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If someone wanted to give you a hundred dollar bill, would you take it? (Yeah…like everyone else, you’d probably pocket the cash.)
But what if that same hundred dollar bill had a small coffee stain on the back of it? Would you take it then? (You probably wouldn’t let a small coffee stain keep you from collecting a cool hundred bucks – you probably wouldn’t even let a large coffee stain keep you from that much cash!)
And what if the same bill not only had a coffee stain but was also a bit wrinkled? Would you still want the flawed bill? (Still a no-brainer, right?)
But what if the wrinkled bill not only had a coffee stain on it, but a tear in one corner, as well? That’s some pretty serious cosmetic damage. Would you still want the money, as messed up as it is? (Again, you’re probably thinking of all the ways you could spend it.)
Let’s take it even further. Suppose the wrinkled-up bill not only has a large coffee stain on it and a tear in one corner, but someone has also defaced Ben Franklin’s bald head with strange scribbles and doodles. Would you want the note, then? (Of course you would!)
Even if the person giving you the $100 bill blew their nose on it first, you’d still accept the money. Most people would take the money even if it had blood on it! That’s because no matter how rough and worn that hundred dollar bill is, it’s still valuable! No amount of wear and tear can decrease its worth. Ripped, faded, torn, creased up, or stained, a hundred bucks is still worth a hundred bucks!
The Bible tells us that God sees us a lot like that messed up money. Yeah, we’re all rough around the edges. Some of us have a missing corner and a blotchy stain. Others might even have a tear or two. In short, sin has taken its toll on us. But God still values us and wants us, no matter how damaged we are. Take a look at just how great God’s desire for us is:
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)
God wanted us, even when we were at our worst.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Desire
God’s Love
Money
Self-Image
Sin
Ugly
Valuable
Worth
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
