Valuable Things

Scripture: You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. Luke 16: 15

If you are a mother, whether you enjoy it or not, you probably spend loads of time in your kitchen. I was thinking this morning about the three most important pieces of equipment in my kitchen aside from the appliances of course and every-day dinnerware. I determined that they were the items I used the most: a pot that I boil water for tea, a mix and pour bowl, and the slim spatula. Stop for a moment and think about what you use the most in your kitchen.

If you were to walk around any kitchen and pick out what you deemed to be the most valuable, you might pick out the most expensive looking items, like a nice mixer or a frilly coffee maker. However in my kitchen you would certainly not pick out the grungy pot where the tea bags steep. It is stained and bent in places. I would not even cook anything else in it because it is dedicated totally to making tea. (Keep in mind I am from the South) My guess is that is the last thing you would pick out to be of value.

The slim spatula is white and is not always perfectly white depending on what I do with it. However, it fits perfectly down inside a can to clean out the contents. It insures the remaining ingredients of any recipe are not left stuck to the last important piece, the mix and pour bowl. I honestly use this bowl every day. I would freak out if I went to try and find it and it was gone.

I was just thinking about how God must have realized that the value of a person or an item is not based on the net value. He took His son, the most valuable thing he had, and disguised him in a barn in a manager. Jesus, the King, did not ever wear jeweled crowns or robes. He always had the appearance of any old Joe. His name in that day was ordinary. You could not have gone into Nazareth and picked out Jesus as a king. He was a very unlikely ruler of any kind.

Inventory in our society puts dollar values on important things. We tend to overlook the valuable things in life until we are met with a reason to take stock of our lives. However when we examine how often we use certain items and realize that we do not want to have to do without them, they suddenly increase in value. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world and is contrary to what the world deems valuable. Much like I can’t fix anything in my kitchen without my mixing bowl, Jesus may not be valuable to you until you are aware of your sin and realize how you can’t do without Him. How much you are using Jesus will tell you how valuable He is to you.

Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: Amazing God, thank you for seeing the value in the small simple things. Teach me how to value Christ above all things. Amen.

Prayer Tip: Take time to journal your time alone with God, so that you can see how valuable it is to your spiritual growth.