The value of a $100 bill

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I love the scripture of 2 Cor 4:17, "We have this Treasure in Earthen Vessels, that the excellence of power might be of God and not of us." I am currently really studying these scripture to apply to a Retreat I'll be speaking at upstate NY at the end of the month. I find it to be such a promising scripture. It has prompted conversations in so many areas..as I continue to unpack it.

At Lighthouse Mission, each day I have the opportunity to meet people that are hurting and broken. Recently a young woman came in to donate, and she started to share her hurt. Two of us were able to minister to a deep pain.

One thing I shared was her value to the Lord and her need to grasp hold of its truth, not the lies of the enemy. I compared it quite simply to a $100 bill. From the bank, it is crisp and clean and seems to have such potential, but why? Because that small piece of paper covered with ink, pictures, numbers and letters is proclaimed to have a set value by a 'higher' authority than myself.

If I were to find that $100 bill up against a trash can, soiled by various types of dirt, even disgusting elements, laying there tattered, torn and wrinkled, it wouldn't be worth .01 cent less than when it was freshly secured from the bank. THAT is because the value is estimated, not by what it's been through, how beaten it might be, or what it looks like - the value is estimated by a HIGHER Authority!

I shared that her value, is not based on what has happened to her, what she has done, or where she is at currently....Her value is estimated by the Authority of God and what He proclaims of her...His love for us is such that He personally came and died for our sins and transgressions against Him, others and ourselves. What's great about God, is He recognizes the value HE has placed on us...and HE reaches down into our soiled existence and pulls us up to redeem us and wash us clean. Yeah we may not look as fresh as that brand new $100 bill with our wrinkles and weather worn look, but our value is EXACTLY the same!

That excites me, as it did her.