Value

This past Sunday evening I spent time in the message talking about self worth. I think that it is a valid question to ask yourself, "How much do I think I am worth". How we feel about our value determines so much of what we do in our lifetimes. Will you give your value over to a relationship, career, or even a hobby? Will you trade who you are to chase something that you feel gives you value?

I believe that it is so important to realize that our value is not in what we do, but in the price that we were bought at! Value defined in economics is determined by what someone is willing to pay for a certain item. If you look for value in something that has never truly invested in you, how do you accurately gauge your value? This is the difference between guessing the price from the window and actually ponying up the dough to pay for that precious item in the store window.

Only God has truly invested in your life. Jesus gave up His life for yours. If we tie up our value with a person, career, or some other outward expression, we will spend a lifetime looking at our potential from outside of the store window. In Matthew 6:21 it says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". If your value is where your heart is, there is no way you can attach yourself to something or someone other than God and truly live out your true potential. God paid the price!! Are you BOLD enough to see the value that God has for you!!! Who else thought you were worth enough to give up their son for you?! Go for it!!

Purpose

Each and every one of us looks for a purpose in which we are willing to fight to obtain. There is a trend that seems to be intensifying. People are trying to mask their need to obtain God's purpose in their lives with hobbies that they believe they can make into a career. Writing, design, golf, and singing are just a couple of the activities that modern media has made millions of dollars selling the idea that we all have a shot at making the "Big Time".
I cringe every time I hear someone say "I live to..." and what follows is something that lacks any real substance. Over and over again we see people at the pinnacle of success, by the world's standard, give their lives up to addictions or even suicide. These people had an idea of what the "Big Time" was to them. Once they acheive this success, they thought there would be some great pay off. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but when they got there, there was nothing but a dead end. So they felt that life had no meaning!!
This is the outcome of a life that is lived without the pursuit of God's will! The only purpose, or rainbow, that truly has a pot of gold at it's completion is the purpose that God has for your life. There is no substitute for the feeling of knowing that you have found the purpose that God has for your life. God wants you to live a life that is worth remembering. All we need to do is change our idea of what the "Big Time" is to us, and give God our full attention. Submitting our will to His, and He will lead our lives towards the purpose that He destined us to live in!
What "Big Time" are you living for?