Lamentations 4:2
“The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the hands of the potter!”
God places an infinite price tag upon mankind. This is evidenced in the price He paid to redeem us. Peter wrote that we were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold but with the precious (we might even say priceless) blood of Christ. At one time gold was the standard by which a country determined its worth, but it was never the standard the child of God should use. Our worth is not determined by our gifts, abilities, accomplishments or even how we are viewed by others. Instead our worth is determined by the price tag God places upon us and the fact that He was willing to send His own Son to pay our ransom.
That being said not every believer sees his or her true worth. In Jeremiah’s day the believer is described as being valued as gold and treated like clay. The same thing happens today. Jesus declared that His followers were the light and salt of the world. These are valuable commodities, yet Jesus also warned that his followers would be rejected, scorned, hated, persecuted, accused falsely and even killed. He said that times would arise when those who come against the believer will think they are doing God a favor. The true value of the church will be disregarded and those who matter so much to the health, blessing and success of society will be treated as though they were worthless.
But, we know it is not just the world the devalues the believer, it is often the believer themselves. Instead of seeing ourselves as precious, even priceless we treat ourselves as though we aren’t worth much. A friend of mine tells a story from his childhood where he and a group of friends wanted to play baseball. They had gloves, bats and a place to play but were in need of a ball. He knew there was a ball displayed on a shelf in his home so he went and got it. What he did not realize is that it was signed by the the entire 1946 World Series winning cardinals. Something of great value was treated as though it had very little worth. Every time we give in to temptation we are devaluing ourselves. We are taking something that God designed for a higher purpose and treating it as though it is common.
Even in their lowest state, scattered among the remains of the rubble that was once the glorious city of Jerusalem, Israel was still precious in the eyes of God. The same is true of each of us. Don’t make the mistake of finding your worth in what you do or how others might treat you. If you have received Christ then you are a child of God and as such you are worth everything to God. After all He gave the life of His only Son to purchase you.
Pastor Jim
Lamentations 5:16-17
1 John 2:1-2
Lamentations 1:7
Lamentations 2:19
Lamentations 3:22-23
1 John 1:5
Jeremiah 51:5
Jeremiah 52:31
2 Peter 3:9
Jeremiah 49:4
Jeremiah 50:20
2 Peter 2:22
Jeremiah 48:11
2 Peter 1:5-7
All the way back to the time of Abraham we have been reading about the Philistines. They were a people who came from Phoenicia and occupied the southern coastal region of the land of Israel. Because of the unwillingness of the people of God to deal with them in the early years of the occupation of the Promised Land, the Philistines were a constant problem for Israel. At times Israel would push them back and at times the Philistines would conquer portions of Israel enslaving its people. Over the years they had repeated opportunities to turn from idolatry and become followers of God. Those opportunities are now coming to the end as their nation is on the brink of destruction.
Jeremiah 45:4-5
Jeremiah 46:3-4
1 Peter 5:7 “. . .casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
Jeremiah 43:4
Jeremiah 44:7
1 Peter 4:7-10
Jeremiah 41:15
Jeremiah 42:6
1 Peter 3:15
Jim Gallagher 