The way to see your true worth is by getting your value from God.

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. (James 1:9-11) Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5) … knowing that you were ransomed… not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ… (1 Peter 1:18-19)”

Today, the Forbes rich list says that Jeff Bezos is worth $177 billion dollars, making him the richest man ever. Number 2 on the list is Elon Musk who is worth $151 billion. The first two spots are taken, where are you on the list?

The phrase ‘Jeff is worth X’ actually means, ‘Jeff owns X money’. In our society the worth of someone is measured by how much they own. Theoretically, most people would say that money isn’t a measure of someone’s worth, but practically it is. Try asking someone how many children they have by asking, ‘What are you worth?’ Or, ask a nurse how many patients she cares for by saying, ‘What are you worth?’ – it doesn’t really work.

The ugly truth is that our value in society is measured by what we produce, or own, or achieve. What other measurement of worth is there? Maybe we are valuable just because we are human. But there are 8 billion other humans so how does being one of them make me valuable?

Maybe our worth isn’t about what others think of us, or what the earth thinks of us, the important thing is that we attach ‘worth’ to ourselves. ‘Self-worth’: isn’t that what matters? But on what basis do we conjure ‘self-worth’? Besides, if our true value is what we think about ourselves, how will we ever rise above ourselves? Loving ourselves isn’t the kind of love that satisfies our souls. Self-love by itself is loneliness.

Wouldn’t it be far better if Someone infinitely greater than us attached value to us? Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were loved by Someone Whose perfect love could satisfy our souls?

James, Jesus’ brother, tells us that God completely overturns the value-rating system of the world. God loves to exalt those who are ‘lowly’ in the worlds eyes. God doesn’t wine and dine the self-important but instead values those who are of little worth in the world’s estimation.

How? By making the ‘poor of this world’ rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom He has promised those who love Him. Of course the world thinks all this is worthless compared to winning the lottery! Would you rather be a Christian or have Jeff Bezos wealth – no brainer! Er… but we’d have to have no brains not to see that riches are so temporary. No one’s riches has ever kept them alive – ever. Like flowers, here today gone tomorrow, we all fade away. In contrast, the ‘lowly’ whom God has chosen, die but inherit an eternal Kingdom that can never perish, spoil or fade.

Measure your worth not by stuff, nor by the world’s estimation and definitely not by your own judgement – let your sense of worth come from God.