You know that in the past you were living in a worthless way, a way passed down from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that useless life. You were bought, not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb. –1 Peter 1:18-19 (NCV)
As home values soared during the real estate bubble in the mid-2000s, those of us who owned homes looked good on paper when it came to our net-worth. Then, as we all know, the bubble burst. Home values fell dramatically for most, and left millions of American homeowners “underwater” on their mortgages. So on one day, many of us looked good on paper, and seemingly the next, not so much. Home foreclosures became commonplace and some people simply moved out and walked away from their homes rather than to continue paying for a home worth less than the amount they owed.
One day before the bubble burst, I asked a real estate guy in my neighborhood, “How much is my house worth?” He replied, “Your house is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. That’s what it’s worth.” It was a good answer. And even today, it still applies.
I wonder, how much are you worth? I’m not talking finances. I’m not talking net-worth. I’m talking life-worth. Do you know how much your life is worth?
Perhaps you are trying to prove that you are somebody by your possessions or where you live. Perhaps you are striving to attain a certain caliber of value. Perhaps you’ve rearranged your life to what I call, “the mad scramble” to try to feel like a somebody.
This scramble is like chasing the wind. As a matter of fact, this is the way the Bible describes it. In Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NLT) we read, “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless–like chasing the wind.” The chase for value leads to a dead end.
What the real estate agent said to me also rings true in this area of life-worth. Your worth is exactly what someone is willing to pay for your life. The Bible says that you and I were purchased with a tremendous price. The purchase price was paid so we could have a relationship with God that did not include precious commodities of gold and silver. Rather, it was the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, who gave His life freely for you and for me to show us how much we’re worth.
You know how much you’re worth? You’re worth the life, the blood, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you open your heart and your mind to this truth, if you live your life with this present awareness that you are the beloved of immeasurable value, it will change everything about your life.
I challenge you to give up the scramble for value. Open your heart and mind to your true worth. You were bought with a price. There is no bubble in God’s economy. Your value is secure. Now, respond to your worth by living a generous life. This is how God wants His investment in you to grow.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What status or possessions have you chased after in order to demonstrate you are a somebody?
2. How does your true value in Christ make a difference in your life?
FURTHER READING:
Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 5:9