You Matter. Yes, You!Prøve

Imagine walking into a five-star restaurant in your gym pants and sweaty shirt. You would most likely make a run for the bathroom to change. Why? Because the standard of dress all around you would be too much to endure. You would either want to meet that standard or shrink back from it. Thus, when we as sinners come face-to-face with our own shame, guilt, and regret, and then likewise come face-to-face with God’s ultimate purity, the two don’t mix. A sparkling diamond always looks brightest against a black backdrop, and God’s holiness appears even more stark compared to us when we are acutely aware of our own lack. On our own, though—just like Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:5—we will never be able to clean up enough to remove shame, guilt, and regret. In Isaiah’s situation, an angel flew to him with coal from the altar of the Lord. Then the angel touched Isaiah’s lips with it and declared, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven” (Isaiah 6:7). Only after receiving God’s forgiveness can we overcome worry and anxiety about our personal value. Truth is, we will never be pure enough, clean enough, honest enough, sinless enough, or you-name-it enough without God’s help and forgiveness. Yes, some of our sin caused feelings of shame and guilt, and some of our shame is due to other sinners. Regardless, forgiveness is required to reach a level of personal value in our own hearts. ## Your value is intrinsically tied to Christ Himself, and the grace He has provided. His death, burial, and resurrection declare you a child of the King, and royal blood runs through your veins. Memorize this and say it each day: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). You are the righteousness of God in Christ. Christ is in you, the hope of glory, which gives you exquisite personal value. [IMAGE CONTENT]