The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
October 8, 2006
In
This Issue:
What
Are You Worth?
by
Steve Klein
Potential
by
Stacey E. Durham
What are you Worth?
What are you worth? To a financial institution, your net financial worth is determined by adding up all your assets and subtracting out all your debts and liabilities. But is that all that we are worth? Certainly not! We are worth more than the sum total of our material possessions! Jesus said that, "one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). And, despite what modern animal rights activists might have us believe, our worth is also much greater than that of other living things on this planet. Jesus said, "You are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:31) and He asked, "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?" (Matthew 12:12).
The value of a human being is great for at least two reasons. One is that he possesses an immortal soul. That soul, because it is living and immortal, has more value than everything else in the world put together. Jesus asked, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37). The other reason that humans must surely have great value is that God's only Son "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us." (Titus 2:14). We must be very valuable indeed if God is willing to pay such a high price for us!
Despite all of this, have you ever felt "worthless"? Perhaps you've been sick and unable to work. Perhaps you are old or infirmed. Maybe you've said or done things that hurt others. Or perhaps you've let loved ones down by being irresponsible. Or maybe you've let sin get control of your life and you are riddled with feelings of guilt and unworthiness. Whatever the cause of your feelings of worthlessness, I want to assure you that you are not worthless. A story that I read recently in Christian Weekly Devotion illustrates this point.
A preacher started off his sermon holding up a $100 bill. He asked the church, "Who would like this $100 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $100 bill to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the $100 dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped the $100 dollar bill on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled, torn and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. "My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to this money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It is still worth $100."
Your value is just not determined by how you have been abused, misused or used. If you are a Christian, you belong to God and He values you and your service. "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20). Don't allow delusions of worthlessness to steal your joy and prevent you from glorifying God with your life. You are worth something to God. You belong to Him. Live like it!
--Steve Klein
The word "potential" means "possible as opposed to actual" or "capable of being or becoming." When we say that someone has potential, we usually mean it in a good way. It means that we expect great things from this person. Some sports teams invest millions of dollars in an athlete based upon his potential alone.
Every person has a potential for something good. However, not every person has the same potential. Consider the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30). All three men who were given talents had the potential to make a profit with them. Each man's potential was different because of the number of talents given to him by the master, but the master expected each of them to fulfill their potential with what they had.
With potential always comes expectations. These expectations are reasonable according to what one's potential is. In the parable, the man who received five talents and the man who received two talents fulfilled their potential with those talents. The master was equally pleased with both of them and gave them the same reward even though one had profited more than the other (verses 21, 23). However, the man who received one talent failed to reach his potential, and the master rebuked him and punished him for not meeting expectations (verses 26-30).
The point of the parable is that God has given each person a potential to do good, and He expects the same effort from everybody. Effort is what turns potential into reality. In the parable, the master calls the man given one talent a "wicked, lazy slave" because he did not make the effort to do his master's will (verse 26). The achievement of fulfilling potential will not happen unless the one to whom God has given potential works to meet God's expectations.
Every person has the potential to obtain forgiveness of sins and salvation from death. God has made this possible through the giving of His own Son on the cross. However, God still has expectations for every person in order for that person to achieve eternal life. Just as the three men in the parable knew what their master's expectations were (verses 24, 26), we also know what God's expectations are because he has told us through His word. So, we have no excuses for failing to meet our potentials.
Young people must especially keep in mind that potential is not achievement. Often a young person who has a tremendous potential for doing good will receive bountiful praise and encouragement from others for his potential. If he becomes satisfied with this praise, he may never accomplish his potential. He must remember that the fact that he has potential means that he has not done anything yet.
When opportunities have passed, potential is remembered as a burden if it was not accomplished, and it is remembered as blessing if it was achieved. When your opportunities have passed, how will you remember your potential? Make it a blessing, and achieve what God expects of you now while you can, before He comes to settle His account with you.
-- Stacey E. Durham
Via Creekview church of Christ bulletin, Gallatin, TN