“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God… Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Luke 12:6–7
There is a question that quietly shapes almost every decision we make.
Am I valuable?
Most of us would never admit that this question is constantly running beneath the surface of our lives, yet it influences far more than we realise. It affects the careers we pursue, the relationships we stay in, the possessions we buy, the recognition we seek, and even the way we compare ourselves with others.
The real question, however, is not whether we seek value.
The real question is:
Who or what have we allowed to determine our value?
The World’s Value System
From the day we are born, we are taught often unintentionally that value is something to be earned.
We learn that people celebrate achievement. They admire success. They applaud wealth. They notice beauty. They respect influence. They listen to those with status.
Slowly, we begin to believe that our value rises and falls with our performance.
“If I earn more, I’ll matter more.”
“If people admire me, then I’ll know I’m valuable.”
“If I achieve enough, perhaps I’ll finally feel like I’m enough.”
The problem with this way of thinking is obvious.
Anything that gives you your value today can also take it away tomorrow.
Lose the job.
Lose the business.
Lose your health.
Lose your reputation.
Lose your wealth.
If your value is built upon what you possess or what you achieve, then your sense of worth will always be vulnerable.
Jesus understood this long before psychologists ever described it.
That is why He said,
“Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Luke 12:15
In other words, your life and therefore your worth is not measured by how much you own.
Yet, if we’re honest, this is one of the greatest temptations we face.
An Honest Observation About Our World
The Bible is refreshingly honest about the world we live in.
Ecclesiastes tells the story of a poor but wise man who saved an entire city through his wisdom.
Yet afterwards…
“No one remembered that poor man.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:13–16)
What a sobering observation.
Wisdom was present.
The solution was found.
Lives were saved.
Yet because the man was poor, he was eventually forgotten.
Nothing has really changed.
Our society often measures value by wealth, influence, titles and visibility.
The successful are listened to.
The wealthy are admired.
The influential are followed.
Meanwhile, countless people of extraordinary wisdom remain unnoticed.
Ecclesiastes isn’t encouraging this reality.
It is simply describing life “under the sun.”
Jesus invites us to see life from heaven’s perspective instead.
God’s Value System Is Completely Different
When Jesus wanted to teach people about their value, He didn’t point to successful people.
He pointed to birds.
“Look at the birds of the air… your heavenly Father feeds them… Are you not much more valuable than they?”
(Matthew 6:26)
Notice what Jesus doesn’t say.
He doesn’t say,
“You’ll become valuable if you obey.”
He doesn’t say,
“You’ll become valuable if you perform.”
He simply reminds us of who our Father is.
The birds haven’t earned His care.
The flowers haven’t earned their beauty.
Yet the Father delights in providing for them.
Then Jesus asks a question that changes everything:
“How much more valuable are you?”
The comparison isn’t based on behaviour.
It is based on identity.
Before You Ever Did Anything
One of the most beautiful moments in Scripture happens before Jesus has begun His public ministry.
He hasn’t healed anyone.
He hasn’t preached the Sermon on the Mount.
He hasn’t performed His miracles.
He hasn’t gone to the cross.
Yet, at His baptism, the Father’s voice is heard from heaven:
“This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
(Matthew 3:17)
Think about that.
The Father’s delight came before Jesus’ public ministry.
Performance did not create His identity.
Identity shaped His performance.
The same pattern runs throughout Scripture.
God’s love is not earned.
His value for us is not based upon our achievements.
It begins with relationship.
While We Were Still Sinners
Perhaps the greatest evidence of our value is not found in what we have done for God.
It is found in what God has done for us.
Scripture says,
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)
Notice the timing.
Not after we cleaned ourselves up.
Not after we became good enough.
Not after we deserved His attention.
While we were still sinners.
Our condition revealed our need.
It did not determine our value.
The cross was not God’s response to valuable people.
The cross revealed how valuable people already were to Him.
The Image That Was Damaged…But Never Lost
The Bible teaches that humanity was created in the image of God.
Sin has distorted that image.
It has damaged the way we think, love, lead and live.
But it has never erased the fact that every human being still bears the Creator’s image.
That is why every life has dignity.
Every life has worth.
Every life deserves honour.
I once heard Dr. Francis Myles describe people as “God’s currency.”
Whether or not we use that exact expression, it captures something profoundly biblical: God treasures people above possessions. We spend much of our lives pursuing the things God created, while He pursues the people He created in His image.
We are His treasured possession.
Everything else is simply entrusted to our care.
The £10 Note
Imagine I handed you a £10 note.
Then you dropped it on the floor.
Stamped on it.
Scrunched it into a ball.
Covered it in dirt.
Would it still be worth £10?
Of course.
Its condition may have changed.
Its value has not.
Why?
Because its worth was never determined by its appearance.
It was determined by the one who issued it.
Many of us have walked through failure.
Some carry regret.
Others have experienced rejection, abuse or shame.
Life may have left its marks upon us.
But our Creator has not changed His declaration over what He made.
Our condition does not cancel our value.
A Lesson I Was Reminded Of
A few days ago, my daughter celebrated her birthday.
She’s now a teenager, and watching her grow has been one of the greatest joys of my life.
But I still remember the very first moment I held her.
She hadn’t achieved anything.
She hadn’t learned to walk.
She hadn’t spoken her first word.
She hadn’t made me proud through accomplishments.
She simply made a tiny cry.
And yet, I loved her with a love I had never experienced before.
Why?
Not because of anything she had done.
Simply because she’s my daughter.
She is precious to me because she belongs to me.
As I reflected on that moment recently, I couldn’t help but wonder whether this is one of the hardest truths for many of us to believe about God.
Some of us have grown up believing that love must be earned.
That acceptance depends on performance.
That value comes after achievement.
But our heavenly Father tells a different story.
Long before we had anything to offer Him…
He valued us.
So much so that He came looking for us.
A Different Perspective
In my previous article, we explored the first perspective we need about God:
We are accepted by Him.
That means we no longer have to hide.
This perspective builds upon the first.
We are valued by Him.
That means we no longer have to spend our lives proving our worth.
The world will always have its own value system.
It will measure people by success, wealth, influence and appearance.
But the Kingdom of God begins somewhere entirely different.
It begins with a Father who looks at His children and declares their worth before they have done anything to earn it.
Perhaps the greatest freedom we can experience is allowing the One who created us…not the world around us…to define what we are worth.
Because once we truly believe that we are valued by God, we are finally free to stop chasing value everywhere else.
So let me leave you with one question.
Who or what have you allowed to determine your value?
