You Are Of Great Value

The baseball World Series holds a little more value for me this year with a Texas team in the running for the championship. It holds a lot of value for the people of Houston as they are in desperate need of something good in their life in the midst of recovering from the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Houston Strong! GO ‘STROS!

How much would you pay for a baseball? Not a baseball made of gold—one made of leather with red stitching just like any other baseball. You can get a whole bag of baseballs from a place like Wal-Mart for about $20. So what is the maximum you would pay for a baseball? What if I told you the ball had been used in a Major League Baseball game? What if I told you the ball had been hit for a home run? What if I told you the ball was Mark McGwire’s 70th home run from the 1998 season? Well, someone paid $3 million for that particular baseball. Why? What made that ball so valuable? It was deemed valuable because of the person with whom it was connected. The source matters!

A few years ago, Anne Marie Haldenstein was asked what the actual value of a human body was. Utilizing her chemistry background (PhD), she listed the elements in the body and researched their 2011 market values. She concluded that the average human was worth about a dollar, and if you could tan the skin (hide), you could raise that total to $4.50 or $5.00. Recently, Dr. James Farris cited a new study which places the value of a human at 43 million dollars. The difference is not inflation, but in things Anne Marie never thought to consider. Bone marrow, DNA, antibodies, reproductive components, and organs are in great demand and therefore quite expensive. However, there are aspects of our humanity that can’t be price tagged. How do we establish values for dreams or talents? How much is a person worth who discovers a cure for cancer? What is the love for your spouse or child worth? The place we hold in the hearts of those around us truly makes us irreplaceable and therefore - priceless.

[Matthew 6:25-34] What makes the Bible different from any other book? It is from God. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). What makes the Church different from any other institution? It is from God. “...And he (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead...so he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:15-20). Why are we so special? What makes mankind different from the plants and animals? We are made in the image of God. ...“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…so God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27). Because God exists and has created, there are numerous things that become valuable and important just because they are from God. “and, once made perfect, he (Jesus) became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). In all of this discussion, we have failed to address the most crucial part of humanity: the eternal soul that God has placed within each of us. Jesus asked his disciples two probing questions in Mark 8: 36-37 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Each of us possesses an eternal soul which possesses divine qualities. The source matters! We are each a treasure and of great value to God. Let’s start acting like it!