God values you.
I repeat: You are valuable to God.
Over the last two years or so, something that God has really shown me is just how valuable I am to Him.
He has shown me my identity as a His beloved daughter, a truth and reality that can never be taken away.
I am deeply loved and known by God, worth more than jewels to Him.
When I feel sad or alone, I go back to these truths. No matter what the world says about me, I know what my Heavenly Father says about me, and His voice is the only voice that matters.
God values you, not because of anything you’ve done to deserve it, but simply because of who you are: His child.
You are Valuable to God
You are valuable to God. However, what is value?
What makes something valuable?
In a separate post, I explain in depth what value is, and the difference between value and worth. I will give a brief overview here, but click the below link for more info!
Read More: What’s the Difference Between Worth and Value?
The main difference between value and worth is the value of something can fluctuate depending on the person, whereas the worth of something always remains the same.
For example: I might value a lake house more than a house by an ocean because spending time by the lake is more valuable to me.
The value of something takes into account both an emotional and monetary cost.
Whereas worth only takes into consideration the monetary cost of an item, without the emotional attachment.
But something’s value really depends on the opinion of the person in question.
When it comes to our value as a human being, the only opinion that truly matters is the One who made us, God.
And as previously mentioned, God values you.
You are valuable to God.
However, our sense of value gets misconstrued because so often we don’t measure our value based on what God thinks of us, but instead what the world thinks of us.
We base our value upon the opinions of our friends, family, job, spouse…literally every other opinion besides the one opinion that actually matters.
But, because the value of something changes depending on the person, what we often see is what the Lord values and what people value tend to not be the same.
People tend to value fancy job titles, large houses, designer clothes, wealth, power, and success. However, the true irony here is that literally none of these things are valuable to God.
Luke 16:15 says:
“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”
Luke 16:15 (NIV)
Wow. Let’s repeat that last line just for emphasis: What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
This means the Lord doesn’t value any of the temporary things of this world. Instead, what God values is you.
There are several stories in the New Testament where we read about how Jesus wasn’t impressed with the Pharisees (the religious leaders of that time) even though they were highly respected among the community.
They looked the part by dressing “religiously” and praying long eloquent prayers, but Jesus knew that their hearts were far from Him.
Psalm 147 says:
“He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love.”
Psalm 147:10-11 (NLT)
The Pharisees displeased Jesus because they placed more value on the temporary things of this world like power, wealth, and social status, then actually having a relationship with God.
Their hearts were in the wrong place because they were seeking after the approval of other men and not the approval God.
Jesus actually said:
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
Matthew 16:26 (NIV/NLT)
So, if gaining the things of this world are of zero value to Jesus, then what does Jesus value?
What’s important to Jesus? What does Jesus have an emotional attachment to?
What is Valuable to God?
The answer is people. Jesus values people.
Remember, it was for the saving of our souls that Jesus died on the cross. That means Jesus values you.
You are God’s creation who is made in His image.
Read More: What Does It Mean to Be Made in the Image of God?
You are invaluable to Jesus because Jesus has an emotional attachment to you.
Now, if you recall from the definition of value, the reason you are valuable is because the person who finds value in you (aka God) says you are valuable.
If this doesn’t make sense, then hopefully this example will clear it up:
Let’s say your favorite musician gives you a shout out while on stage in front of thousands of people.
You think, “Wow, I must be really special in order to get that shout out, right?” But what part of this whole scenario actually makes you feel special?
You feel special because your favorite musician says you are special.
It’s the same with God.
You have value because God says you have value.
Except in reality, what a musician says about you is peanuts in comparison to what the creator of the universe says about you.
The King of kings and Lord of lords and has declared you as valuable. Jesus has an emotional attachment to you!
Matthew 6 says:
“This is why I tell you not to worry above everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
Matthew 6:25-27 (NLT)
Honestly, I think this passage was supposed to make us laugh a little. I mean, Jesus is comparing us to a bird because the idea is that you are supposed to instinctively know that you are more valuable than a bird.
Yet, the lie the enemy constantly tries to tell us is that we are not. That we are of zero value to anyone.
That your life doesn’t really matter.
That’s why this passage is meant to be almost comical.
Jesus is like, “Look at the birds, are they worried? Of course not! So why are you?” You are WAY more valuable than a bird!
In fact, you are so valuable to God that in the Book of Ephesians God says that before He made the world, He loved you.
“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.”
Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
The Bible says that:
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- Before you were even born God knew you (Jeremiah 1:5)
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
- God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9)
- God cares about you (1 Peter 5:7)
- God keeps track of all your sorrows, even collecting your tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8)
Read More: What Does It Mean to Be Fearfully & Wonderfully Made?
God does all of this and more because He has an emotional attachment to you. We need to stop measuring our value by what the world thinks of us and start measuring our value by what God thinks of us.
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus gives us this passage to remind us of our value:
“If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away,
will He not leave the 99 on the hills and go to look or the one that wandered off?
Matthew 18:12-14 (NIV)
Jesus isn’t talking about sheep in this story, He’s talking about people.
Jesus deems every single one of us as valuable, even to the point that if one person wanders away, He would drop everything just to find them.
God values you so much He would leave the 99 to go find the one that is lost.
Let’s recap what it means to be valuable to God:
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- God values you, but what the Lord values and what people value tend to not be the same.
- What the Lord values is people. Jesus values you!
- You are valuable because the only person whose opinion actually matters (i.e. God’s) says you are valuable.
- You are valuable to God because Jesus has an emotional attachment to you!
Read More
What Does It Mean to Be Fearfully & Wonderfully Made?
Are We All God’s Children? Or Just Christians?
Did this post help you understand that God values you? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for eloquently sharing these timeless truths of the very character of our Creator.
You are very welcome!! <3