Then there is worth; anyone who feels worthless is in trouble, for this unbalances us emotionally, and will lead to imbalance in every other area. We naturally seek worth in our work, our possessions, our relationships, our power--but it is all fleeting, unsatisfactory and worthless in the end. However, you, Lord God, have declared us “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…” (Eph. 1:18b). We are your riches, your glorious inheritance!

You not only proclaim this, you have demonstrated it by your personally and powerfully redeeming us from the hand of Satan. And you did this at great personal cost. You said, “I value these, my creatures, so much that I will give all I have to buy them out of slavery and certain punishment. I will not only purchase them, but I will transform them and adopt them. They will be my treasures, my riches!”

When you, Lord, the ultimate authority, say that we have worth, then we have it, no matter how we may feel about it. Praise be to you for assigning worth to us who were your enemies, we who worked against your purpose, who rejected your rule. We praise you for buying us, we rejoice in the fact that we are chosen, cherished, dearly loved and delighted in. We revel in the warmth of your great love, the depth of your whole-hearted, total acceptance of us, affirming the worth you have given. This is your worth reflected in us, like sun shining on the water in this picture. Praise be to you, our Heavenly Father, our Brother Jesus, our Guide Holy Spirit.