Undervalued

Thursday, July 4, 2013

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I guess it might be nice to own a copy of the Declaration of Independence. It's not on my top ten list of things I'd like to have, but if it's cheap, why not? That's what Michael Sparks thought when he bought a copy of the Declaration in a thrift store in Nashville. He spent a whopping $2.48. What a deal! It turns out what he bought for $2.48 is one of the 200 "official copies" commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820. So, the man who bought it for $2.48, sold it for almost half a million dollars!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Undervalued."

Somebody looked at an old copy of a document and made a serious mistake. They simply undervalued it, I mean, big-time! Of course, we make that mistake too, with people. It's happened to someone who's listening right now. You've been undervalued many times, maybe by lots of people. It's to the point where you've come to believe yourself that you're not really worth that much. How could you be after the names you've been called, the rejection you've experienced, the failed relationships, and the ways you've been treated?

I've got news for you. None of those people have any idea what you're really worth, anymore than some merchant knew what a rare Declaration of Independence was worth. But somebody knows, and they will pay a lot for it.

Somebody knows what you're really worth, and you can tell because of how much He paid for you. He is no one less than the Son of God. Here's how the Bible puts it: "You are not your own; you were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). See, the price that Jesus paid for you is spelled out graphically in our word for today from the Word of God in Revelation 5:9. The inhabitants of heaven are saying, "You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God." Jesus thought you were worth the shedding of His blood; the blood of the one and only Son of God. Think about that cross where Jesus hung with nails in His hands and feet, and a crown of thorns jammed on His head, a spear driven into His side, and say these two words, "For me."

That's how bad your sin was. That's what it took to pay for it. And that's how big God's love is for you. He did that so He would not lose you. See, sin is very serious business. It's living the way you want to live instead of the way your Creator made you to live. It's the spiritual hijacking of your life from the One who gave it to you in the first place. And hijacking is punishable by a death penalty. I deserved that penalty. But Jesus stepped in and said, "Take me instead." In the words of the Bible, "He loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). He really, really loves you. He's the One who gave you your worth when He made you. You're His one-of-a-kind original. He wants to restore the worth that sin has taken from you.

But you have to choose Him. He won't force His way into your life. You have to invite Him in. That invitation involves a lifetime choice to turn from running your own life and putting your life in His hands, where it's belonged all along. It's a step of total trust in Jesus as being your only hope of having your sins forgiven, of going to heaven, of experiencing the love you were made for. He's waiting for you to tell Him with all your heart, "Jesus, I am Yours." After all He's paid for you, is there any reason not to trust Him?

On our website, I've laid out a simple explanation of just how you can be sure you belong to Him. I want to encourage you to go there right away today and check it out for yourself. Just go to ANewStory.com. That's ANewStory.com. You'll find a lot of hope there. You'll find a lot of help there.

His love will show you how very much you're worth, because honestly, nobody loves you like Jesus.