Understanding My Value and Worth

In review of 1 Peter 2:4 it says, “You are coming to Christ, the living stone who was rejected by humans but was chosen as precious by God.”

Bottom Line:

Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable.

What this means to me:

I have come to the Lord Jesus, the “stone” that lives, even though he people of the world did not want him. He was chosen by God as valuable, precious and to be honored. Overall I should never confuse my valuables or assets with my value as a person. I could be rich or poor, however it would have nothing to do with my value as a person. Ultimately there are two things that determine value in this life:  First, value is what someone is willing to pay for something. Secondly, value depends on who has owned something in the past. Based on these two things, I’m owned by Christ, and he paid the ultimate value for me; his own life on earth. The Bible says, “You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him” (1 Corinthians 7:23a LB). So I belong to God, and Jesus paid for me with his life. The cross proves my value. Nobody has ever paid a greater ransom price than God paid for me! Because of this, I’m acceptable, and I’m valuable. Peter uses the imagery of a building project to illustrate my value. He says that God is building this stone building that represents the Church, the family of God, and I’m one of those stones. “You are coming to Christ, the living stone who was rejected by humans but was chosen as precious by God” (1 Peter 2:4 GW). Jesus himself is the living stone. He was perfect, but even with that some people still rejected him. He was “chosen by God as valuable.” God is building his Church, but it’s not found in a church building. God lives in people, and I’m part of his spiritual house. Peter says that I’m also a living stone. When I gave my life to Christ, I became a building block in God's great plan. Given this, I really understand and can appreciate my value. Because of this I need to treat others as extremely valuable as well. In summary I should never confuse what I own with my value as a person. The cross of Jesus Christ proves my value.