For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

(Mark 10:45 NIV)

The story is told of a man who calculated his taxes for 1998 and found that he owed $3,407. He included this letter with his payment:

“Dear IRS,Enclosed is my tax return and payment. Please note the attached article from USA Today. It states the Pentagon paid $171.50 for a hammer and NASA spent $600.00 on a toilet seat.

“Therefore, please find enclosed four toilet seats (valued at $2,400) and six hammers (valued at $1,029). That brings my total payment to $3,429

“Please take the $22 overpayment and apply it to the Presidential Election Fund.  I suggest you send the fund a 1.5-inch screw (HUD reportedly paid $22 for one — see the attached article).

“It has been a pleasure to pay my taxes this year. I look forward to doing it again next year.”

While I don’t recommend paying taxes this way, it raises an interesting question: how do we determine the value of something?

Is a toilet seat worth $600?  Most would say, “No!”  — but if someone is willing to pay that amount, that becomes its value. Consider the latest Labubu doll craze — made of cheap materials, but sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars because people are willing to pay that much.

Scientists once calculated the value of the human body based on its chemical elements — oxygen, carbon, calcium, etc. — and the total came to just a few dollars. But we know we’re worth more than the raw materials that make us up. So, what determines our true worth?

Jesus answered that question not with words, but with action.  The Son of Man came “to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Your worth isn’t based on your income, achievements, or looks. It’s measured by what someone was willing to pay for you.  And Jesus paid with his life.

Let that sink in. The Creator of the universe gave his blood so that you could be redeemed and brought into his family.  So. if you ever wonder whether you matter… look to the cross.  That’s where your value was forever settled.

Prayer: Father, in a world that tries to measure worth by success or possessions, thank you for showing me that my value is rooted in your love and sacrifice. Let that truth shape the way I see myself — and others.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day