I have told this story many times but no matter how many times I tell it, I never grow tired of telling it. It ministers to my soul with each retelling.
When my son turned 18, I wanted to get him a special gift. His favorite football player was Walter Payton. I called around the Sacramento area looking for a Walter Payton rookie card and finally found one in Auburn.
When I arrived at the shop, I asked the owner how much a Walter Payton rookie card was worth. He told me it was worth what I “was willing to pay for it.”
That Walter Payton rookie card is nothing more than a piece of cardboard with a picture and some writing. It might have cost 5 cents to make. But because I love my son, that piece of cardboard is worth much much more.
That story always reminds me that I was not worth much until … UNTIL God paid for me with the precious blood of Christ.
“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” [1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT]
Now God’s love and what He was willing to pay for us (the precious blood of His Dear Son) determines our worth. How amazing is that!