As I was riding my bike back home I lost in thoughts like I usually do. I thought about my clothing label and some of those people who walk in the store and really bargain. I thought of few customers who compare khadi with some mill-made cotton and say why is it so expensive? Now, who would tell them that you can never compare something made by hand with something made by machine? sigh! you are in the wrong place dude! I told myself. "If only you are in the right area where customers would know the value of ur product and respect you for your creativity"..I said to myself. in short I told myself "if only you get ur true value"! Suddenly I remembered this parable of Jesus that goes like this-
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Mathew 13: 45.Jesus is talking about you and me here. we are the precious pearl and He is the merchant. You & I are like precious stones or pearls of great value whose worth is not recognized by the world. So we were carelessly kept, thrown around, trampled and abused till one day the One who knows our true value saw us. & When He saw us He got so excited that He ran back home sold off everything He got and paid a heavy price for us to the utter shock of all those who has been treating us carelessly. The world always tries to underrate us.The world tries to limit us. It shows our weaknesses and flaws and say we are not worthy. But what does God say about us?
Imagine yourself being auctioned. You are standing there and around you are many people who are trying to put a price tag on you. Some one would say I would really love to pay a little more for Joshua for I know he is able, but look his other side- he is lazy! Some one else would walk upto me and say I don't mind shelling few more pennies had you been little more organized. One more would walk upto me and say "had you not have that habit of lying, I would have valued you little more. You are standing there with your head down humiliated,thinking "hope some one recognize me with all my worth..". Then came a very rich looking man in expensive robes . He looked at you, studied you carefully and said "Wow"! How much? The one who is auctioning you asked Him..how much are you willing to pay? "The other person replied "I know he is a man of great value. He is made in the image of God.in him lies a great potential. In exchange of him I'll pay everything I got. My position, My glory, My honour. yes I would give away everything to redeem him. But wait.Wait. Wait! even that won't be enough. look at him,beautiful! for him, I'll pay the greatest price anyone ever can pay or paid. I give my life away as a price for him.Yes. That's what I'm going pay for him. with My life" wouldn't that be awesome? Isn't that exciting?
Jesus actually did that for us. the bible says "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.(1 Corinth 7:23). You are bought at a price. A heavy price, it's His life.It's His glory. When Jesus was talking about the parable of sower, He said "... And some fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.Like 8:8".In every seed that was sown, was a potential to yield hundred folds.But then they didn't. They were stolen, they were suppressed, they were scorched and killed. God made us with a great potential. And He loves to see us rise to our full potential. But who stops us? The Enemy. He loves to see us fallen, weak, guilty and compromised.While It's God who encourages us, equips us and strengthens us..It's the enemy who discourages us, tempts us and leaves us resigned to fate.
It's a very common scene in my city to find people who are heavily drunk lying on the footpaths. There is activity around him, people are moving around with a purpose but he is lying down there unconscious beside a drainage or a waste dump as if that's where he belong. What do you feel when you see some one like that? definitely not respect. I'm sure even he doesn't respect himself. Who enjoys seeing him like that? the Enemy does. Jesus says at John 10:10 that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy". But who feels miserable looking at him like that? Your maker, your father i.e. God. He says "But I have come that they may have life and life abundantly". God smiles every time you try to rise up from that rut. He does everything He can to help you rise up on your feet again to get back to life with dignity and purpose. With God on our side, it's never too late.With God on your side, there is always hope.
It's time we look at ourselves the way Jesus saw us from the cross. Worthy! Worthy to give away His very life in exchange. It's time we remember who we are in Him. It's time we look unto Him and run the race. With endurance. With an expectation. To receive the crown one day. to receive that pat from Him and those words that would echo in eternity "Well done my Boy!
Imagine yourself being auctioned. You are standing there and around you are many people who are trying to put a price tag on you. Some one would say I would really love to pay a little more for Joshua for I know he is able, but look his other side- he is lazy! Some one else would walk upto me and say I don't mind shelling few more pennies had you been little more organized. One more would walk upto me and say "had you not have that habit of lying, I would have valued you little more. You are standing there with your head down humiliated,thinking "hope some one recognize me with all my worth..". Then came a very rich looking man in expensive robes . He looked at you, studied you carefully and said "Wow"! How much? The one who is auctioning you asked Him..how much are you willing to pay? "The other person replied "I know he is a man of great value. He is made in the image of God.in him lies a great potential. In exchange of him I'll pay everything I got. My position, My glory, My honour. yes I would give away everything to redeem him. But wait.Wait. Wait! even that won't be enough. look at him,beautiful! for him, I'll pay the greatest price anyone ever can pay or paid. I give my life away as a price for him.Yes. That's what I'm going pay for him. with My life" wouldn't that be awesome? Isn't that exciting?
Jesus actually did that for us. the bible says "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.(1 Corinth 7:23). You are bought at a price. A heavy price, it's His life.It's His glory. When Jesus was talking about the parable of sower, He said "... And some fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.Like 8:8".In every seed that was sown, was a potential to yield hundred folds.But then they didn't. They were stolen, they were suppressed, they were scorched and killed. God made us with a great potential. And He loves to see us rise to our full potential. But who stops us? The Enemy. He loves to see us fallen, weak, guilty and compromised.While It's God who encourages us, equips us and strengthens us..It's the enemy who discourages us, tempts us and leaves us resigned to fate.
It's a very common scene in my city to find people who are heavily drunk lying on the footpaths. There is activity around him, people are moving around with a purpose but he is lying down there unconscious beside a drainage or a waste dump as if that's where he belong. What do you feel when you see some one like that? definitely not respect. I'm sure even he doesn't respect himself. Who enjoys seeing him like that? the Enemy does. Jesus says at John 10:10 that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy". But who feels miserable looking at him like that? Your maker, your father i.e. God. He says "But I have come that they may have life and life abundantly". God smiles every time you try to rise up from that rut. He does everything He can to help you rise up on your feet again to get back to life with dignity and purpose. With God on our side, it's never too late.With God on your side, there is always hope.
