Bought with a Price
A Christian Devotional on Self Worth
Hoards of people milled around our outlet mall a few weekends ago looking for some back-to-school bargains.
It was tough to even find parking, and I realized that I wasn’t alone in putting off this shopping trip to the last minute.
It seemed like half of my state had the same idea.
Stores like Nike, Children’s Place and American Eagle beckoned us to come in and join the crowd that was searching for "just the right look."
With the shoppers, I braved the blinding patterns of preteen neons, the intoxicating, rubbery smell of new sneakers, and the crazy lines in the food court.
And all the while, I tried to be mindful of my budget.
But as I made my way through the Nike store with my kids, the pile of shoes, T-shirts and sweat pants in my son’s arms seemed to grow higher and higher with each bin we passed.
When we finally made it through the weaving checkout line to our cashier, my eyebrows must have raised up a couple of inches at the price.
That’s when the check out machine asked me the “question.”
It was tough to even find parking, and I realized that I wasn’t alone in putting off this shopping trip to the last minute.
It seemed like half of my state had the same idea.
Stores like Nike, Children’s Place and American Eagle beckoned us to come in and join the crowd that was searching for "just the right look."
With the shoppers, I braved the blinding patterns of preteen neons, the intoxicating, rubbery smell of new sneakers, and the crazy lines in the food court.
And all the while, I tried to be mindful of my budget.
But as I made my way through the Nike store with my kids, the pile of shoes, T-shirts and sweat pants in my son’s arms seemed to grow higher and higher with each bin we passed.
When we finally made it through the weaving checkout line to our cashier, my eyebrows must have raised up a couple of inches at the price.
That’s when the check out machine asked me the “question.”
Displaying my total in red, it asked me if the amount was “okay.”
And I wanted to scream right there in the middle of Nike, “No, it is not okay!”
It was way too expensive and half of my budget was being blown in just one store!
How had our total gotten that high, that quick? Ugh!
And I wanted to scream right there in the middle of Nike, “No, it is not okay!”
It was way too expensive and half of my budget was being blown in just one store!
How had our total gotten that high, that quick? Ugh!
Begrudgingly I pushed the “Yes, it’s okay” button. I felt a little guilty doing it, and I wondered later if it was a sin to lie to a machine.
New things aren’t cheap these days are they? And, as much as I love shopping for our five kids, we try to keep our “excursions” few and far between.
Maybe that’s why the high price tags sometimes catch me off guard.
It’s funny how price tags work, isn’t it? Placing a value on things can be a tricky task and sometimes I think it’s a mental game. If the seller prices something too low, people automatically think it’s cheap but when you set a high price tag on something– there’s often an instant recognition of value.
“Wow, that must be really be fantastic, just look at how much it is!”
New things aren’t cheap these days are they? And, as much as I love shopping for our five kids, we try to keep our “excursions” few and far between.
Maybe that’s why the high price tags sometimes catch me off guard.
It’s funny how price tags work, isn’t it? Placing a value on things can be a tricky task and sometimes I think it’s a mental game. If the seller prices something too low, people automatically think it’s cheap but when you set a high price tag on something– there’s often an instant recognition of value.
“Wow, that must be really be fantastic, just look at how much it is!”
Sound familiar?
My grandfather once told me of an idea he and a friend had to sell “antique dirt.”
With a gleaming look in his eyes, he said that they planned to shovel the dirt from historic sites and sell it in packages to people.
It was his grand scheme to “get rich quick.”
My grandfather once told me of an idea he and a friend had to sell “antique dirt.”
With a gleaming look in his eyes, he said that they planned to shovel the dirt from historic sites and sell it in packages to people.
It was his grand scheme to “get rich quick.”
I thought his idea was kind of “out
there” until a few Christmases ago when my husband received an interesting gift
from his brother.
“You’re going to love this,” his brother had written in the card. What was inside? A set of coasters with a capsule of dirt in each that came from the old Yankee Stadium.
It was antique dirt! Who would have figured?
And yeah, my husband loved them – especially because of the dirt. Suddenly, it had value.
A few years ago, I was going through a spiritual battle. I was listening to all of the lies the devil could dish out, and to say the least -- I was a wreck.
I remember sitting in my bedroom, miserable when a nugget of truth from 1 Corinthians popped into my head: “You were bought with a price.”
Wow.
If we do a little research on what that price was, we find that we are worth way more than any price tag in the world.
Josh McDowell, Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer, explains it this way in his Christian Blog: “What is your value to God? At the cross God declared to heaven, hell, and the whole earth that you are worth the gift of Jesus Christ, his dearly loved Son. If you ever put a price tag on yourself, it would have to read “JESUS!” because that’s what God paid to save you (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:18-19). That tells you how much you’re worth to God. If you had been the only person on earth, God would have sent his Son for you.”
Feeling kind of low today?
Maybe you’ve blown your budget, just like I could have easily done last weekend. Or, maybe it’s something deeper, and you’re questioning your worth.
God’s already paid the highest price possible for you. If you went through a “holy” check out machine, the display price would read “Jesus” just for you.
And you know what? God’s already pushed the “okay” button.
“You’re going to love this,” his brother had written in the card. What was inside? A set of coasters with a capsule of dirt in each that came from the old Yankee Stadium.
It was antique dirt! Who would have figured?
And yeah, my husband loved them – especially because of the dirt. Suddenly, it had value.
A few years ago, I was going through a spiritual battle. I was listening to all of the lies the devil could dish out, and to say the least -- I was a wreck.
I remember sitting in my bedroom, miserable when a nugget of truth from 1 Corinthians popped into my head: “You were bought with a price.”
Wow.
If we do a little research on what that price was, we find that we are worth way more than any price tag in the world.
Josh McDowell, Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer, explains it this way in his Christian Blog: “What is your value to God? At the cross God declared to heaven, hell, and the whole earth that you are worth the gift of Jesus Christ, his dearly loved Son. If you ever put a price tag on yourself, it would have to read “JESUS!” because that’s what God paid to save you (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:18-19). That tells you how much you’re worth to God. If you had been the only person on earth, God would have sent his Son for you.”
Feeling kind of low today?
Maybe you’ve blown your budget, just like I could have easily done last weekend. Or, maybe it’s something deeper, and you’re questioning your worth.
God’s already paid the highest price possible for you. If you went through a “holy” check out machine, the display price would read “Jesus” just for you.
And you know what? God’s already pushed the “okay” button.
Here are some Bible verses that'll help you on your journey:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Amplified Bible
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy
Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You
are not your own,
You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His
own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
1 Peter 1:18-19 New Living Translation
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
Acts 20:28 New King James Version
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Amplified Bible
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy
Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You
are not your own,
You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His
own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
1 Peter 1:18-19 New Living Translation
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
Acts 20:28 New King James Version
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.