What Are You Worth? by Daniel Carnes

Have you ever read John 3:16? “For God so loved the world,that He gave His only-begotten Son,so that whoever believes in Him would not perish,but have eternal life.” This is the key to the deepest levels of reality.First of all,God loves you more than you have ever imagined. You may have never been told this,but God loves you with all of His heart.You are extremely special and unique. You are a rare,one of a kind treasure.God created you different from everyone and everything.He designed you with qualities that only you possess.Maybe some bad things have happened in your life.Maybe you have even chosen to do wrong.Friend,God loves you anyway.So much so,that He gave Jesus in exchange for you.You might say,”How can that be?Am I really worth it?” To God,yes,you are worth it! Exactly how much are you worth?The Bible tells us that a human soul is worth more to God than anything we have ever imagined.We read in 1Peter 1:18-21,”For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.He was chosen before the creation of the world,but was revealed in these last times for your sake.Through Him you believe in God,Who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him,and so your faith and hope are in God.” So,when God redeemed us,He didn’t use gold, silver,or things we might consider precious.God owns all the gold,silver and platinum in the universe…He doesn’t just own diamonds,rubies,or other gemstones,He owns every stone large and small. In fact, He owns entire planets!And God gave the rarest thing of all…a one of a kind substance…something that had never existed before in the universe,nor has ever existed since…the blood of Jesus.That is what God calls precious. God traded the most valuable thing of all,the blood of God the Son,for you.So when we read that God SO loved the world,we should pay close attention!You might think you aren’t worth much,but God paid for you,and paid the price for you to be with Him.You don’t have to earn it,you don’t have to work for it,and friend,you couldn’t pay Him back even if you tried.All you can do is thank Him. In God’s eyes,it wasn’t just a fair trade…He saw you as worth MORE! That’s why He was willing to pay such a high price! Also,I want you to notice that the passage from 1 Peter says that Jesus was chosen BEFORE the creation of the world.That’s because God saw the tragedies that would occur in our lives.He even saw the things that we would choose to do wrong. And God still decided to redeem us.That’s because He knew the life He planned for us.The plans of good,and not evil.Some people might think that Jesus didn’t die for future sins…but not only did He die for us before we were born, He was chosen BEFORE creation! It was God’s plan to rescue us BEFORE creation! That’s before ANY sin ever occurred! Even before Adam and Eve committed sin! Even before the cherub that became known as satan(our adversary) sinned! I encourage you today to trust God with your life…with your eternity…If you confess Jesus as your Lord,and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you WILL be saved(Romans 10:9). God loved you so much that He gave Jesus before creation for that very purpose… so that you wouldn’t perish, but HAVE eternal life.Whenever you begin to doubt… whenever you begin to lose hope… remember that God loves you with all His heart,and always has,and always will.He loved you before you sinned,while you sinned,after you sinned,and you can never sin His love away! Jesus said that He will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you! If you’ve ever had a negative view of God,I’m sorry for that.It is my intention to tell the world the Good News…the word “Gospel” literally means “good news.” And this is the Good News…that God loves you with all His heart.If you confess Jesus as Lord,God welcomes you into His Kingdom. He fully,and completely adopts us as children.We are no longer citizens of earth,but of Heaven.We don’t just have to know Him as “Lord,” and “God,” but we get to know Him as our Father.And friend,He is an extremely loving Father! Begin to pray and talk to Him.He is the creator of the universe,and He is all wise,and all powerful,and friend,He is DEEPLY concerned with you,and every intimate detail of your life.Start building your relationship today.Think about these truths I’ve shared with you,and let His peace fill your heart.You can let go of your worries.You can let go of your fears.It is such a relief to know that God loves you,and that He wants to lead you and guide you.He will steer you in the right directions. He will guide you away from things that will harm you,and harm your relationship with Him.Friends,I urge you to trust Him today.Spend time thanking Him,and allow Him to guide you into the awesome destiny He designed for you before creation! It will be worth it…that’s because God knew that YOU were worth it! God loves you,and I love you.May you experience His never ending,unfailing love today,and always,in Jesus’ name.Amen

Daniel Carnes
DOC #404-171