“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but withprecious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:17-19 NASB

I promised yesterday to spend some time working with “the value of the price paid.” In my home I have an antique oak desk. Years ago I was gifted with a choice of a new desk costing a certain amount or an antique one. Well, I enjoy antiques as my home reflects, but it was not that enjoyment that drove me to purchase the antique oak one I found. I knew when the new desk would be placed in my home, it would have immediately lost most of its value – simply because it was a new one. The antique, however, would not loose its value but rather over the years it would increase in value. So I was concerned to make the purchase price a good investment, since it was generous. 

We value items according to their cost or according to our investment in them. So we can understand a bit of the thinking of our Father. He paid a price that in His mind was equivalent to the value. I tease in my classes that “He overpaid for each one of us,” but really He didn’t. He knew our value to Him – that was what drove Him. That abundant love and overflow that He had invested in humanity – we were worth the treasure of heaven – Jesus Christ our Lord – so the Father could have fellowship in us and with us. Our value was not only stated by that action, but stated eternally. 

So when we, as His children, begin to accept His value of our lives – in and over all the journeys, then the value is treasured and the fellowship and empowerment is deep. If, however, we choose not to receive our heritage and live our lives as if we were worth only what we can achieve – then we have discounted His love and His payment price. We have effectively said He did not know what He was doing, because we do not want to be as He is. (1 John 4:17)

So living in Him releases the value of our heritage for all to see. It is a spiritual worth that invades every fiber of our being to bring all that is His to us. 

Lord, we open, we receive the value you set on us. We choose to exchange our thoughts of our own worth from our heritage and our accomplishments (or lack thereof), and simply be in You – all the value you have within and upon us as those who are Yours. We call you “Father!” Awesome!