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Recently a co-worker and I were talking and he told me about his baseball collection.  He has some cards that are valued at over $600 each.  He also told me about a few cars his father and brother own which they have restored and are valued at over $30,000 each though they themselves only have a few thousand in them.   As he concluded he said something very profound though, regarding both the cards and cars, “They are only worth that if you find someone who is willing to pay you that.”

That is so true.  The value of something is determined not by what someone says it is worth, but by what someone is willing to pay for it.

If a car is priced at $50,000 it is not worth that unless someone is willing to pay that.  If no one paid $50,000 for a car then cars priced at $50,000 cars are not worth that and a lower price is determined.  The reverse can be true as well.  If a car is priced at $20,000 from the maker, but there is a huge demand for that model then the dealer can charge more for it and they will get it.  Popular new model cars regularly sell for above list price.

Another quick example, athletic shoe companies can only get $200 for shoes when people are willing to pay $200 for shoes. The same can be said of fashionable shoes or clothing.   When no one buys those items for $200, the shoes and/or clothes are then re-priced until they reach a point that people are willing to pay. 

This same process is true for every item which is bought and sold, whether it is soda pop, baseball cards, computers, clothes, shoes or televisions.  The price of something is determined not by what someone or some company says it is worth, but by what people are willing to pay for it.

So, value is determined not by the claimed or stated worth but by what someone will pay.  That makes God’s sacrifice of His only Son Jesus for our lives even more amazing. 

Though some may say they are extremely valuable, the truth is that society has little value for most people.  Sure people that are close to us may say we are valuable to them, but the majority of society says that we are / were not worth much. Society as a whole puts little value on most people and their lives.  However, God paid for our lives with the most valuable thing He had – His Son.  That establishes us, and our lives, as been extremely valuable and precious to God.  God’s act of sending Christ to earth to live and die for us establishes what we are truly worth and that is priceless and behind value.

Remember today that God considers you valuable and worthwhile.  He loves you deeply and cares about you in amazing ways.  He actively wants to be involved with you and your lives, and not just the big things but in everything.   Seek Him out today and let Him show and tell you what you are worth.