Regarding The Value Of People
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesThe story is told of a young man who grew up in an environment of poverty, a broken home, and a violent neighborhood. He skipped school often and was difficult to handle. But when a friend was shot to death, he considered it a wake-up call. Determined to change his life, this young man worked hard to bring his grades from failing to top marks.
However, his high school counselor did not believe in him and told him that no college would accept him. But the young man proved him wrong. He graduated from college and pursued a career in education. He chose that career because, as he stated, “Teachers saw me as a non-entity” — a person of little value, and he didn’t want that to happen to others.
Jesus views every human being as having great value (Matthew 16:26; cf. Psalm 49:6-8). As an example, Zacchaeus was a despised tax collector — a publican (Luke 19:1-10; cf. Matthew 9:11; Luke 15:1-2). Jesus could have ignored him, but He saw him in a tree and called him by name (Luke 19:5). To Jesus, Zacchaeus was a man with an eternal soul in need of salvation — and Jesus made provision for that need (Luke 19:9-10).
It’s important that as Christians, we acknowledge the fact that non-Christians are people whose souls have great eternal value to the Lord. After all, He died for them just as He did for us (Romans 5:6-10 – NKJV). Do the people we interact with every day know that we view them as valuable, not only to us but to God? (1 Timothy 2:1-4; Titus 2:11).
Millions are groping without the gospel,
Quickly they’ll reach eternity’s night;
Shall we sit idly as they rush onward?
Haste, let us hold up Christ the true light.
Into our hands the gospel is given,
Into our hands is given the light,
Haste, let us carry God’s precious message,
Guiding the erring back to the right. —T.S. Teddlie