272. WOMAN, YOU HAVE WORTH!

(The Single Woman Series – Batch 4)

Dear lady or young person, did you know? Even if nobody has yet told you or you have a hard time believing it, you have worth!

When feeling unlovely therefore, insignificant, not very lady-like and worthless because of how you may have been treated and regarded by others and rejected throughout your life, whether this be as a daughter, a sister, an employee, a Church member, a girlfriend, a wife or a mother…

When feeling unloved in this world because practically everyone, including your own family and some Church members have mercilessly shunned, ignored, criticized or insulted you, spoken roughly or unkindly or dismissively or condescendingly to you, as if you were stupid, had no place in God’s Kingdom agenda and God gave you, a nobody, nothing worth mentioning and certainly no wisdom that could benefit others…

When feeling unseen and invisible because you have realized you are as dead to most people, that those that know you don’t care whether you make it in this life, succeed spiritually, get answers to your problems or remain in them and treat you as if you are not alive, not a real person with real feelings, real emotions, real issues, real problems, real fears and real hurts and therefore withhold from you much needed love, encouragement, advice, support and help…

When feeling lesser than and inferior to others, as if they have something that you are missing because they are treated well by others, while you are treated poorly or they have been accepted and you have been rejected or they have been embraced but you have been regarded as an outcast or they seem to have it all together and are more confident than you or for any other reason…

Remember that you have worth as a HUMAN BEING.

Within the perfect and decisive will of God, he deliberately purposed and created you as a human being, when he could have created you as a frog, a dog, an ant a beetle or some other life form, like a plant.

As a human being, you have value to God, so much so, that he condemns the shedding of man’s blood, which in modern day terms, means the taking of the life of a human being.

This value you have is not of yourself or due to anything that you have done for yourself. It is a value that comes due to the fact that God created you, made you a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:7) and made you in his image and likeness.

Genesis 1:26-27 states what transpired when God (comprising God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit) decided to create mankind. It reads:

• “…And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them.”

To be created by God and in his own image is a big deal! Although we are mere mortal human beings, the fact that we were created by God in his own image and likeness, has resulted in us being highly valued by God.

He has valued us so highly as human beings that he indicated to Noah after the flood, that any beast (animal) or person that took the life of another human being, would be held accountable by him. He said that he would require it, meaning he would not allow that animal or person to be held guiltless.

It therefore tells us that God takes the killing of a human being seriously and personally, as the offender is regarded as committing a crime against Him, first and foremost, in daring to put to death what He, the almighty God created and in His own image and likeness.

In Genesis 9:5-6, God told Noah and his sons, (the only people along with their wives who had survived the great flood) and by extension, all of mankind that would come through them:

• “And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”

God certainly held Cain (Adam and Eve’s first son) accountable when he shed Abel his brother’s blood, although this was many years prior to Noah’s time and the first murder that had taken place on the earth.

In Genesis 4, after Cain had slain his brother due to the jealousy, envy and anger he harboured because his offering had been rejected by God and Abel’s offering had been accepted, God did not leave the situation alone, although no laws or precepts seemed to have yet been given to mankind, other than the one command which God gave to Adam initially, which he and Eve broke in the garden.

Verses 8-13 reads:

• “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.”

God has therefore placed a high price on every life, whether that person is saved (knows Jesus and is therefore redeemed) or not and nobody is authorized to downplay this fact or discount such value. This is why we need to treat every man and woman, boy and girl with respect, love and dignity, even the unsaved person. Human dignity is a basic right of humanity because of the high value that God has placed on a human being.

This is why God commands us to love one another, even our enemies and those that hate us. Once a person is a human being, we must love that person, no matter who he is and how he behaves and what he does. This is a debt that we owe to human beings, not because of a right they have accrued to themselves or how well they have behaved but because it brings God honour when we see people as having been created by him in his image and likeness and therefore, valuable beings.

Romans 13:8-10 commands that we should:

• “Owe no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

This love for another person is not to be predicated on how he or she treats us or the kind of personality that he or she has. The scriptures let us know unequivocally, that every man and woman, boy and girl is worthy of love, respect and human dignity. This worth doesn’t come from the person or how he or she has conducted herself or has treated us or who they are, how they look, their ethnicity and how high or low their social, financial, political or professional standing. It comes from the fact that he or she exists as a human being because he or she was created by God in his image and likeness.

This duty to love extends to even those that despise us. This may seem difficult to do (I have certainly had my challenges) but God’s Word is the final authority and it is to be obeyed. In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus stated specifically that we are to love our enemies. No matter how badly they may have treated us or hurt us or hated on us therefore, we are to love them because they have been created as human beings by God and in his image and likeness and this brings him glory.

The scripture reads:

• “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Given that God took the time to craft and create you and created you as a human being therefore, there is a value that you have been born into this world with, a value and worth that comes from the fact that you were made by God and in his image and likeness. This value that you have, nobody can take away from you, for you have already been created. No matter what people may have said therefore or how badly you may have been treated, know that these were attacks from the enemy, to keep you confused as to your true value as a human being. You can choose to ignore these lies and tune in to the truth of God’s Word as set out in his book, the Bible.

Remember, if you know Jesus as Lord, you have worth as a CHRISTIAN.

The Bible warns us that God’s wrath will descend upon this earth one day, when Jesus Christ returns to judge the world of sin. Thankfully, the Bible also tells us what we must do in order to be saved from this damnation to come, where the souls of many will be put in hell.

Romans 10:9-10 declares:

• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

When a person believes that God rose Jesus up from the dead on the third day therefore and as a result of this, he or she confesses with the mouth that Jesus is truly Lord, meaning he is over all and has authority over all, including this world and that person, then that person becomes a Christian or a Believer.

That person was initially CREATED by God as was stated earlier on in the Note but now, they have gone further and been REDEEMED by God, through the blood of Jesus, when he died sacrificially as a substitute in our place, for the sins of the whole world and caused our sins (which are many), to be remitted or forgiven by God. A person who has believed that the story about Jesus, the Son of God is true and in particular, that he died and rose up again from the dead and so they confess that truly he (Jesus) is Lord, is adopted by God into his royal heavenly family and is made a partaker of his eternal inheritance.

That person is now REDEEMED, covered by the PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS of Christ, REGENERATED by God’s Spirit and RECONCILED with God because in believing and confessing, they have obeyed God and received his salvation as a result.

Such a person becomes even more valuable to God than the value he or she had simply because they were created by God as a human being, in his likeness and image. This additional value that God places on that person is not because of anything he or she has done but because of the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus on him or her. This covering from Jesus Christ which is perfect, renders such a person to be in Christ Jesus and therefore perfect in God’s eyes, despite his or her many sins. For, in dying sacrificially on the cross, Jesus remitted all those sins, nailed them to the cross, so that no more penalty could be ascribed to that person, although deserving of same.

God therefore places a premium price on those who, in addition to being created by him (and therefore having value as a human being), have been reconciled to him, now have relationship with him and are in covenant with him, by the faith that he or she has placed in Jesus Christ his Son. Such persons he considers to be his children (not those he has created) and such persons (Christians) are precious in his sight. Their value increases not because of what they have done but because of who they have believed in, which is Jesus Christ and what He did for them.

To illustrate how precious and additionally valuable God considers those who are in covenant with him to be, we need look no further than the Israelites, people who God entered into a covenant with in the Old Testament days and c0nsidered to be his special people.

In Isaiah 43:1-7, God spoke of his children the Israelites in high terms, lovingly, protectively, letting them know through his Prophet that because they were not just created by him but redeemed, they were highly valuable in his sight, precious, that as far as he was concerned, they belonged to him, that he therefore took full responsibility for them and that he would go to great lengths for them.

The scripture reads:

• “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

If you are a Christian therefore, in that you have genuinely believed from your heart in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and have confessed him as Lord, thereby surrendering your whole life to his will, leading and control, then you have tremendous worth to God because you have been redeemed, that is bought back from the destructive clutches of the devil, who, sadly is the master of all those who are upon earth that have been created by God but are outside of covenant with Him because they have refused to believe on Jesus Christ his Son.

When God stated to the Israelites in Isaiah 43: “…Thou art mine”, he was laying claim to them. He was stating that their identity was to be found in him. They were to be called by His name.

This is what happens when a man takes responsibility for a woman, proposes to her, takes her down the aisle and commits the rest of his life lovingly to her. This woman is now identified as his wife, belonging to him (and him to her) and called by his name.

This is why women drop their maiden names after marriage and assume their husband’s name or add his name to the end of theirs. Either way, this is significant, for it tells the world that she is now under his leadership and his loving, protective care.

What God told the Israelites is true of those today who are in covenant with him under the New Testament and form part of the Church or the body of Christ. When God tells such believers “I have called thee by thy name.; thou art mine…”, it implies that it doesn’t matter how much rejection you have faced in your life thus far or who has hated you or ill-treated you. It is as if God is saying: Nobody else may want you but I do and my favour is worth more than the favour of the whole world combined.

He lets such persons know that they still have purpose because he made the deliberate choice to create them (without entertaining any body’s opinion) and he made the deliberate choice to lay claim to them by revealing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world to them and pursuing after them so that they would receive it and be saved.

The Bible is full of additional scriptures that remind those who are believers (Christians) of their worth.

In Isaiah 49:16 for example, God told his children through a Prophet: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”

I take this to mean that God is saying: There is not a day that I don’t notice you. You are forever etched in my mind and my heart.

Indeed, in Jeremiah 49:16, God stated of his great and everlasting love for his children: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

If you are a bona fide believer (Christian) therefore, you should be reminded that it is because God loves you and you are precious in his sight, that he has drawn you into relationship with himself. It is because he loves you and you have high value to him, that he sometimes chastens you when you stray and it is because he loves you and you have so much worth in his sight, that he has been so good and faithful and merciful to you and protective of you, even in moments where you know, you didn’t deserve it.

Remember that you have worth as a WOMAN.

If you are a Christian woman and are aspiring to be more and more like the virtuous woman mentioned in Proverbs 31, it is always good to remember the high value that God places on such a woman. He esteems her above expensive jewels which are rare to find.

In verse 10 it reads: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.”

In verse 30, it also reads of a woman who fears the Lord: “Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”

Given that God has graced you with the gift of womanhood (which is indeed a beautiful gift), you should not allow any man or person to trample on your God-given worth and high value.

You don’t need to compare with others either. God has made you uniquely beautiful. Who else do you know that is exactly like you, has your strengths, talents, quirks and personality? You are one of a kind because that is how God has made you. As I read somewhere a few weeks ago, the sun and the moon don’t compete. They both shine when it’s their time.

Spend time investing in yourself therefore and be the best that you can be with what God has given you. Make the most of it and stay in your lane. How you carry yourself, package yourself, speak and dress, goes a long way to how you brand yourself.

CONCLUSION

In closing, you should never forget that within the perfect and decisive will of God, he deliberately purposed and CREATED you as a human being, graced you as a female and if you are an adult, enabled you to live long enough to grow up to become a woman. There is God-given value and God-given dignity in your existence as a created human being and as a woman.

If you are a Christian, you have even more worth, as God went even further and REDEEMED you to himself, from the fallen state in which you were born, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You are now a royal member of his heavenly family, a position that is much more noble than any earthly royalty.

No matter what people say about you therefore or what they think, it is irrelevant, as God has already declared you to be significant (as a human being) and precious (as his redeemed daughter). YOU HAVE WORTH and there isn’t any person on the face of this planet and no devil that can take that away from you. You have worth, so act like it, walk like it, dress like it, meditate upon it by reading God’s Word the Bible and think like it.

Whenever you forget who you are as a human being, a woman and more importantly, who you are in Jesus Christ (if you have received him as Lord and Saviour through faith), do what I do when attacks come and the enemy tries to whisper lies in my ear, that I’m useless. Resort to scripture. This always quenches the lies that the world hurls at us and renews our mind according to truth and beautifully.

(Written on 15th August, 2020)