While we are to humble ourselves before the LORD, we can also go into the ditch with that, by declaring ourselves to be worthless to the LORD. And what better way to discourage a person from seeking God, than to convince them that God sees them as worthless. Through the years I’ve dealt with many people suffering that very thing. And although many people can quote John 3:16 from heart, it never really registers to them that God places very high value on us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

What does that verse tell YOU? Well, it SHOULD tell you that if you were not valuable to God, that He wouldn’t have even bothered to send Jesus to save you. But He DID! Now, every one of us who have been “born again” have a past, and for many, it isn’t very pretty. But our past doesn’t matter to God, it’s our FUTURE that He’s interested in, and He wants our future to be spent with Him forever, ages without end. There’s not a sinner so bad, that has sunk so low, that the arm of Jesus cannot pull him or her out of the mire and make them a son or daughter of God.

You’d think the world would be beating a path to the LORD, but the devil uses our memory of our past against us, so that even KNOWING that God will forgive our sins, that we cannot forgive OURSELVES! Imagine grace being offered so freely, and yet, we won’t accept it, because we insist upon condemning ourselves. I know, because I used to do it to myself. That is, until one day the Holy Spirit asked me, “Are you exalting yourself over ME?” I said, How so, LORD? He said, I forgave your sins because you asked Me to. But you refuse now to forgive yourself? By that, you’re saying you are God, and not ME.

That brought me instantly to my knees. NEVER would I exalt myself over the LORD, yet He revealed to me that was exactly what I was doing by refusing to forgive myself. Here I thought it was being “humble”, when in reality, it was being rebellious.

I’m reminded of a couple scriptures, Matthew 10:29-31,
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Another passage is in Luke 12:6-7,
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

But knowing we are of more value to God than many sparrows is still not enough to break some people out of their self-depreciation. After all, there’s an abundance of sparrows, and we ourselves don’t put a lot of value on them, except maybe the bird lovers do. But it isn’t about sparrows, it’s about YOU, realizing that God is concerned even for the sparrow, how much MORE He must value YOU.

The grace of God is such an awesome thing. Sin separates us from God. It wasn’t so in the beginning, for there WAS no sin in mankind. Actually, sin originated in heaven, not on Earth. The first sinner was Lucifer, whom is also called Satan. He was so in love with himself that he decided HE should be on the Throne of God instead of God his Creator. And he convinced a third of the angels to follow him in rebelling against God. How did that work out for him? Not so good, he and his angels warred against God and His angels, and it is written in Revelation 12:1-10,

1And  there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

There’s a lot more in that chapter you can read about that, but I can’t preach the whole Bible in 2 or 3 pages, can I?

Jesus said in Luke 10:18-20,
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Do you have any clue what Christ Jesus went through to purchase your salvation? If you were of little value to God, Jesus would have just stayed in heaven with His Father, and not bothered with us. I’m very sure that Jesus could have found something to do that was much more enjoyable than enduring death on a cross for you and I.  And though it staggers my imagination to try to understand how God could love us so much, I just have to take Him at His Word and believe what is written in the Bible.

Our accuser, Satan, no longer has access to heaven to accuse us to the Father. Jesus paid the ENTIRE price for our sins, once and for all time, and Jesus isn’t accusing anyone of sin that has asked for His forgiveness. The Father isn’t accusing us, because He knows Jesus paid the price for our sins in full. And the Holy Spirit is not accusing us, in fact, He is continually telling us how beloved we are. And the devil? Who’s listening to him? God isn’t, and we shouldn’t, either.

We should be rejoicing because our names are written in heaven! The next time you’re feeling “worthless”, consider the price Christ Jesus paid on the cross for you to be redeemed, because you are loved! If that doesn’t have you shouting for joy, then you must already be dead. Don’t let the “accuser of the brethren” continue lying to you. You’re NOT worthless, you’re NOT a sparrow. You’re a son or a daughter of Almighty God. And if you AREN’T? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Forgiveness of sins is but a prayer away! If Jesus is your LORD and SAVIOR, thank and worship Him right now!

And if you don’t know Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR, He’s waiting for YOU to become HIS. There are no lines, no busy signal, no waiting. Only mercy. For YOU! Call upon Jesus right now! You’ll be SO GLAD YOU DID!