Highly Valued

In Luke 15:8-10 (MSG), we find the story Jesus told about the lost coin. Jesus said,

“Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it - that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.” 

Maybe you feel like that lost coin, discarded and worthless. If so, you need to look up because God is searching diligently for you and longs for you to return to Him.

When I think of the woman in the previous story, I compare her to a woman who lost her diamond earrings. If you have seen this happen before, you know what goes on.

She will search around relentlessly looking in all of the places she can last remember seeing the earrings. Yes, she loves the earrings for their diamonds and gold; but more importantly, she wishes to have them back because she loves the one who gave them to her.

In the same manner, you should value the life God’s given you because of your love for Him. You shouldn’t hesitate to release your life over to God, since He never hesitated in releasing His Son, Jesus, over to death so you could have eternal life (see John 3:16).

God not only looks upon you as His beloved child, He also regards you as highly valued. Remember, your value isn’t found in who you are or what you do. Your value is only attainable through Jesus Christ.

He alone can fulfill the yearning in your hearts for true significance. You can search high and low for other ways to fill the void, but in the end, all of those attempts will fail to satisfy.

The saddest thing to me is seeing Christians who know the truth, but after continually making bad choices they find themselves falling away from the Lord and living a life of deception.

My friend, Jason, saw it happen first-hand to this guy who had attended college with him. The man was a devoted follower of Christ; however, after a number of poor decisions, he got tangled up in having some promiscuous relationships with several women.

Obviously, it had a terrible effect on the man’s conscious because Jason said his friend would sometimes be intoxicated when he called. I guess the alcohol helped to ease his mind and make the sin he was living under less of a burden to carry.

The truth is, he’d probably still be walking down that same path if it were not for a heart attack at age 31. The traumatic experience totally turned his life around and has caused him to begin living for God with a new passion. Today, he has his own ministry and has even written a book.

The true testimony of Christ’s love is displayed in the way Jason has treated his friend after everything he did in the past. Jason is following in accordance with what Paul told the Corinthian church to do with those who fell into sin.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:7-8 (CEV),

“When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair. You should make them sure of your love for them.”  

In closing, it is my prayer that you will come to a new awareness of Christ’s love and the realization that you are valued and adored by your Father in Heaven.

As Ephesians 3:18 (NLV) says,

“I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is.” 

Copyright © 2008 Byron Bohnert. Used by permission.