Values Clarification

How do we determine personal value?

In my previous post, The Makers Mark. I talked about the values we place on ourselves, and how God determines those values.


Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net 


What I want to ask today is.

What is the criteria we use to determine the value a person has in our life?

What is a person worth to us?

Does that value change?

We all have a wide variety of people in our lives. Family, friends, work, school etc. and we value them all differently.

Then there is that horribly shallow world of the virtual friend, the online friend.

This is the person we want to "like" us. We strive to attract followers to our various social media platforms so that we can feel good about ourselves. We like them purely so they can "like" us. If we post something they don't like or get offended about, we quickly become "unliked", and vice versa.

The fashion industry puts all of its value onto a person purely because of the way they look. Once they no longer have "the look" they are no longer valuable.

All of our relationships; family friends, school, work and social groups.

All of them are subject to shifting values. Family can be split apart, friendships can end, school finishes and jobs change. That person at the shop counter may seem genuinely lovely, but will that still be true when you no longer want to buy something?

I think the most important thing of all though. Is that in becoming aware of how we value people. We must understand how that affects our behaviour towards them. Why do girls go all gooey and wobbly kneed over a teen pop idol? Yes I know, its those raging pubescent hormones, but there is also that projection of a value that has been placed on that person. Sadly girls, Justin Bieber can only marry one of you, and it probably won't be you.

If I value someone purely because of what they can bring into my life, then I am treating them as  a commodity.

But if I recognise the unique value of the individual, then I will treat them differently.

I recently saw this clip of Jefferson Bethke on qideas.org. He's talking on the subject of The Objectification of Women. (You can ignore the sign up prompt and just run the clip) I think what he is saying is applicable to all of us, he challenges how we view and value those around us. It runs for 20 minutes and he talks quite fast, but this is well worth listening to. Plus, he explains all of this much better than I can.

The Makers Mark.

Have you ever wondered, how you can tell what something is really worth?

I've often heard it suggested that value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay.

A friend of mine recently posted an image of a very nice condiment set made of (possibly) cut glass with silver tops. So a discussion ensued about the value of the pieces. Which led me to thinking about the value of antiques.

There are certain things that need to be considered when valuing an antique.



Example of silver hallmarking.

Hallmarks. These determine the identity of the maker or Guildhall. These will be in a series of marks that are stamped into the metal. They also prove the quality of the metal. The example on the right tells us that this piece is; Sterling Silver (lion passant) and that it was tested at the assayers office in London prior to 1870 (crowned leopards head) The date, if you look at the chart below (just to the left of the red circle) is 1841.



Example of Assayers date markings.

Age. The chart on the right shows how dates are indicated. Usually by a letter within a cartouche.
As you can see the letter style changes as does the cartouche as the alphabet is run through.

Commonality. Was the piece part of a large production run? Was it a commissioned piece? If so who was it made for? Is it part of a complete set or are pieces of the set missing? These all add up to determine value.

Provenance. This is the story of the piece. Is there a receipt or work order accompanying the item/s?
I used to share a workshop with an antiques restorer and we saw some very unique pieces of furniture. One was a side table that came from The White House. It was dated back to the Lincoln administration and appeared in a painting of the time. So provenance and history collided to bring about a very valuable piece of furniture. Another piece we saw belonged to a General that served with Wellington at the battle of Waterloo. During the repair/restoration process a pile of letters and photographs were found. Many with names and dates attesting to the authenticity of the piece.

Witness marks. This doesn't have much to do with value. But it is pertinent to what I'm going to say later, and they do have a part to play when it comes to restoration. Sometimes we would get furniture items that were in a partially assembled state, sometimes broken down for transportation. A witness mark will show you where two pieces of timber were joined. There will be a discolouration of the timber. They show how the maker put the piece together in its original state.

So lets take these same principles now and apply them to ourselves. Someone once determined the value of a person, based on the amount of chemicals and minerals found in the average human body. I think the net value was about three dollars.

Well, so much for evolutionary anthropology, we're worth much more than that. Let's run through that list again and see what we come up with.

The Makers Mark. We are made in the image of God. Our purpose on earth is to live as an expression of Christ, and of his Kingdom. We are a unique people, set aside for his purpose.
Ephesians 1:13 (NIV2011)
¹³  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

Passage of Time. Our value is not determined by our past. It is determined by what has been done with our past. We belong to an infinite, eternal God. We are eternal beings, called to eternal purposes. The temporal holds little value, except for those riches we store up in heaven through our Christlike conduct and actions.

One of a Kind. Each and every one of us are; unique, precious and valuable in his sight. There is nothing about us that is common. God holds each one of us with special regard, he has a custom made purpose for each one of us. We are not here to simply "make up the numbers" in a congregation.

Our Story. We all have a story to tell, and that is where our true value is found. We all have a story of; our salvation, a miracle, a revelation, this is our provenance. When we declare our testimony of his glorious works in and through us. It is our witness of how his story has marked our lives, the work that he has done in us. We prove his story in our lives.

There are some instances where the reverse is true. We don't receive extra value because of our calling. No, we receive our calling because of our value. He calls us because he first loves us. For each one of us our callings and giftings are unique, they are tailor made and designed to fit us. For many of us sadly these callings remain unfulfilled. Why? Because of the false temporal values we place on them. We value one calling over another, so our own calling, and therefore the way we perceive our own value, is diminished.

There is nothing we can do to add to our value, it is fixed and it will never depreciate. That is a human invention, that something becomes either more or less valuable.

God has purchased our redemption for a price. The price of the cross.

That is what you are really worth.


 

COUNTERING SCEPTICISM.

I attended my first Q Commons meeting on Friday 4th of March. I wasn't quite sure what to expect as I wasn't clear myself what Q Commons was actually about. All I knew was this, it had something to with Christianity in the public sphere. I have a better understanding now, but rather than me explain it, or if you want to learn more, follow this link here.

In a nutshell. Q Commons is a sort of Ted Talk for Christian leaders and influencers in all spheres of life. Arts, Media, Education etc. In the past they have engaged speakers such as; Malcolm Gladwell, Erwin McManus and actor/director Mark Ruffalo.

Before I attended, I tried to boil it down to something that was easy to explain, at least to myself anyway. So I came up with this thought.

The Fundamentalist, Evangelical Church, has squandered our place at the discussion table by waving its Big Black KJV Bible proclaiming, "The Bible Says" and worse, trumpeting "If the Bible says it, and I agree with it, then that settles it." They sought to instruct, control and shout down the conversation, rather than engage and enter it.

Now, we need to work very hard to get invited back to the discussion.

One of the topics of the night was "The Irrelevance of Faith". Presented by David Kinnaman. David showed us some alarming statistics. One of which was that 42% of Americans believe that people of faith are part of the problem. 46% Believe that faith needs to be removed from public life.

Increasingly, youth are becoming more and more cynical about faith. 1 in 4 youth believe that one day they will be famous, and their chief objective is for fame and popularity.

So, having squandered our place in the discussion, being viewed as irrelevant and unwanted, how do we counter-act this growing wall of scepticism?

Well I believe that such scepticism can only be countered with authenticity.
But what is missing from the Church in regards to our authenticity? I think there are three areas we need to address on the pathway to regaining relevance for the Christian view.

Firstly. Our WORDS. Biblical based statements are affirming. But unless backed with the appropriate actions they ring hollow.
"Because the Bible says" Is not seen as, nor is it welcomed as a valid argument. It is instead seen as a bunch of archaic rules and restrictions that are unwelcome in a free thinking selfie addicted society.

I am not advocating a watering down of the Word of God. I do not advocate that we step away from our closely held beliefs. I simply think we need to be able to carry the message better. To engage the conversation, applying Biblical truth, but in such a way that is open for discussion and promotes thoughtful consideration. This is simply good apologetics.

When Jesus encountered the woman at the well, John 4:19-24, she was already beaten down by religion and dogma. Jesus spoke to her in her human situation and gave her real spiritual hope.

Secondly. Our ACTIONS. Our actions cannot be seen as, or interpreted as, a means to an end, i.e. to get a convert.

The main end of our Christian works, can only be for the betterment of the individuals human situation, without thought for our own personal reward or recognition.

Our actions must bring glory to Christ. This however is not a valid end if we do this only for our own self worth or gain. We bring glory to Christ when our actions give primary value to another human being.

"Love your neighbour as yourself" Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:4.
"preferring others before yourself" Romans 12:10, 1Timothy 5:21.

Thirdly. We must remain TRANSPARENT. All that we say and do must be in such a way, that our motive, method and money remain unquestioned.

 Accusations will come, but our integrity must remain, unsullied, even under the most rigorous examination.

We have seen enough lately of Christian leaders being accused and even convicted of fraud. While many of these accusations in the past have simply been vexatious, some cases have been proven.

Pastors and leaders need to shepherd and lead, that's it. They should never use their churches to underwrite their own personal success story.

I don't know if these steps are the total solution, this may not do it all. Cynicism and scepticism will remain. But if we can chip away at the ground the cynics and critics stand on, denying them a position from which to accuse.

Then bit by bit, we regain our ground.

We can stand up again.

Parallels and Precedents.

I love the Bible, and for so many reasons. It is a book (well more accurately, collection of books) that can never be read just once. I love the overlapping stories and arcs of story. I love to go beyond the mere act of reading, I love to delve. It is not hard to unearth the treasures of the Bible. They give themselves willingly. But you must learn how to look for them and recognise them. Occasionally you will find what is commonly known as "fools gold". But careful exegesis will quickly show it for what it is. The apostle Peter, talking about  the writings of Paul warned us about this.

2Peter 3:16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

So before I put anything down in writing, especially on such a public platform as this. I need to be sure that what I have presented is correct. I never put up my latest "flash in the pan" pet theory. What I put here is well considered, I have given it time to sit. I have said in a couple of my posts that what I thought was correct, wasn't. For instance, while writing The "other" Uncomfortable Jesus. I came across this very thing. So I had to change from what I "thought" the Bible said. As I have had to for this post.

SO, having said all that I am going to issue a challenge. I want to see if you can prove me wrong. In this post I am going to talk about some parallels in the Bible. Parallels that are found in The Old and New Testaments. Because I have a theory, which is more of a conviction. That nothing happened in the New Testament, that did not have a precedent in the Old. Jesus did not perform a single miracle, that had not happened previously. So please, if you want to test me on this, put something into the comments section. But now, on to the subject of this post.

As I said I love reading the Bible. I love the layers of story within the Meta-Story. I love the parallels, because they give us a continuity of story between Old and New. They give us a repeating picture of how God acts.

So here are the stories of two men. One from the Old, One from the New.

Both men, were on a mission with official endorsement.
Both heard a supernatural voice.
Both were on a collision course with divine intervention and revelation.

I am talking about Balaam the pagan prophet. Numbers 22:21-35.
And Saul, a zealous young Pharisee. Acts 9:1-9.

Both men had made it their intention to bring trouble upon God's people.

Balaam, (motivated by financial earthly reward) was hired to proclaim curses over Israel, God's emerging nation.

Saul, (perhaps motivated by an eternal reward for his religious zeal) was on a mission to persecute the believers, God's emerging church.


image unattributed

Both men had their message changed.

Balaam proclaimed God's blessing over His people.

Saul, changed his name to Paul, and went about planting churches.

These two stories show us, how God acts on behalf of His people. Often in unexpected, unseen ways.

Here's another parallel, but one which gives us a contrast. It reveals the work of the enemy in producing counterfeits.

Once again we have two men, one from the Old, one from the New.

Both are sons of David.
Both had popularity with the common people.
Both died hanging from a tree, run through with spears. The result of treachery.

I am talking about Absalom. 2Samuel 15-18:18.
And Jesus.

There are many similarities in their stories, but the differences are glaring.

Absalom, was an usurper to the throne. He garnered favour with the people, promoting his own kingdom. He was deceitful, treacherous, murderous and a narcissistic liar. He worked against his fathers will, causing him grief and shame, while he made a name for himself. In the end, his death (as a result of Joab's betrayal) was probably well deserved.

Jesus, was the heir to the throne of heaven. He grew in favour with God and man. Yet He made himself of no reputation. He was subject to His Fathers will, promoting His Fathers Kingdom, bringing him glory and honour. His death (as a result of Judas' betrayal) was undeserved, but necessary for the benefit of all.

Do these two stories serve a purpose? Well for a start, they may help us when it comes to recognising a false Christ.

So I encourage you, read your Bible, don't rest on what you "think" it says. Dig out those seams of gold. Learn from it.

Other that that I just wanted to share some thoughts about things that interest me, and please, don't forget my challenge. Ask your questions below.

PATHWAYS Part 4

Welcome to part four of this series. So far, we have looked at three different paths we follow as part of our Christian walk. We have been through the Wilderness. Made our way along the Valley, and come to the top of the Mountain.
(You can follow these links to the previous posts if you're just catching up)

In all of these posts we have looked at; what we can learn, how God acts and how God  reveals himself.

In this post we will look at the fourth and final path of this series. This final path is different from the others. It is different, because God leads us along those other paths in order that we may learn from Him. We do not choose those paths.

This final path we will look at, is the only one we may freely choose to follow.

It is the path of the cross.

Matthew 16:24.  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Luke 9:23. Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves and take up their cross daily, and follow me."

Luke 14:27. "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple.

I've seen and heard a lot of different ways of interpreting these verses. Most of them are fairly conservative. Many of the commentaries I have looked through, talk about; facing obstacles, enduring hardships, bearing our burdens and dealing with adversity. Or, they encourage us to embrace a willingness lay down our lives in  a purely mortal sense, some level of self sacrifice, or even martyrdom. However, and I say this with all humility, I think they all miss the mark. They come up just a little bit short of the truth.

If we look at these verses in context, we really only have to ask ourselves one logical question.

"If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Then where was Jesus taking his cross?"

 Answer. "He was going to Calvary to die."

I like war movies. Not because of some sadistic enjoyment of the violence. I like the stories, the struggles, acts of bravery and heroism. My particular favourite is the HBO series "Band of Brothers" If you're not familiar with the series, it covers the events of WW2 following the Normandy invasion. It particularly follows one group of soldiers from Easy Company in the 101st Airborne Division.

In one of the episodes, a soldier is struggling to deal with the intense realities of armed conflict. An officer asks him a simple question.

"What's the secret to being a good soldier?"

Answer. "Knowing that you're already dead."

I believe the message of Jesus is just that simple. That as He died on His cross. So too must we reckon our lives lost for the sake of the gospel.

Philippians 3:7-8. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

As we walk the path of the cross, we lose all, all that is temporal, of fleeting importance. In order that we may gain all, all that is eternal, that carries the values of His Kingdom.

When we walk the path of the cross, we walk in Kingdom purposes. We walk in covenant with our creator God. This idea of losing all, of dying to all can seem daunting I know. But here's the thing. God doesn't take it all at once. He guides us with a gentle hand. It is something we learn to walk in daily.

If we want to truly experience the power of the cross in our lives. We must walk the path of the cross.
It was the path Jesus had to walk in order to gain total victory over sin. It was the only way, to the power of the resurrection.

So if you want to truly live as a Christian, what's the secret?

It's reckoning yourself already dead.

Once you have chosen the path of the cross. You will still walk through the wilderness, along the valley and over the mountain. But you will do so in the power of the cross. But you have to choose it, you have to take it up.

You can also choose not  to walk down these paths. You can get off any time you want.

But I don't recommend it.


All scriptures NIV 2011

Images used in this post.
"Light Path"
Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"Jesus Door"
Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net