You Have Worth

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that reject fear and promote faith in God. It emphasizes the value of humans and the love that God has for each individual. It encourages readers to rest in God's love and to choose to be in his presence. The message is that humans have intrinsic value and are loved by God, regardless of their actions or beliefs. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of His word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to His perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Luke 12.7 But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore, don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. They don't care is the rallying cry of the world today. It doesn't matter what issue you're talking about. There is someone to point at. Someone in authority, or at least the authority to change the situation, and cry that they don't care. And maybe the pointer is correct. Maybe they don't care. It's all about what makes the world go around, isn't it? What money, power, privilege, morals, greed, or whatever makes things work? Does the government care about us, or only about the power they wield? Do the governments want strong borders, or are there others in the shadows that want to remove all borders? Do we want a moral society, or one who does whatever it thinks feels good? Do we agree on what makes basic morals? Do we want human rights? If we're all just animals evolved from goo, is there even such a thing as human rights? And who wants to abuse them, or control us through them, or their lack? Whomever all these people are, it's a good bet they don't care. Because humans are selfish. Because self is the package the curse comes in, or at least it's a big part of the curse that we're steeped in. It all really comes down to value. Who sets it? On what? And who monitors whether it goes up or depreciates? Humans are all about value. We want to say what is valuable and what isn't. We want human experience to factor into the value of something and what it really means. We want to set the markets and decide what they do. It is all about us. Teachings we think are worth things, whether mathematical or mystical. Whether an object gives good value. Whether something is worth having. They all revolve around what we think of things, who wants them, and how they make us feel. Something everyone has doesn't have value. Something everyone wants but not everyone has is valuable. So much of our value system is made up. Look at the markets and the banks. So much made up money floating around. So little based on real items whose value we have also artificially created. It's all just smoke and mirrors. If humans are selfish, if we're running around declaring that this is the value of A, and this is the value of B, and C has no value, doesn't that imply that there is a system out there of value? Universal and set value? Because we wouldn't be so hardcore on declaring something if there wasn't something behind it. The fire under the smoke that we play with. That's the real kicker when you think about it. Human value is based on feelings. Real value is based on truth. Ah, you say, as Pilate did, but who is to say what is truth? Well, the one who set it in place. Psalm 119 verse 160. The one who made it gets to say what it is. The one who knows what it is built on, made up of, and how it works. The creating force, Yahweh, Almighty God. Have you noticed Yahweh doesn't argue in his word? He says that a thing is so. Watch as humans argue a bit or try out their own thing, and then when they come back, he's still standing on what he said in the first place. When dealing with truth, that pattern never alters. God never changes his mind. Proverbs 12, 22. He changes his actions based on the interactions he has with humanity, but always in areas of partnership and never in areas of truth. When it comes to truth, God never changes. So what truth is Jesus laying down here in our verse? Is it the truth that every single hair that's ever been on your head has a number and he knows them? Is it that God feels that mankind is better than a bird? You, and all humans, have value. That's the truth he's laying down. You, all humans, have such value that he numbered the hairs of your head and knows each and every number. That's right. The same God who created all of the vast and intricate universe that wows us in space photo after space photo. The same God who designed the creatures and processes of the natural world that make us pause in wonder when scientists release findings, create medicines, treat diseases, showcase natural beauty, and announce new species just discovered. The same God who knows how the microscopic nanoparticulate pieces of each cell of your body functions. That God, he knows everything about you. From the numbers of the hairs of your head to how you dip French fries into ice cream. He knows you. He checks in on you daily. And Jesus is saying for you not to choose to be fearful because God is watching you that closely. With that much interest for you and about what you do because he loves you. How can you be afraid when someone who has made so many marvels declares you to be of interest to him? Isn't that comforting? Since you have been precious and honored in my sight and I have loved you, therefore I will give people in your place and nations instead of your life. Isaiah 43, 4. Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day. Matthew 12, 12. Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap. They have no storeroom or barn. Yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than burns. Luke 12, 24. But God commends his own love toward us. In that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5, 8. Yahweh your God is among you. A mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3, 17. Our value to God is not anchored on us. He didn't wait until we earned something or done something before he chose to die for us. It is not anchored on us. Our value to God is anchored on his love for us. Again and again he says that he loves us. And because he loves us we have value. God made us on purpose. Genesis 1, 26. He didn't just have like leftover clay. God blessed us. Genesis 1, 28. He breathed the breath of life into Adam. He breathed his blessing into Adam. And through him to the rest of us. And in Genesis 1, 31. God saw everything that he had made. And behold it was very good. There was evening and there was morning. A sixth day. We are very good. Very good. We have value. Intrinsic value. As sovereign Lord and creator, Yahweh has the right to judge and make assessments. And his assessment of humanity is that we are certainly good. I'm not looking at whether you're doing good or bad. I'm not looking at your behavior. Whether you're believing or not. Walking in him or not. I'm simply repeating the words of Jesus. You have value to the almighty creator God of this entire universe and everything else that exists. Period. He values you. As is, no changes. You're in his eye and in his heart. Isaiah 43, 4. You. And he's smiling on you. Number 6, 24-26. Because of love. His love. Perfect love. He accepts you because he loves you. 1 John 4, 9-10. This isn't about what you are or are not doing. What you should or shouldn't be doing. This is the hug. The loving, generous hug. Because you are and he is. And wow! Does he love you or what? There is no what. He loves you. Don't worry about the rest. Rest in the love. His love for you. You have value to him. You, like every other thing he created, are good. Certainly good. Surely good. Very good. Take a moment and let his breath wash over you. You are very good. Our daily affirmation of God's love is John 16, 8-28. The Father in heaven loves us. He loves us for us. He made us. He loves us because Jesus, the anointed one, our Savior, the Christ, loves us. And we love him in return. We believe Jesus came from God. We believe Jesus died for our sins. We believe that Jesus was resurrected again to life by the Father. The Father loves us so much for that. For that belief, that trust in his word deepens his already deep love for us. That simple faith is the basis of the whole kingdom. Faith in love, love in faith. It's all connected. And it's designed to connect us to the Father, the righteous one, the merciful one, the one with everlasting love. We couldn't get there without Jesus, without his sacrifice and resurrection, without his righteousness. It's all part of his plan. We don't have to do without God. We don't have to go to outer darkness. He made a plan for us before creation was created so that we can choose to be in his presence, where we can be loved and love him in return face to face. It's beautiful. It's simple. And it's ours if we believe, want, and confess it. We do not have to choose eternity away from God. We do not have to choose to go to the place where sin is punished. We can choose to go with God. We can choose to walk with God. And we don't have to wait until this flesh perishes. We can choose to now, right now, be with God and have that relationship ever deepening throughout eternity. God loves us. Take a chance. Not a gambling chance, but just take a chance. Take his hands and be with him. He wants you to do that so much. As we close, remember that you have birth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love. And no end to the things about you that he loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4, 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born son into the world, that we might live through him. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin. And it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because he first loved us. He just loves us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.