regarding experiencing more of Father’s love, understanding my value to Father is, without a doubt, one of the top three revelations. You may ask, “Why is understanding value so important when it is an experience of Father’s love that I am pursuing.” The answer to that question is, only when you gain revelation of your value to Father will you be able to open your heart to greater depths of the
experience of His love. Understanding value steers us toward an accurate perspective when it comes to comprehending the magnitude of Father’s love.
1 Peter 1:18-19 states, “knowing that you were not redeemed (bought back) with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious blood…the blood of Christ.” These verses speak of an exchange that occurred in order to purchase our salvation and entrance into the Kingdom of God. This transaction, or redemption, was paid through the death of Christ on the cross and the spilling of His blood. But, what does this really tell us regarding our value to Father? Our minds can usually grasp that Christ’s death is critically important and was necessary for our salvation. But, again, what does that really mean in light of our value to Father? Let me further clarify by reflecting on the principle of redemption.
Let’s say that I have a really nice gold ring that has significant value to me both monetarily and sentimentally. However, I fall on hard times financially and I decide that I’m going to sell the ring for some quick cash. I hop in my car and head down to the nearest pawn shop in order to take care of the transaction. I present my ring to the man behind the counter and ask him for top dollar for my precious ring. He states he will give me $75 for the ring. I think the ring is worth much more than this but need the cash, so I agree to follow through with the transaction. As I drive back home and into my driveway, I begin to be overwhelmed with regret. I begin to think about all that the ring means to me and come to the strong conclusion that selling the ring was a huge mistake. So, I start my car up again and drive back to the pawn shop in order to get my ring back. I walk through the front door and to the counter to speak with the man who handled my original transaction. I begin apologizing to him for selling the ring and let him know how much the ring means to me. I tell him that I would like to have the ring back. The pawn shop associate looks at me and says “That will be no problem” as he, additionally, states, “That will be $150”. This example illustrates the principle of redemption. The price of redemption always exceeds the value the item was originally sold for.
Through the fall of Adam, we know that we (all humanity) were sold into bondage to sin (Romans 7:14) and, being under sin, Satan had dominion and ownership over us. But, from the very beginning, God the Father had already devised a plan of redemption (Genesis 3:15). Let me provide you with an illustration that, while not accurate, does an excellent job at depicting our value to Father. It’s as though Father looked down on fallen humanity (you, me, all of us) and stated, “My loved ones, my cherished ones, have sold themselves into my enemy’s hands. I will not stand for this. I must have them back for Myself. But where will I find something of enough value to pay in order to redeem them? What do I have that is of enough value to pay the ultimate price?” First Father looked among His angels, but could not find an angel or angels with the value to redeem humanity. His eyes scanned all of creation, but He could not find anything of sufficient value to buy us back. In fact, Father saw that not even all creation, both in the heavenlies and in the natural realm, was of enough value to redeem those created in His image. And with that, He looked at His only Son, Jesus, and stated, “Son, You are the only One who can pay the ultimate price. You are the only One of high enough value who can redeem My beloved children back to me. Will you go so that I can, once again, have the sons and daughters who will choose Me? Without hesitating, Jesus looked into His Father’s eyes, burning with zeal and love for all humanity, and stated, “Yes, Father, I will go, and it is going to be worth it”. And, for this joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).
You see, Father demonstrated the quality and expanse of His love—our value—while we were helpless, and while we were in our sins (Romans 5: 6 & 8). How much more, then, does He want us to experience His love when we have made the choice to become His sons and daughters. We must be willing to let go of wrong judgments toward God and choose the truth that a Father who values and loves us this much is good in every sense of the word. As we begin to conform to this truth, Father has even promised to cause all things seemingly bad and destructive in our lives to work together for our good. As we pursue and meditate on our indescribable value to Father, we open our hearts wider and wider to receive greater experiences of this incredible love that He has freely given to us.
Blessings,
Jeff C Eger
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