Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “Try not to become a man of success, but rather become a man/woman of value.”

Being a person of value is something we all seek at some level. Unlike Einstein I do not believe that I can create my own value, although that is something each one of us has endeavored to do.

God’s Truths Reveal Our Value
As a believer in God, I am finding that the value I have comes from my connection with God. In fact, my identity and  my value come from God “in me.” (See: Colossians 1:27)

I have not always known this past the intellectual level. In the past I have tried to create my own value through attaining levels of education; seeking titles and positions; and pursuing relationships /associations and things that make me feel valuable. I found that much of my value was dependent on other people’s system of valuation. I can still fall into this thinking from time to time.

As I walk with God and take in the truths of the scriptures, I see that God gives me and you true and lasting value by what He brings into us. 

God’s Love in You
The other day I was reading John 17:26 which is a part of the prayer Jesus prayed for his followers. In that prayer Jesus states that he has made God known to them so that God’s love will be “in them,” and so that Jesus, himself, will be “in them.” This same truth is found in Romans 5: 5.

• “I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:26
• “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” Romans 5:5

The scriptures tell us that God is love. Jesus is praying that as we know God, His love will be in us. Wow, talk about value. God loves me, and his love lives in me.

It is an astounding truth, even though I do not always feel God’s love or act like his love is in me. Nevertheless, that lack of feeling or understanding does not negate the truth of God’s love being in me. God’s love in me is my value!

God’s Glory in You
Again, in the prayer of Jesus that is recorded in John 17, we see a truth about the amazing value God places in us. In this prayer Jesus refers to God’s glory being in us.

• “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me”
  John 17:22-23

Let’s do a side note here to help us understand God’s glory; God’s glory in us, and subsequently our value and worth, because of God.  In John 17 the Greek word for glory is “doxa,” which implies God’s intrinsic worth or value.  A related word for glory in the Old Testament means “weighty” implying value. So, according to John 17:22, God’s glory is in us. And, according to 2 Cor. 3:18, the Spirit is transforming us into the image of Jesus in increments of increasing glory. It is encouraging and uplifting to know God is the agent of change and of my value.

We see the same truth in Romans 8:29-30, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

The glory of God is in the believer through Jesus Christ being in the believer. The concept of the “glory of God” is complex and has several meanings, but in basic terms, in this verse, it refers to  the divine nature. The divine nature of God is in us through Jesus in us.

2 Peter 1: 3-4 further explains this glory in us.

• “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

In John 1:12-13, Jesus reveals that through our faith in Him we become true children of God, born of God. God’s spiritual DNA, so to speak, is in us, and as it unfolds in my life I am participating in God’s divine nature.

On my worst day when I am feeling like a total failure, with no splendor and very little value I turn to this truth. The truth of “God’s glory in me” contradicts that feeling. That is value!

God’s Light in You
God places His Light in us. This truth is revealed in 2 Corinthians 4:6

• “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

This verse connects with those written above and solidifies the concept of God’s glory, God’s value being in us through Jesus in us. Light is a beautiful thing; without it our lives would be very challenging

The truth that God’s light is in me is astounding. I cannot even say I really understand it. But on those days when my thinking and vision of myself is dimmed by shadowy accusations, guilt or misperceptions, I am grateful that God’s light leads me, removes the darkness and illuminates truth. I hold on to that truth.

Reflections
There is much to say about the value God places in us through Jesus and His Spirit.
The scriptures shared in this post are rich with truth and can provide hours of meditation, prayer and deeper study.

What I love about these truths is that I don’t have to construct or conjure up my own value. I don’t have to draw attention to myself or my achievements to feel valued. I don’t have to meet the ever-changing standards and expectations of people in order to have value.

Even on my best day, I cannot make my own value. Trying to construct my own meaning and value is wearisome. It is chasing after the wind. God loves me and puts true value in me.

I encourage you to meditate on the truth about God in you and think on these questions:
       – How does knowing this truth about God’s value in you and of you draw you closer to God?
       – How does knowing this truth change your view of yourself?
       – How might this truth impact your relationships and pursuits in life?