VALUABLE

Luke 23:43 “Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Several years ago a couple of guys broke into a department store in a large city. They successfully entered the store, stayed long enough to do what they came to do, and then escaped unnoticed. What is unusual about the story is what these guys did. They took nothing. Absolutely nothing. No merchandise was stolen. No items removed. But what they did do was crazy.

Instead of stealing anything, they changed the cost of everything. Price tags were swapped. Values were exchanged. These guys took the tag off a $395 camera and stuck it on a $5 book of stationary. They took the $5.95 sticker off a paperback book and stuck it on an outboard motor. They went around and repriced just about everything in the store.

The next day the store opened as usual. All the employees showed up for work and the customers began to shop. For 4 hours no one working at the store noticed that anything was wrong… Four hours! During those 4 hours some people got incredible deals and others were ripped off big time. It’s hard to believe that this actually happened, but it did.

The value of things, what things are worth, really got messed up in that store. The truth is like in that department store, someone has snuck into our world (into the human race), stayed long enough to accomplish what they came to do and left unnoticed.

What they came to do was to switch the price tags on the value and worth of people, such that the definition of worth, of value, of being significant is all messed up. There is no debate the enemy has successfully created a value system that causes most people to look in the mirror and question their worth.

Everyone wants to be significant. You want who you are and what you do to count. You want your life to matter. You want to be important (at least at some level). Think about the dreams you had when you were small. Think about the things you fantasized about and pretended to be. Most boys dreamed of being a hero; of hitting winning homeruns, of scoring winning touchdowns, of flying in space, of winning gold medals, of leading their platoon to victory, of being the President…stuff like that.

No one desires to be insignificant. No one wants to feel like their life doesn’t count. No one sets as their goal in life, to feel like they don’t matter. But if we use the world’s standards, very few of us will ever measure up. And even if we do, we won’t measure up for long.

Do you feel valuable? Not just when you are being told you have value, but – do you feel valuable; Monday morning? Wednesday afternoon? Friday night? Do you feel valuable; At home? At work? At school? And if you don’t feel valuable, why don’t you? Is it because...

• You don’t have enough money
• You don’t have the right career
• You’re not good looking enough
• You’re not smart enough

The encounter that Jesus had while nailed to that blood stained cross reveals the source of our true value and lasting worth.

When a thief, hanging on the cross, seeks forgiveness from the Lord, he is offered the assurance of eternal blessing. What in the world did he have to gain by promising this thief a place of honor at the banquet table? What in the world could this thug ever offer Jesus in return? Think about it. This guy would never...

• attend a church service
• lead a small group
• teach a class
• bring a friend to church
• attend a bible study
• put 10% in the offering plate
• volunteer in the nursery
• show up for a workday
• feed the hungry
• sing in the choir

Here’s the point. Your worth, your value, Jesus’ love does not depend on what we do for him. In the eyes of the King who hung on the cross you have value simply because you are. You don’t have to look nice or perform well. Your value is inborn.

You have value. You are worthy of the love of God. Simply because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.