7-3-2023

Good Morning All,

   Isaiah 43:4a; “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you,”

     Are you a better shopper than I am?  It never fails as soon as I finally decide it is time to buy something the next week it is on sale for less.  It doesn’t matter whether it is a computer or a piece of furniture or an article of clothing; if I buy it today you might as well just wait a week and then you can buy it cheaper.  That is why I never look at prices after I buy something, it only causes me anguish.

     Yet there is a difference between cost and value.  Something that you use every day can cost a lot more than something that you use once or twice a year but still be of great value to you.  A livestock producer who feeds his cattle everyday can pay a large price for the tractor that he uses every day.  The clothes that you wear every day can be of better quality and higher prices because of the way that we use them.  The value of an object is dependent upon the one who owns the object.

     There are some objects that I own that I could never put a price on.  I have a pocket watch which was given to my grandfather as a confirmation gift.  It is almost 100 years old.  I don’t think you could pay me enough for it, but I look forward to giving it to one of my grandchildren someday.  Its value is not in the watch itself, rather it is in what the watch means.  It is a connection to my grandfather and the value of it is immeasurable. 

     I have the Bible that I was given when I was a child.  It is a King James Thompson Chain Reference.  I don’t use it much anymore; I tend to use newer translations which are more accurate and some of the pages are falling out.  Yet it contains all the markings from when I was confirmed.  All the verses that we learned and studied are marked as a silent message of words spoken a long time ago.  It also contains some precious mementos, handmade bookmarks, a love letter from my wife, some things which are so valuable you can never place a price on them.

    This is how God looks upon us.  We are precious in his eyes.  We have value to God.  We have such value that God was willing to pay an awful price, the death of his only son, to possess us.  We are precious in God’s eyes even if we do not feel that we are precious in anyone else’s eyes.  In your darkest moments, never forget the value that God places on you.  We know that anything of value we always protect; God does the same for us.  God loves us with all that he has so that we may be his.  We are precious in his sight; Jesus loves all the children of the world. 

     So, we can take comfort in this.  We can find solace in this.  We can find wonders untold in this.  We are precious in God’s eyes.  He has redeemed us and called us his own.  We truly have nothing to fear or really worry about.  God is our refuge and strength.  He will defend against all that will assail us.  You are precious in the eyes of God.

Dear Father in heaven, your mercies are new to us each day and they roll over us like a river.  Grant us the comfort of your hand.  Guard us with your benevolent heart and give us the peace to trust in you fully.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.  

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret