Question 1

In what ways is God worthy of our respect and praise?

Accepted Answer

2 Samuel 22:4“I [David] called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”Psalm 29:1-2Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.Psalm 33:4The word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.Psalm 145:3Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.Revelation 4:11“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”In every way, God is worthy of our praise, worship, respect, and trust. In our limited human perspective on life and the world, it is common to assign worth to created things rather than the Creator of all things. When we do this, we lose perspective on who God is, on what he has done for us, and on what life is all about.

Question 2

What am I worth—what is my value to God?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 1:27So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.Deuteronomy 26:18“The Lord has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must obey all his commands.”Psalm 8:5Yet you made them [people] only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.Matthew 16:26“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”Ephesians 2:10We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.God made us in his own image, so he must value us highly! We are his treasure and masterpiece. We are invaluable to him, which is why he sent his Son to die for our sins so that we could live forever in God’s presence.Psalm 139:13You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.Jeremiah 1:5“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”God made us with great skill; he crafted us with loving care. He showed how much value he places on us by the way he made us.Psalm 139:17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!Almighty God thinks wonderful thoughts about us all the time. He looks inside of us and sees our real value.Psalm 139:1-3, 6O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. . . . Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!God values us so much that he watches over us no matter where we are or what we are doing. This truly is wonderful, too wonderful to believe. But it tells us how special he thinks we are. God cares about everything we do because he loves us so much.1 Corinthians 6:19-20Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.God values his people so much that he even allows our bodies to become a temple in which he lives. God does not need to live within us. He can live anywhere. But by choosing to live within us, he declares us his temple, his dwelling place. What a great value he places on us to do that!Galatians 3:26You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.Galatians 4:7Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.God values us so much that he thinks of us as his children.Matthew 28:20“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”God promises to be with us always; why would he want to be with us if he didn’t value us?

Question 3

What makes me worthy in God’s eyes?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 1:27So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.Every person is created in God’s image. This makes us of highest value to God.Matthew 6:26-30“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”God himself declares our lives to be valuable and worthy of his care.1 Corinthians 6:20God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.1 Corinthians 7:23God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.We are worthy because God paid a high price for us. He loved us enough to die for us. That’s how important we are to him!Ephesians 1:4-7Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.Before God made the world, he chose us to be born as his unique creations, holy and forgiven.

Question 4

How can I develop a healthier sense of self-worth?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 139:17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!Romans 12:3Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I [Paul} give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.1 Peter 4:10God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.Healthy self-esteem comes from an honest appraisal of ourselves—not too proud, because our gifts and abilities were given to us by God, yet not so self-effacing that we fail to use our gifts and abilities to their full potential. Using our gifts to bless and serve others actually increases our self-worth because it takes the focus off us and allows God to work more effectively through us.

Question 5

What does God consider to be of worth?

Accepted Answer

1 Corinthians 13:13Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.God values the enduring characteristics of faith, hope, and love. What makes love the greatest? While each of these is eternal, eventually faith and hope will not be necessary. Heaven will be an unending and unlimited experience of God’s love.Proverbs 4:7Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.God values wisdom and good judgment.1 Timothy 4:8“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”God values a persistent and disciplined desire to know and follow him.Ecclesiastes 7:1A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.God values a good reputation.Proverbs 20:15Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies.God values wise and helpful words.Proverbs 31:10Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.God values virtue and exemplary conduct.John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”God values our love for him and gratitude for our salvation.Romans 5:8God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.God values his deep and selfless love for us.

Question 6

How can I keep my life focused on things of worth?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 119:37Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.Luke 10:42“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”Acts 14:15“Friends, why are you doing this [worshiping us]? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.”Acts 20:24“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”2 Corinthians 3:5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.Philippians 3:8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain ChristPhilippians 4:8Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.Keeping our eyes on God keeps our priorities and perspective straight. When we focus on following Jesus Christ, studying the word of God, and doing God’s work to build up his Kingdom, then we ensure that the focus of our lives will be worthwhile.Philippians 3:13-14No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.Forgetting the past means choosing not to remember and mull over our past, having repented and entrusted our past with its sins to God, and moving forward in serving God by following Jesus.

Worth/Worthiness