Ever asked yourself whether or not you are still valuable to God? The answer is, “Yes! To Him you are priceless!” God knew that we would never be capable of walking perfectly in line with His will for us. He knew that we would fall, fail, and fumble repeatedly during our time here on Earth. That is why He provided us a way to stay connected and united with Him through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son.
“But you don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know how hard it is for me to live the Christian life. I seem to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.” Well you are in good company! Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, wrote in Romans 7 about his struggle with sin, “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing,” (Romans 7:19). Let us not forget that back when Paul was known by the name Saul he was one of the most infamous persecutors of Christians. When the Lord told Ananias that Saul was praying, Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name,” (Acts 9:13-14).
If the example of Saul/Paul isn’t enough to bring my point home, don’t forget Jesus’ disciples. Among the twelve that He hand-picked to follow Him were; Peter, the hot head, who cut off the soldier’s ear when they came to take Jesus away, Matthew the tax collector, not saying this is true of Matthew but tax collectors in those days were known for their dishonesty, and everyone’s favorite villain Judas Iscariot, the betrayer who gave up Jesus for 30 silver coins. Jesus, being God in the flesh, knew the faults of those whom He had called to follow Him. He knew Peter would be betray Him before the cock would crow three times (Luke 22:34, 54 – 62) and chop the soldier’s ear off (John 18:10), yet He still called him to follow. Whatever their individual faults may have been, they were priceless and of use to God for His kingdom. To Peter Jesus said, when speaking about the faith that Peter had in Christ’s identity, “on this rock I will build my church,” (Matthew 16:18). Judas was so disheartened over his betrayal of Jesus that he hung himself, “When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver cons to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood’” (Matthew 27:3-4).
Yes, God still wants you; you are priceless to Him. You have been ransomed at the highest price possible, the sacrifice of The Innocent Lamb, Jesus Christ. Whatever you have done, He says in His Word, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9). I hope that you will hold your head up high and walk in knowing that you belong to the Almighty, it is you who can call Him “Abba Father.”
If you don't have a Bible but you want to begin enriching your life with the Word of God, visit Bible Gateway where you can read the Bible online in New Internation Version (NIV), which is easy to read and understand. They also have devotionals and other resources to help you get to know the Word of God better.
If you have any questions or article suggestions, please e-mail me.
Comments