The Value of a Soul - Martin Wiles

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 NLT

I had never heard such a statement—nor had anyone in my class.

A plane crash has just killed basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and several other people. Many mourned this tragedy, including students at our school. As I took morning prayer requests, the first two related to praying for Kobe’s family.

But one wise youngster said, “The plane had other people on it, too.”

And that’s also when the unbelievable comment followed: “But they weren’t important.”

The comment shocked me, initially, so much so that I couldn’t speak for a moment. Everyone else in the class experienced the same shock.

I could not help myself. The teacher and adult in me came out. “God may not have cared that Kobe Bryant played basketball.”

If I know God as I think I do, I believe He would have cared more about whether Kobe had a relationship with Jesus Christ, whether he was a good husband and dad, and whether he used his skills and talents to promote the love of Christ in his world. I made my point with the self-centered young girl, and I hope she got it. In her mind, Kobe’s value lay only in playing basketball well.

Value is a funny thing. Something can have value and hold no worth. The opposite can also hold true. Something can have no value but become valuable.

My wife and I often saw this happen at antique auctions. Occasionally, an ugly item would come up for bid but initially receive no bids. Our auctioneer friend knew the solution to the problem. “If you buy this, you will be the only person with one.”

Once he said that, hands shot up, and bids poured in. Suddenly, something that held no value sold for unbelievable money because the scenario changed.

Economics calls this supply and demand. Prices drop when a large supply of something exists, but no one wants it. But prices rise if a limited supply exists and many people want it. Value is not always determined by the item itself but by who wants it and how many people crave it.

Value works differently with people, too. What others think I’m worth doesn’t matter. The writer of Genesis said God created people in His image. We are not identical to God, but we resemble Him in many ways. We can think, feel, love, and show emotion. The image of God in us makes us valuable.

The value of a soul hinges on whom we belong to. Having God as our creator doesn’t necessarily mean we belong to Him. The connection comes through faith in Christ. When that happens, we enter His family and become His child, not just His creation.

My Dad’s hobby was woodworking. He built many beautiful items, but if they didn’t come into his home, they were only his creations, not his personal property.

Value is further determined by what God says about us. He says we belong to Him and that no one can snatch us from His hand. No person or circumstance holds enough power to overpower God’s strong arm that holds us safely in His care.

My young students confused identity with performance. In her mind, Kobe held more importance than the others on the plane because he had fame in the basketball world. God, on the other hand, says our value has nothing to do with what we do but with who we are. And in Christ, we belong to the heavenly Father. That determines our value. Our doing is only proof of our appreciation for what God has done in our lives. We serve because of Who has served us.

Don’t determine your worth by what you do, but by whom you belong to.

Father, may I realize that You determine my true worth through my connection to You. 

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On Call - Martin Wiles

Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36 NKJV

I wondered why I could do a task and stop while my wife kept moving from one task to another.

That was before I attended a seminar entitled Brain-Based Gender Differences in Boys & Girls, Men & Women. I learned fifteen percent more blood flows in the female brain than in the male brain. When a boy listens, he normally listens with only one side of his brain. In women, blood typically flows in both hemispheres of the brain. Not so with boys and men.

The male can “zone out” and enter an “empty box” where they can actually think about nothing. A wife may not understand a man saying “Nothing” when she asks him what he’s thinking about, but he actually can. Women have a difficult time thinking about nothing. Their brains work constantly with constant activity between both spheres. We might say the female brain is always on call. Not so with men and boys.

Somewhat like having a job where the employee is on call 24/7. I’ve had a few of those jobs. Nowhere I went was I off duty. Ever. I worked—or at least had the potential to work—365 days a year, and with no extra compensation. I prefer set hours where I can enjoy downtime. I suppose that’s because I am a man and don’t want my brain—or body—to work continually.

But two things I should always be on call for are mercy and love. Jesus said when I do I follow the example of the heavenly Father who demonstrates love and mercy. God the Father showed these qualities when He sent His Son to pay our sin debt. He continues to show them daily to His children—and even as a by-product to those who aren’t.

As God’s representative—and the recipient of His love and mercy—I’m to show the same to others. God’s mercy never runs out and ours for others shouldn’t either. Evil destroys our world in many different ways, so the need to show mercy will linger until God creates the new heaven and the new earth.

As the female brain is continuously on call, so our efforts to find ways to demonstrate mercy should be also. God wants us to channel what He has deposited in our hearts.

Ask God to send you daily opportunities to be on call to show mercy to others.

Prayer: Father, may we always be on call to show love and mercy to others.

Tweetable: Are your love and mercy always on call?

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