Value

DEVOTION
EPHESIANS
VALUE

Eph 3:8-9
8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
NIV
It is possible there are still more riches in Christ I do not know about? Why are they unsearchable? Why can I not simply search for them without being preached to? Well actually it is pretty plain because I have the written Word of God to explain it to me. I suppose those Ephesians needed it brought to them by Paul. There is more here I think and in checking the Greek I see it as the untraceable value of Christ. I would think when an item has value, the reason for its value should be able to be traced to when, where and by whom was it manufactured. There is something special in its application or perhaps just because it is of a certain age which adds to the value. Christ has no origin, I cannot trace his past or where he was made, for he always was and will forever be. Yet he is of greater value than anything could possibly ever be. He is the greatest value in the entire realm of God. So now I again must search my heart to see if there are any things of this temporal world which I place more or at least as much value on. I would have to examine how much time do I devote to myself verses time I devote to that which God desires of me. Not that I cannot do things in the here and now, but I believe I need to be ever cognoscente of him in all I do. I need to always be aware of Christ, I need to be thinking about him when I am walking, when I am sitting, and when I am lying down. I need to be vigilant in my thought life when I am driving, or playing, or even just sitting watching a movie at home. I need to continually be on guard against placing anything of greater value the Christ. It is easy to be distracted even by my own “self”. I know in my heart he is the greatest value to me, yet when I respond inappropriately am I placing more value on me than him? I think so. When I see someone I don’t know and judge them by their looks am I placing more value on me than him? I think so. When I talk with someone who disagrees with me and wonder why they are wrong, am I placing more value on me than him. I think so. This is very complicated but very important. What I place value on is where my heart is and I know without a doubt my heart is in Christ, so perhaps I should not be too hard on myself, I have not yet reached perfection, but I have reached a point of knowing he is my value.