What God Values Most Part 1 Series

What God Values Most

Scripture: Luke 12:6-7, Proverbs 27:21; Romans 8:2

In the twelfth chapter of the book of Luke, Jesus discussed with His disciples the depth of God’s knowledge of us and why we should not fear men or worry about the things of this life. This is what He said in verses six, seven and twenty-four: “(6) Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. (7) But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows….(24) Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?” (Luke 12:6-7, 24)

The title of my message this morning is “What God Values Most.” Webster’s dictionary defines the word value as, “the monetary worth of something; relative worth, utility or importance.” Please keep this definition in mind as I go through this message. God created everything that exists on the earth so we can assume that He values everything that He created. This morning I want you to know that what God values most out of everything that He has created is you and me. Jesus told His disciples that God knew to the exact number of hairs that were on their heads. Furthermore, because they were most valuable to Him, they did not need to worry about the things of this life. What Jesus told His disciples also applies to each and every one of us!

When you walk into a grocery store to purchase your groceries, every item in the store has a price tag on it which lets you know what it will cost you to purchase the item. Price is defined as the “the cost of something brought or sold; something sacrificed to get something else.” When you find the items you are searching for, if you accept the price the store is requesting for the item and deem that the price does not exceed the value to you, then you make the choice to give up (sacrifice) your money in order to obtain the items that you desire. While this is a normal day to day activity for all of us, I want to ask you a question: “Is the price of something the same as its value?” Just because something is a certain price, does that equate to its value? The owner of a product determines what they are willing to sell the product for based on what it cost them to obtain it or what it cost them to make it plus a percentage increase that provides them a profit. So the owner of the product establishes the price, but do they also establish the value?

Those of you with a business or economics background understand that the price of a good or service is somewhat fluid. The price can change because it is dependent on the interactions between supply and demand components of a market. Supply and demand represent the willingness of producers and consumers to engage in selling and buying. An exchange of a product takes place when buyers and sellers agree upon a price. As all of us witnessed during the pandemic, when supply is low and demand is high, prices goes up. This is often seen in the housing and car markets. Whenever there is a shortage of something people are willing to pay more to get what they want. Remember at the beginning of the pandemic there was a run on toilet tissue and the price increased? Likewise, the opposite is true. When demand is low and supply is high, prices tends to come down because there is a surplus and the owners need to move their product even if it means less profit for them.

Now here is the most important question this morning: “The value of a good or service – is it established by the seller or is it established by the buyer?” Some people would answer this by saying that the seller establishes the value because they control the pricing process. But in reality, it’s not the seller. New Light, it’s you, it’s me – the buyer. You confirm this fact in your lives each time you refuse to purchase something because, for you, it was too expensive. However, someone else may have been willing to pay the price that you refused to pay. When we look at the cost of something and determine that its value is worth what it would cost to obtain it, then we freely purchase the item. But, when we do not believe the value is worth the cost required to obtain it, we choose not to purchase the item. The person making the decision is the one who determines the item’s value. What might be valuable to one person will hold no value to someone else. So, it’s the buyer who determines the value.