"For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession." Deuteronomy 7:6 (NIV)

The other day, as I surfed around the Web looking for something or other, I came across a site with one of those flashing banner ads. Some flashing banner ads can be very distracting, so I often try to ignore them. This time, however, I saw an ad that caught my eye. It was advertising a service that provides salary ranges for various careers. The hook for the ad was a deceptively simple sentence: How much are you worth?

I find it interesting that many people are concerned with how much they're worth in an economic sense, but not overly interested in what they're worth in a spiritual sense. They chase after better jobs, better wages, better cars, and better bodies. But ironically, many become less and less satisfied with their lives.

In an age where church attendance in most Western nations is in serious decline, we've turned to psychologists, personal coaches, and self-help books to try to lay hold of an ever-elusive feeling of peace and contentment. Human beings can't help but yearn for a return to Eden.

What do you think you're worth today? In the eyes of our Lord, you're worth the price of the Savior's blood, which was shed upon a cross for you. As Jesus said to Thomas, feel the holes where the nails were—and believe. When the Creator of the universe tells you that you matter to him, his words ring true.

— Matt Donnelly, for the ChristianityToday.com staff

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