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My Two Cents
by Rev Chuck Behrens
March, 2015
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Past Articles |
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We’ve all done it before,
eat out…on vacation. I ordered lunch at a small diner overlooking the
ocean and of course it came on a paper plate. Guess what I did with the
plate when I finished lunch? I didn’t wash it, no; I didn’t save it for
later, no. In fact, I’ve never done that with a paper plate. Now look,
we’ve never had tons of money, but I have never in my life saved a paper
plate. I throw it away, like you probably do! And I don’t feel any sense
of loss or regret, “Oh, look what I did to my paper plate.” It doesn’t
bother me.
But we have these other plates at our house. They’re in a cabinet in the
dining room, Erin put them there. We save them for special occasions. And
we wash those after we use them. They’re the best we’ve got – those
dishes. When we’re done, we put them away very carefully. Because if you
drop them, you’re out of the family. Now, what’s the difference? Paper
plates are cheap, practically worthless. You throw them away. Now, fine
china, oh no, that’s expensive, too valuable to throw away. Guess which
one most people feel like today.
Yeah, an awful lot of people feel like paper plates these days. I mean
they’ve been put-down, hurt, neglected, compared, ignored, left out,
abused. And they feel worthless, they’re throwing themselves away. It
could be you’ve been doing that. I mean there’s a lot of ways you can
throw yourself away. You can throw yourself away socially by the work you
choose, or what you do or don’t do when you’re not working. You can throw
yourself away alcoholically, chemically, romantically, sexually,
musically. You can even be suicidal.
But if there’s ever a time in the Church year to notice, Lent is a time to
recognize that God didn’t make any paper plates! If you think you’re not
worth much, you are so wrong about who you are. And anyone who’s treated
you like you’re not worth much; they don’t know who you are either. The
One who knows what you’re worth is the One who gave you your life in the
first place, who gave you your worth in the first place – your Creator.
And here’s how He feels about you.
Exodus 19:5 assures us, “You will be My treasured possession.” God says
you’re treasured; you’re fine china. You’re not trash! You’re too valuable
to throw away. But there’s more in God’s appraisal of your worth. He says
in Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s workmanship.” Now, workmanship isn’t just
thrown together; it’s no accident. You’re a masterpiece. You’re a handmade
creation of God the Creator. And then He goes on to say in that verse,
“You are designed for good works, which He’s prepared in advance for us to
do. “See, you are uniquely created to make a unique difference in people’s
lives.
But there’s more! 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “You were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body.” God says you’re a treasure, He says
you’re His workmanship, and you’re the one He paid a lot for. Look, you
can tell how much a person values something by how much they’re willing to
pay for it. Well, God paid for you with the blood of His one and only Son,
Jesus. And even though you and I have left His creator’s plan for us,
we’ve sinned; He wants you back so much that He sent His Son to do the
dying for your sin. To pay the death penalty in your place.
You’re special, so don’t believe the lies that your brain keeps telling
you that you’re a paper plate, you’re worthless, you keep being tempted
you to throw yourself away. You are fine china, reserved for special
purposes. If you feel like you’re not worth much, LENT is for you. Listen;
don’t believe the lies about who you are anymore. Find out the truth of
your worth by giving yourself to the man who died on a cross for the sin
that actually just dumps all kinds of lies on our worth.
Come on, put your Paper Plate life away. Live like the precious, priceless
gift you have always been created to be; it’s really time now and forever
more to live the treasure our Creator says we are!
See you in Church,
Rev.Chuck
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