{"id":8447,"date":"2014-08-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-20T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/?p=8447"},"modified":"2014-08-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-08-20T05:00:00","slug":"what-are-you-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/marriage\/marriage-challenges\/finances\/what-are-you-worth\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are You Worth?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When I was a boy, I was involved in a small business as part of a 4-H Club project. By buying and selling lambs, including showing them at the county fair as an opportunity to make sales, I was able to generate a profit and have money in my pocket at the end of fair week.<\/p>\n

I well remember walking around the fairgrounds with feelings of confidence and positive self-worth as a result of the money in my pocket. I felt good about myself.<\/p>\n

One time I spent quite a bit of money at the fair. My feelings of confidence and self-worth were damaged as the cash dwindled away. I felt worse about myself. But was I really any different than when I had the money?<\/p>\n

As I reflect on that time in my youth, I realize that I had already bought the world’s lie that my worth as a person had something to do with the amount of money I had. Like so many people, I didn’t know the truth about money.<\/p>\n

Money is not a component of self-worth<\/h2>\n

If I believe that my self-worth is related to the money I have, then my self-worth will vacillate depending on my income and net worth.  I will tend to feel that I’m of value only if I make a certain amount of income. Such false thinking is totally contrary to what the Scripture says about who we are in Christ and the ultimate source of our income.<\/p>\n

We don’t need to look very far in the Bible to see how valuable we are in God’s view. In the very first chapter we see God, the Creator of the universe, considering man of such value and worth that He chose to create him in His own image and according to His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). And in Psalm 8:3-6 we read:<\/p>\n

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
\nThe moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
\nWhat is man that You take thought of him,
\nAnd the son of man that You care for him?
\nYet You have made him a little lower than God,
\nAnd You crown him with glory and majesty!
\nYou make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
\nYou have put all things under his feet.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the New Testament, we see again that we are God’s workmanship, hand-fashioned by Him (Ephesians 2:10). We also see the ultimate expression of our worth to Him in John 3:16: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”<\/p>\n

That means we’re each worth an incredible amount to God. Clearly, from God’s point of view our value has nothing to do with our net worth or the income we earn. Our merit has everything <\/em>to do with who we are in Christ and what God says about us.<\/p>\n

You and I have a choice. We can believe what God says or we can believe what the world says. God says that we are valuable whether we have much or little money.<\/p>\n

If we want healthy marriages, we must learn to detach our self-worth from our money. This is especially true for husbands. Scripture tells us that we men need to love our wives as our own bodies (Ephesians 5:28). And if I’m going to love the way God intends, I need to embrace my worth as a beloved child of God. If I allow money to be a factor in my self-image, I run the risk of having my love and devotion to my spouse vacillate with my income. I can’t afford to take that risk if I want harmony in my marriage. Neither can you.<\/p>\n

Money is not a measure of success<\/h2>\n

God has equipped and called each of us to uniquely fill the myriad jobs He needs done to fulfill His purposes. Therefore, God ultimately determines my income. My income isn’t so much a function of my success or failure as it is just one part of my God-appointed vocation.<\/p>\n

I don’t want to discount that an excellent job on your part may cause you to earn more than someone else who doesn’t work as excellently or diligently in the same vocation. My caution to you is to be careful not to believe your ability <\/em>is generating your income.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 is clear on this point: “Otherwise, you say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth.” If you’re having difficulty accepting the idea that God is providentially in control of your income, consider these Scriptures:<\/p>\n