Matthew 10:27-33
[Jesus said] What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. “Everyone who confesses me before others, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Dear Lord Jesus,
You spoke these words as part of Your instructions to the 72 as You sent them on their first mission. You told them and us how essential each of us is to You.
Our sinful natures like to nag us as being worthless, but You know and see our souls; this is why You came here: there is value in every person. You compared our worth to sparrows; even tiny birds have value and sold for a price. Your point was that we are more valuable than any bird.
Sin’s price on our souls was death, and You paid that price with Your suffering and death on the cross. We are so important that the heavenly Father knows our every move; He knows the number of hairs each of us has; they are all numbered; he does not allow one to fall out without his consent.
Since You and the Father love us so much, what can the world do to us? It can criticize us because we trust in You, it can harass us because of our faith, and it could even kill our bodies because we know and believe You have saved us. So when our bodies rest in the grave, our spirits remain with You forever through Your grace. One day, You will raise our bodies, and then our souls and bodies will be restored to perfection for eternity.
You give us the promise of salvation through faith, in the forgiveness You won for us and all believers. You gave Your life to redeem and restore our souls. It is through faith we are saved and confess You.
Strengthen our faith so we can tell others about the value You have placed on them, the forgiveness You have won for them, and how heaven is already theirs through faith. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
You are so valuable that God himself left heaven to become a person, then died for you so you would have eternal life.