What is your worth?

 

According to Pharmex.com your body is worth about $17.18 in chemicals including phosphorous, potassium, and a host of others. Another report says you are worth about $46 million if you sell your heart, your lungs, and your DNA. Did you know your DNA is worth about $9 million? Your most important commodity is your bone marrow. It is worth $23 million!

Before you start planning your next get-rich scheme by selling your body. Just realize, you have to die to get the $46 million. When I was reading chapter 4 of the book of Revelation, the most popular word in these 11 verses is the word "worthy."

The book of Revelation -- everyone has an opinion of what it is about. We have those who believe in a pre-tribulation and post-tribulation viewpoint. We have people who believe the writings are completely symbolic. That leads to them being able to assign their own meaning. Yes, they can give you their justifications, but no one really knows for sure.

So, how do you read such a difficult text?

Really, I am approaching the reading of Revelation just like I do the rest of the Bible. What does God want us to learn about himself? What does God want us to learn about mankind? AND, how do we apply what we learned?  I will leave all the pure interpretations to someone else. YES, I love to read about them, but I believe that God wants US, the normal, average, follower of Jesus, to answer those three questions, period!

The most important theme of Revelation 4 is the worthiness of God! John gets this vision and is invited for a look into heaven. 

"Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this." (Revelation 4:1)

Wow! Wouldn't we all want to see that! He sees crowns, precious stones, and people. He experiences lightning and the rumble of thunder. He sees strange creatures with wings and multiple eyes. Everything is wrapped around the throne of God.

It is at this point in his vision, everything focuses on the worthiness and the worship of God!

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty - the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come." (Revelattion 4:8)

I love how the King James Version describes what the people and the creatures are saying;

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Revelation 4:11)

Here are the answers to our three questions. What can we learn about God from these verses? -- He is worthy of everything we have, everything we are, and everything we will be. HE ALONE is worthy!

What does this chapter teach us about ourselves? -- We were created FOR God's pleasure. We have no other purpose in life. God created us to be with him, to honor him, and to worship him. 

That leads to the last question/answer: How are we to apply this to our daily lives? -- Think about what you have on your schedule today, does it please God, does it honor him, does it worship him? Does your life bring glory, honor, and praise to God? That IS YOUR PURPOSE. You don't have to struggle to think about what is my life's purpose. You don't have to place some arbitrary financial value on your life. You are more than chemicals. You are more than your organs, your DNA, or your bone marrow? Your worth is completely tied to your creator. If you do not worship him you are worth nothing. If you do not praise him, you are not fulfilling your life purpose. 

Turn your life to Jesus. Just try it! If you want to live a life of fulfillment, GOD is how you accomplish that goal. There is no other way. BUT, when you do turn your life to Jesus, no amount of money can represent your value! YOU ARE WORTH GOD'S SON COMING TO EARTH TO DIE THAT YOU MIGHT LIVE!