What is your value? Or the more important question is, what is the standard by which you determine your worth?

Most people either underestimate or overestimate their value. The reason for these two different outcomes is the standard used to measure ourselves.

In Luke 1, after speaking to Mary, Joseph, and Zechariah, God continues to speak in the most grandiose way in Luke 2. Before this, God communicated to His people through the prophets. Prophets were individuals validated by God and lived set apart from society.

And yet when God breaks His silence, He communicates through lowly shepherds and ordinary people. But it’s in speaking to shepherds that raises a lot of questions.

Shepherds were not held in high regard at this time in history. On the contrary, they were known as drunks, thieves, untrustworthy, spiritually unclean, foul-mouthed, ill-mannered people, and rejected by society.

They were the kind of person you prayed your sons did not become nor your daughters brought home for dinner. So why would God deliver such an important message to a group of shepherds?

God sees value in people we do not.

Knowing your value has a ripple effect on everything from your abilities, confidence and relationships. So, where does your value come from?

• Others comments?
• Your accomplishments?
• Your titles or positions?
• Your failures?
• Social media clicks, likes, or follows?

These are fragile standards to measure your self-worth on. You are more than your successes or failures.

In our current culture, social media has become the unofficial gold standard dictating this generation’s self-worth. Unfortunately, it has created an unrealistic standard that is subconsciously used by many as a means of determining personal value or worth.

These standards are destroying a generation and leading to depression and disorders at an unprecedented rate. Your worth is not based on the number of likes, followers, titles, or accomplishments.

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” Genesis 1:26

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world…” Ephesians 1:4

“Made, make, and chosen” are words affirming your value! You have value because God made you and chose you before the foundations of the world were set. There’s nothing you did or can do to be more valuable.

Although the world may not see your value, that doesn’t mean you will go perpetually unnoticed. Jesus gave an illustration in Luke 14, saying those who humble themselves would be exalted. Likewise, James 4 says to humble yourselves before the LORD, and He will lift you up.

“²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,” 1 Corinthians 1:26-28

When God lifts you up, nobody can knock you down! So remain humble and stay in His will.

In Luke 2, there’s a bit of irony on why these shepherds were tending sheep so close to town. Their proximity to town was because they were responsible for maintaining the lambs used for the temple sacrifice.

Society depended on those they rejected to tend the flocks for the sacrifices that kept them from being rejected.

When God appeared to ordinary, common, and rejected individuals to announce the arrival of the Messiah, He was affirming our value and establishing a new system for determining our worth! The Christmas story discloses that God sees value in you.

• Difficulties in life may try to separate you from God.
• People may try to devalue you by their standards.
• Failure may attempt to convince you that you are no good or unlovable.

But it is God who determines, and set’s your worth!

God saw more value in the shepherds than what society or even they saw in themselves. Christmas affirms that you are priceless.