or settling for less than God intended for you because you think that's all your deserve. But our Creator says, "We are God's workmanship" (Ephesians 2:10). You are a unique, handmade original, made by a God who only does masterpieces. All those people who treated you like you don't matter have no idea who you really are! No one on earth gave you your worth and no one on earth can take it away!
Knowing how much you're really worth comes from being close to the God who gave you your worth. But we've trashed ourselves by doing things our way instead of God's way: lying, hurting others, dirtying sex, living selfishly. Our sin has separated us from the One who made us. But then Jesus came. He showed how much we matter to God. In 1 John 4:9-10, our word for today from the Word of God, He says, "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. He sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
God paid for the sin that you've done against Him with the life of His one and only Son. You're never going to be close to your Creator; you will never experience His love or your worth until you belong to the One who thought you were worth dying for. And that is a relationship you could begin this very day if you will just tell Jesus, "I am Yours from this day on. You died to pay for my sin, and I am putting my life totally in Your hands." Now, if that's what you want, then I would encourage you to visit our website and check out some information I call Yours For Life there. It might help you be sure that you have begun a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's helped many others do that. The web address is YoursForLife.net. Or I'd be glad to send you the booklet called "Yours For Life" if you just call for it toll free at 877-741-1200.
Why don't you surrender your life to the One who loves you the most, and experience for yourself what it is like to be loved by God!