In 1963, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr went to London with manager Brian Epstein to purchase a new drum kit. Ringo spotted a 3-piece Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl kit in the window, and Epstein went in to haggle with the store owner over the price. Epstein wanted to get the kit free, but they eventually agreed to trade Ringo’s old drum kit for the new Ludwig kit. The value of the Ludwig kit was about $380. In 2015, that $380 drum kit was sold at auction for the incredible sum of $2,110,000!
What made a used $380 drum kit so valuable? The person to whom it originally belonged. It had belonged to and been played by Ringo Starr. Value is the regard that something is believed to deserve. It is a reflection of the importance or worth that something has in the eyes of the person to whom it belongs. In the eyes of the person who paid such a great price for Ringo’s drum kit, the kit was important enough to be worth paying such a high price to own it.
God places a value on each and every human soul that is far beyond even the price paid for Ringo’s drum kit. We are all God’s creation, created in His image (Genesis 1:27). He knows every inch of us, inside and out (Psalm 139:13). He knows what is in our hearts and understands all of our needs and concerns. Because He created us and because, as His children, we belong to Him, God places great value on us. Of all that God created, we were made only a little lower than the heavenly beings, and has crowned us with glory and honor (Psalm 8:3-5).
We were created by God to be in relationship with Him. However, because of sin, that relationship was severed. But God desired that relationship with us. We were important and had great value in His eyes. How do we know that God placed such high value on us? To answer that question, all we need to do is look at the gospels, at the good news of what His Son, Jesus Christ, did for us. God paid the highest possible price to redeem us from our sin, to bring us back into that relationship with Him.
What was the price that was paid? God loved us so much, He placed so much value on us, that He was willing to pay the ultimate price. It was a price that was more than all the gold and silver in the world, a price that cannot be estimated by our earthly standards. God gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He allowed His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to pay for the redemption of our souls by giving His life for us on the cross. God did this because of His great love for us and because He values us so much that He wants us all who believe in His Son to have eternal life with Him in heaven (John 3:16).
A Worshiper's Journal 