1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit ? Or where can I flee from Your presence ? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there ; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. Psalm 139
Do you really believe that all are created equal? Do you really believe that all have equal value? It’s easy to say, “yes.” But give it some thought. Certain persons are protected by security forces that would give their lives to save the VIP. Doesn’t that say that some persons are worth more than others? Aren’t most of the folks on television beautiful and very fit? Don’t we in America have more than folks in the rest of the world?
What’s so easy to say, just doesn’t easily conform to the world around us. Yet we know that God created each in His image, yet unique and proclaimed by Him to be “good.” We were each worth the death of His Son, each one no matter where born or in what social state. We were, each of us, created to have a relationship with our Creator. All these things “prove” our equal and great worth.
There are two tendencies we must resist with our whole beings.
First, we must resist the idea that because we don’t match up with some media ideal that we are worth less than anyone else. His love pierces our appearance or circumstances and His love flows equally.
Second, we must resist the idea that anyone is not worth our effort, that any person does not deserve our best effort to bring into relationship with the Savior we know. We must resist the idea that Muslims are beyond salvation or that the Chinese are just too numerous to have individual redemptive value. We can’t be satisfied that we just can’t relate to persons of different background, race or belief.
I was reminded of this lesson today. As I sat listening to a book at the Waffle House next to a person I didn’t even notice. Gary Herman came in and within minutes had engaged this person in meaningful conversation about his spiritual life. I think that man’s life was changed. If it had been just he and I, there would have been no change.
Every person we see or meet or pass on the street has eternal value and our value rests, at least in part, in our potential to change that life forever. Thanks for the reminder Brother Gary, and be blessed.
Nick
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