Do you struggle with worth and value? It’s a terrible feeling. I think it’s one of the greatest lies of the enemy of our souls—the lie that we aren’t valuable.
I’ve struggled with it for years, especially when I was a stay-at-home mom.
The world values talent, beauty, money, and success, and if we don’t achieve these, we don’t feel like we have worth. Even if we know better—our minds know better, but our hearts may tell us otherwise. Even when others tell us how important we are to them, we place the world’s measuring stick up against our vision of ourselves and disagree.
But.
You knew that was coming, didn’t you?
But . . . the world is wrong. We are wrong. (If we feel worthless.)
We’re wearing the wrong spectacles. We’re looking through the wrong lens.
We need God’s view.
You are of Great Value to God
We were made in the image of a holy, good, loving, wise, beautiful, generous God whose economy is not the same as this world’s.
And though we were born into this world, we are not of this world. We were made for so much more.
Jesus said, “Do not store for yourselves treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust don’t destroy, and thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).
[bctt tweet=”When our heart lines up with the heart of the One who truly values us, we will treasure those things he does, and in the process, we find greater peace and self-worth.” username=”wordsbyandylee”]
The question is, what does God treasure?
The Bite of Bread reading plan is about the things that have great worth to God as well as those things that are alone worthy of our praise . . . ahem . . . God Himself. I love David’s words of praise to God in 1 Chronicles 16: 8-36.
David and His men had returned the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. They had brought the presence of God “home.” With great celebration and thanksgiving, David sang,
“Sing to the Lord all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among the peoples. For great is the LORD and worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place” (1 Chron. 16:23-27).
My friends, only God is worthy of our praise. Let us start there as we begin our study of worth. All other “gods” of this world—beauty, wealth, success, talent, they pale in comparison to YHWH, the one who created us.
All the wealth of the world could not compare to the splendor and majesty of God. Can we imagine His beauty and majesty, the heavy glory that surrounds him?
Strength and Joy in His Dwelling Place
“Dwelling place” comes from the Hebrew word Maqom (maw-kome) which means “properly a standing, that is a spot; but is used widely of locality or open space” (Complete Word Study Strong #H4725).
Wherever he is, is joy. Wherever he stands, is strength. I believe when we bow down to him at his feet we will find such strength and joy and value, worth that can never be taken away.
When I entertain negative whispers telling me I have no value, my eyes are focused on me. But as soon as I place my gaze on the Lord, and I begin to worship him, those negative feelings are replaced with strength and joy.
It just happened to me today. My spirit wrestled with feelings of worthlessness, but as soon as I began to write about his goodness, the negative voice sushed. My heart was strengthened, and the sadness faded.
The Reading Plan
Scriptures and Prompts Printable (Sneak Peek)
1 Chronicles 16:25: For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
- Some translations use the word “worship” rather than fear. Worship involves an aspect of knowing that God is a consuming fire; he is one to be feared, yet his merciful grace endures forever. What characteristics of God stir your heart to respect and worship? Write them down. And if time permits, read 1 Chron. 16:23-36.
Proverbs 31:10: A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
- Many of us don’t like the Proverbs 31 Woman. We don’t feel we measure up, but any time a scripture puts a heavy yoke on you, that’s an invitation to study. The word “noble” is chayil in Hebrew. Chayil means strong, and it was used in military terms. It’s also been translated as “virtuous” which at one time meant strength and courage and to make a virtue of necessity to do or accept with a positive attitude that which must be done or accepted anyway (Webster). Replace the word “noble” with “strength, courage, and positive attitude.” How do you feel about this woman now? Write a prayer asking God to give you strength, courage, and a positive attitude.
Matthew 10:31: So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
- List all the times God has come through for you. List the ways He has cared for you. Write a prayer of thanksgiving.
Get the Printable for Your Quiet Time
Romans 8:18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
- Close your eyes, take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Ask the Lord for eternal perspective/ vision. Write down anything that comes to mind.
Grab the Printable
1 Peter 1:7: These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
- Your faith is of greater worth than gold. How would life change if we lived with this perspective?
1 Peter 3:4: Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
- The word “quiet” here means peaceful. A gentle and peaceful spirit is of great worth in God’s sight. How can we nurture a peaceful and gentle spirit?
Job 28:12,13: But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.
- The world doesn’t place value on wisdom and understanding. But we are not of the world. Wisdom and understanding give much peace. Pray for these gifts from God.
Click here to print off these scriptures and the prompts to enhance your time with Jesus.
You’re a Pearl
Just in case you struggle with believing you are valuable to God, there’s a wonderful parable Jesus told that tells God’s side of things. It’s the parable of the pearl of great value.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13: 45-46).
Many times this parable is explained as the kingdom of God as the pearl and we the merchant, but I once heard the testimony of a woman who had lived a life of addiction who experienced this parable in a whole different way. She told her story of coming back to God and realizing that she was the pearl. God had shown her that she was the pearl of great value for which He gave everything . . . His Son . . . His life. My friends, He has done the same for us. He’s that crazy about you.
Weekly Broadcast via Facebook Live
Come on over to my house Wednesday night for some soul nourishment. We unpack the “bite” for the day and encourage one another. If Facebook isn’t your thing, you can watch the video later on YouTube.
Praying you find strength, joy, and value in His dwelling place as you study the Word this week.
Digging Deep to Live,
Andy
PS. If this was encouraging, and you don’t want to miss any Bite of Bread reading plans and posts, subscribe today! You’ll receive a 22-Day Devotion on Psalm 119 called Finding the Beauty {Full} in God’s Word.Just click here to dig deep to live fully.
PSS. While I’m getting back into the swing of teaching school, I’m repurposing old posts. This post first appeared in 2017 as “God Alone is Worthy.” If you want to watch the live video based on 1 Chronicles 16:25, here it is.
Our reflection on prayer captures the tension between faith and unanswered petitions. While faith is indeed essential, the complexities of God’s sovereignty and human free will often intersect in mysterious ways. As we grapple with the enigma of healing, we find solace in the act of prayer itself—a divine conversation that shapes our hearts and draws us closer to the Life-Giver.
Amen! Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
I have been reading that verse wrong for THIRTY years. I have read it. Proverbs 31:10: A wife of (a) noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
I have inserted the article ‘a’ meaning the husband is the noble character and his wife is worth far more than rubies. Isn’t that crazy? All this time, I have read that verse wrong, my eyes played a trick on me.
Hi Kristina! We do that all the time! We get so used to the familiar. That’s why reading different translation and digging deep helps so much! Thanks for sharing. You are valued!!!!
Awesome, Andy. Love this, “But . . . the world is wrong.” My husband recently preached a 5-week series called “A Better Man.” And this is the main message that stood out to me. The world tries to tell us how to look or what to do or how to spend our money or time. That our jobs are more important than our families or our spiritual state. And after these thoughts, my husband also said, “But the world is wrong.” If we let that message resonate in our minds and souls, we’ll understand the rest…including where our value and worth come from. God alone. :-)
Hey Karen! That’s so cool that you’re husband just preached that! I love when that happens. Thanks so much for stopping by sharing and subscribing. Blessings.