Elevate Your Value

Daily Devotion | Day 287

“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you have more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).

Fear does a lot of things to people. If people knew in spirit what fear does to them, they would do whatever it takes to eliminate it. On multiple occasions, Jesus addressed this problem, because He knew that fear hurts our cause. Indeed, fear is the enemy of progress. Fear is a form of bondage. To be truly free in life, you need to overcome fear once and for all. In the devotional message sent out a few days ago, I stated that fear interferes with faith. I mentioned also that whatever you fear, that thing has power over you. We scratched the surface on this last point. Today, we want to expand it by looking at what Jesus said in our opening Scripture passage.

Jesus addressed fear by using an example familiar to people of His time. For two copper coins, one could by five sparrows. At that time, a copper coin was worth very little. That one could buy five sparrows for two copper coins shows that sparrows were very cheap. In using the example of sparrows, Jesus wanted to put across the idea of worthlessness. Then He says that despite their cheap market value, not one of the sparrows is forgotten by God. Sparrows have vale before God. And, it is why God does not forget or neglect them. Things of value are treated with care.

Jesus is now ready to draw a lesson from the life of sparrows and apply it to the people. He says, “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” God has numbered the hair on our head, because every detail of our life is of value to Him. To conclude His point, Jesus says, “Do not fear therefore; you have more value than many sparrows.” Notice the point Jesus is making. He wants us to realize that there’s a close relationship between fear and self-value. What does this mean for us?

In God’s eyes, you are of great value. However, your attitude can affect your sense of self-worth. God has given you the power to set your self-value. You do this through your choices, especially through the things you speak and the things you do.

Fear lowers your value. When you entertain thoughts or feelings of fear, panic and anxiety, you reduce your worth. And when you reduce your worth, you reduce your strength. To borrow an expression from modern parlance, fear is an “energy vampire.” It will drain you of energy, life and inspiration. You should, therefore, eliminate fear and replace it with faith and serenity. While fear lowers your value, faith elevates it.

Learn to inspire yourself. The most inspiring people are those who have learned to self-motivate. You can’t always rely on others to motivate you. The best motivation comes from within you. Reject fear. Embrace faith, and elevate your value.

Blessing: May the angels of God guard you today in all your ways. Amen.

For further study: 1 Samuel 17:4-58