God's Image in You... Priceless!
By Robert A. Schuller
"God said, 'Now we will make humans,
and they will be like us. We will let
them rule the fish, the birds, and all
other living creatures.'" - Genesis 1:26 (CEV)
A speaker began his seminar by holding
up a twenty-dollar bill and asking who
in the room would like it. Of course,
nearly every hand went up. "I'm going
to give this to one of you as soon as
I do this..." he said - whereupon he
wadded the bill into a tiny ball and
rolled it around between his palms.
"Anybody still want it now?" he asked.
The same hands went up.
"Okay, what if I do this?" he asked,
dropping the wadded-up bill on the floor
and stomping on it with his shoe and grinding
it into the carpet. "Anybody still want this
badly treated twenty-dollar bill now?" he asked.
Again, all the hands went up.
The speaker's point quickly became obvious.
The value of the twenty-dollar bill was
not dependent on it being wrinkle-free or
in mint condition. The value of the bill
was based on the images on the face of it:
the signs and seals of the U.S. Treasury,
the signature of the Secretary of the Treasury,
and the numerical dollar amounts in the corners.
And that's what makes you valuable. The
source of your value is not your environment,
or your fellow human beings, the church, or
even your own gifts and abilities. Your value
is the image of God you bear for His glory.
You are infinitely valuable to God, so wear His
image well.
By Robert A. Schuller
"God said, 'Now we will make humans,
and they will be like us. We will let
them rule the fish, the birds, and all
other living creatures.'" - Genesis 1:26 (CEV)
A speaker began his seminar by holding
up a twenty-dollar bill and asking who
in the room would like it. Of course,
nearly every hand went up. "I'm going
to give this to one of you as soon as
I do this..." he said - whereupon he
wadded the bill into a tiny ball and
rolled it around between his palms.
"Anybody still want it now?" he asked.
The same hands went up.
"Okay, what if I do this?" he asked,
dropping the wadded-up bill on the floor
and stomping on it with his shoe and grinding
it into the carpet. "Anybody still want this
badly treated twenty-dollar bill now?" he asked.
Again, all the hands went up.
The speaker's point quickly became obvious.
The value of the twenty-dollar bill was
not dependent on it being wrinkle-free or
in mint condition. The value of the bill
was based on the images on the face of it:
the signs and seals of the U.S. Treasury,
the signature of the Secretary of the Treasury,
and the numerical dollar amounts in the corners.
And that's what makes you valuable. The
source of your value is not your environment,
or your fellow human beings, the church, or
even your own gifts and abilities. Your value
is the image of God you bear for His glory.
You are infinitely valuable to God, so wear His
image well.