God says that you’re not only accepted, you’re also valuable.

How much do you think you’re worth? I’m not talking about your net worth. I’m talking about your self-worth. Don’t ever confuse your valuables with your value as a person. You can be rich or poor, but it has nothing to do with your value as a person.

What determines something’s value? These are the two main things:

1. It depends on what someone is willing to pay for it. How much is your house worth? Probably not as much as you’d like it to be worth, and maybe not as much as it was a year ago. Your house is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it — no more.

How much is a baseball card worth? To some people, it’s worth nothing. To a collector, it could be worth a lot of money. Some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a baseball card!

How much is a piece of art worth? Whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

2. It depends on who owned it in the past. Sometimes something is valuable because of who used to own it. For example, would a car owned by Elvis Presley be more valuable than a car you owned? Probably. Or would a guitar be more valuable because it was owned by John Lennon? I read about a pair of stinky, smelly, used basketball shoes that sold for $190,373 at an auction because they were once worn by some guy named Michael Jordan.

Based on these two factors, what’s your value? Ask yourself, “Who owns me?” and “What was paid for me?” The Bible says, “You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him — be free now from all these earthly prides and fears” (1 Corinthians 7:23 TLB).

You have been bought and paid for by Christ. You belong to Jesus. How much does that make you worth?

Now ask yourself, “To whom do I belong?” The Bible says you belong to God. God exchanged his own Son for you. The cross proves your value. Jesus didn’t die for junk. You are incredibly valuable. Nobody has ever paid a greater price than God paid for you. You are accepted, and you are valuable!