February 18, 2021
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Okay, imagine I'm holding a $20 bill in my hand. I don't get to do that too often (at least it doesn't stay there), so this would be a really special moment for me. If you were sitting here with me and I offered that $20 to you, would you take it? I think you would. Now you're going to have to use your imagination to picture this, but let's say I'm now crumpling that nice $20 bill and I'm crushing it into a little wad. Can you picture that? You still want it? If you were right here, would you still take it? It's all wadded up. OK, now pretend I'm beating on this wadded up bill, and I am actually stomping on it with my foot. (I could get some exercise this way.) If I still offered to you this $20, would you still take it? It's been beat up, it's been crushed, it's been stomped on! Well, of course you would.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Stepped On But Still Precious."
And that's the point, isn't it? No matter how abused and beat up that $20 is, it's still worth just as much, and so are you.
I'm telling you, there's someone listening today who's been treated like I talked about treating that currency. You feel beat up, mishandled, treated badly, you've been crushed, and you've been trampled on. And when someone's been treated like that, they begin to believe a lie that they're not worth much. If they were, why would anyone treat them like that? When you think you're worthless, you start making choices based on that; you throw yourself away, you settle for junk, you do anything to get a little love. But the truth is, you're just like that beat-up $20 bill. No matter how you've been treated, you are still just as valuable. You're still precious because no one on earth gave you your worth - God did. So no one on earth can take it away.
We've got to go to God's Book to get the real truth about your value. And when we do, we find three worth-givers that can't be taken from you. First, your worth is based on your being made in God's image. In Genesis 1:27, "God created man in His own image." God made you as a reflection of Himself, so don't tell me you're not worth much!
Secondly, your worth is based on your being God's one-of-a-kind masterpiece. In Psalm 139:13, David says to God, "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful." When you believe you're not worth much, you're insulting the One who designed you. From the moment that egg and sperm came together to start your life, you have been God's unique creation. If you don't believe it, look at your fingerprints. There's no one on earth like you.
But most importantly, you are infinitely valuable because God paid for you with the life of His Son! Our word for today from the Word of God, Galatians 2:20 says, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." I want to invite you to walk with me right now up a hill near Jerusalem called Skull Hill. At the top, imagine there's a blood-stained cross. That's where God's one and only Son thought you were so precious that He poured out His life for every wrong thing you have ever done. Why? Because it's the only way you could ever be forgiven of your sins. It's the only way you could ever have the love relationship with Him you were made for. It's the only way you could be with Him in heaven forever.
Those children are so right when they sing that little song "Jesus loves me, this I know." He really does! And you can never experience how much you're worth until you experience the One who gave you your worth. That's what Jesus has come to give you today. He's ready to enter your life upon your invitation to begin that love relationship. He gave His life to give that to you.
Today, reach out to Him. He's reaching for you. Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm sorry for my sin. I believe you died for my sin. I'm yours." Go to our website today. You can see for yourself what God says about your worth and a relationship with Him. That's ANewStory.com.
The life you were made for, the love you were made for, it begins when you let Jesus Christ into your life because nobody loves you like Jesus does.