The Worth of a Christian
Psalm 8
Most of us never get to really figure out how
salaries are set in this world. As a result, we have a mistaken view
of this process. Most of us figure it this way: the reason doctors
make more than I do is that medical school is so much more
complicated and hard than the training I've had. This breaks down
rather quickly; it would imply, for example, that the reason rock
stars make so much more money than doctors is that rock star school
is so much more complicated and hard than medical school. So how do
they do it?
·
One of the most common methods is to
subtly inquire of the applicant just how much money he's expecting.
If it falls within what they think is reasonable, you get paid
"enough."
·
There is also the military method: if
you don't like the salary, don't join.
·
Baseball players find a different
method. The question is not how much it will take to get them to
play baseball; the question is how much will take to get them to
play here.
The concept of "worth" in man's way of doing
things is extrinsic. You are worth what somebody else will pay you.
That's how the world does it.
What about God's way? Are human beings indeed
worthy in God's eyes? The answer is yes, but not like you would
expect. The psalmist, David, put it this way:
Psalms 8:1-9 NIV
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
(2)
From the lips of children and infants you have ordained
praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
(3)
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the
moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
(4)
what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that
you care for him?
(5)
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and
crowned him with glory and honor.
(6)
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put
everything under his feet:
(7)
all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
(8)
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim
the paths of the seas.
(9)
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
So we see that we are a little lower than the
angels and a little higher than the fish. The key point is this: our
worth is God given – it does not depend on what other people think.
We have intrinsic worth.
But see this: our worth is given to us because
of the majesty of the name of God. We didn't earn it; God gave to us
for the sake of his name. The church does all things to the glory of
God.
Nowhere is this see more clearly than the
Cross. Jesus did not come to die on the cross because we are so
worthy of his death. His sacrifice, like our worth, springs from the
very nature of God. Neither intrinsic nor extrinsic worth has
anything to do with it. It is entirely due to the fact that God is
love. It is out of his great love for his children that we have the
Cross.
As you partake, remember the motives of Christ.
He did this for you because of his great love. As a Christian, you
are to be an imitator of Christ — so that others might see his great
love in you. Examine your self, and see if that love flows through
you. Do this in remembrance of him.
