For the last couple of days I have been reminding you how valuable you are to God.
But perhaps you don’t feel this way about yourself?
Part of the reason may be that we have an enemy who doesn’t want us to think we are valuable at all”¦so every thought that he puts into our minds is about us not mattering, people not loving us or valuing us. The devil’s job is to make us feel insignificant. And he is quite good at it.

Or maybe others have hurt us and told us negative things.
One boyfriend I had told me I wasn’t allowed to go to a certain party with him because it was only for pretty girls and he was going out with me because I was funny. I just LET him say that to me. I believed him. Now I would give him a significant punch!!

Do you sometimes feel worthless? Or, at times, have you been slighted or treated as though you were of little value?
Should we value some people more/less than others?
And how should we set a value upon each other?

I think the Sparrow verses give us a clue about who matters. If the cheapest birds on earth matter to God, then those that the world sees as unimportant or valueless should be our priority too. The truth is that everyone matters, from the richest to the poorest – from the oldest to the youngest. All of us are valuable to God.

What about if we are feeling worthless and struggling in the midst of those kinds of emotions? Perhaps we need to remind ourselves how much God values us. I love an acronym”¦ to help us understand how God sees us, I’ve created one for the word VALUED:

Valid
Accepted
Loved
Unique
Expensive
Desirable

This is how God sees you!

Valid – Isaiah 44:2 God says “You were in my care before you were born.” You have a right to be here. Your life has validity and value and purpose. Whatever the circumstances of your conception or birth, you were intended.
Accepted – Ephesians 1:5 “predestined for adoption” God chose you before you chose him. He accepts you as you are. You don’t have to change in order for God to adopt you and want you in His family.
Loved – Romans 5:8 “God shows his love for us in this, whilst we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Nothing we can do will stop God loving us. Its unconditional and comes with no strings attached.
Unique- Fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:13-16
Expensive – 1 Corinthians 6:19 bought with a price. We are not cheap imitations found on some crummy market stall. We are designer goods, made to last forever.
Desirable – Ephesians 1:13 God’s own possession. He desires you. He wants you.

The search for self worth and value has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point””ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like “What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future?” But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose or our value. The Bible says, “It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s life is in his power” (Job 12:10).
To find your worth and your value, you must begin with God, your Creator, and his reasons for creating you. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense.

It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny.

For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible . . . everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. Colossians 1:16 (MSG)

You are worth what someone will pay for you.
Jesus spilt his own blood in order for you to be made right with God.
You are priceless. Do you treat yourself as though you are?

A brother and sister in Pinner, UK cleaned out the house belonging to their parents after they had died. They found an old vase and decided to have it valued.

They were pretty excited when they were told it was worth between £800,000 and £1.2m.

However, at auction, no one expected the reaction from Chinese buyers, who pushed the bidding up to a £43m. But then two Chinese businessmen got into a bidding war.

The 18th century Qianlong-dynasty porcelain piece eventually fetched £53 million.
They nearly threw it away!

You are worth what someone is willing to pay for you.

You might not think you are that valuable, but you have been auctioned and God has put in bid for you. No matter what others have said about you or to you, you are valued and valuable.

Perhaps you could take some time today to be grateful for how God sees you and treats you. Remind yourself of all of your blessings and make a list of everything you have.