Realizing Our Value

People are in pain: (isolation, guarded, anger, suicide, harming self, not trying, failing)

Series Review - God pursues people who are running away, in pain

Wanting someone to find God - God is already pursuing them. But is a partnership. How we pursue and persuade may not be God’s way. How does God pursue a loving relationship with people? God is our example.

Why do we struggle with self esteem? (Roundtable question about this passage

caused by others

Do you wear a label that others stuck on you?

Have you been neglected? Abandoned?

Trauma

Judged for failures?

Criticized for mistakes?

Self imposed guilt - Mothers Day - isolated from children; parenting mistakes?

Pastors experience this: successes and frustrations, along with the common struggles

Why listen?

How you perceive your value. What are you worth? Do you think your gifts are valuable to the world? Do you believe you are cherished by your family? Are you admired by friends and co-workers? What are you worth? There is a huge difference between someone with low and high self esteem. Do you think God is pursuing you?

Self esteem affects everything...these can take a toll…”sinking in darkness”

roundtable saw a theme - the coin represents value, and our value is in Christ.

The list is important, but cannot be the source of self esteem. People’s minds will change (admired to criticized. Loving family to a distant, abusive one. Seeing your spiritual gifts, but God is solid, consistent.

Good news: God pursues people who don’t see themselves as valuable, because of what others have said. How others have treated them.

What do we need to know about this pursuit? Listening to the roundtable saw 3 things:

Only God knows our true value. 2) God stubbornly pursues us, and 3) God Announces our value

Only God knows our true value

The coin, the drachma, was valuable, depending on who owned it, wanted it, or lost it.

For some, it was a day’s wage. For others, it was a rare coin and worth alot more. Drachma’s were gifts given as a dowry, passed down from generation to generation, so as a keepsake it was extremely valuable. the woman pursued a lost coin, because she knew its value.

People won’t see your value. Acknowledge your gifts. Exclude you because you are different. God placed value on you when he placed his son on the cross. He loves us. Gifted us. Placed us in a family, sadly forgets that’s what they are.

God is in stubborn pursuit. God shows our value by how hard he seeks:

Stops for the one. Notices our lostness (people leave, do we know?).

Sweeps - clears away the clutter (?)

Sheds light - not just so He can see, but so others can, clear away our darkness

Our value, our self esteem is in Christ. M

3) God Announces our value to others

Celebration might seem like overkill, but the celebration shows how much we are valued. (E.g. visiting family)

Placed us in a family, sadly the family forgets that’s what they are. Announces it...how does God announce our value??.

Our Ministry of Pursuit (having a God-like mission) examples of each

knowing our value before knowing others value,

Built in to great commission - go into all the world and share the good news; the great commandment: love neighbor as self ,

being a light to the darkness, helping people see their value- poverty, abuse