Jerri Phillips

Priceless

Robin's comment on Beautiful Women Part 4 was where I was going next, and she is already there.

Too often we think value is what we do. We have to perform well. Right now, I am in bed with a stomach virus. I have spent much of the last 48 hours in a flat position. My husband has had to do the dishes. We've eaten out two nights in a row. My son's birthday was yesterday and instead of taking him out to the egg hunt (a touchy topic but not the focus here), to dinner for a fancy dessert, or out for a picnic, I spent the day lying down, trying to keep water down.

My performance stunk. Does that mean I have no value? Sounds stupid, BUT how many of you reading this look at your house and think about how dirty it is? How many of you look at your children and the ways you were a bad mom yesterday? How many look at the way you've not been the wife you want to be? How many of you look in the mirror and see a woman who has not worked out well, made the right menus, or kept to a diet? If any of those fit you, you are focusing on performance.

Now, don't get me wrong. I believe in being a good steward, and the Holy Spirit may be convicting you in those areas, but more often than not, the voice we hear is not about the Spirit. The voice we hear sounds like this:

"You need to get your act together and keep this house clean. So-and-so always has a clean house. You need to get your temper under control. You need to be more patient. If you hadn't gotten pregnant without being married or if you hadn't married such a jerk, your children would be so much better off. You created this huge mess, and your children are doomed with all kinds of curses all because you sinned. You better do something about your love life or your husband is going to want another woman. You need to do this for him or that for him. You need to be more understanding and less demanding. If you were self-controlled you wouldn't be fat (how many women look in the mirror and call themselves "overweight"? Most women use that word for others but throw the word "fat" at themselves)."

The enemy uses this stuff so he can show you all the things you aren't. Let's throw it all in the pot and boil it down to the bare facts: You aren't perfect.

Wow.

Did you know that already? So this isn't new for you, right? Just checking.

The Bible says while we were sinners God sent His Son to die for us. Because of our imperfection, Christ died for us. So, our perfection isn't what makes us valuable.

So what does?

Dictionary.com defines value as:

1. relative worth, merit, or importance: the value of a college education; the value of a queen in chess.
2. the worth of something in terms of the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged or in terms of
some medium of exchange.
3. to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance.

Get this. I mean, really get it. "The worth of something in terms of amount of other things for which it can be exchanged or in terms of medium of exchange."

A perfect Son was exchanged for you. That should not make you ashamed. It should scream of your value.

Do not allow the enemy to tell you that you were not worth it.
God says you were.

Do not allow the enemy to tell you to be ashamed.
God says to rejoice.

Do not allow the enemy to tell you to hide in the shadows for your imperfections.
God says to shine like a light on the hill and show off His.

Your value is not in your performance. You do not have value because you contribute. You contribute because you have value, and your value is not based on what you've done. It's based on what God was willing to do for you.

And you know what? It doesn't matter how you feel. Your emotions have nothing to do with the Truth.

The Truth says, "You are so priceless I died for you. I'd rather die than live without you."

That isn't worldly manipulation.

That is divine love, and it is priceless...

...just like you.