Isaiah 43:4

Since you are precious to me, you are honored and I love you. Isaiah 43:4 (GW)

Sad to say, I occasionally witness someone looking at a person as though he or she is discarded junk with little value. That unkempt man holding a cardboard sign by the highway. The woman with dementia mumbling to herself in the park. The special-needs child causing a disturbance in a store. In those moments, I remind myself that God is the True Appraiser, the One who determines our value.

No matter who we are, Jesus demonstrated our worth a couple thousand years ago when He died on the cross. The ransom paid for our sins was not "mere gold or silver," but " the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God" (1 Peter 1:18-19, NLT). The forgiveness, love, and grace that flows through Jesus is available to all of us regardless oh how our culture might "rank" us. I like to imagine how our society would change if we all treated each other as someone cherished and treasured by Him. And on those days when I look in the mirror and feel like an antique, I need to remember how Jesus has appraised me. -Dianne Neal Matthews-

Faith Step: Meditate on one of the verses on this page or another one of your choosing to remind yourself how valuable you are in light of Christ's sacrifice.