Is It Worth It?

This past weekend, our family joined 3 other families in a yard sale.  It was interesting how much time, effort and decision making it took to price items.  Realize that these are items of excess that are not needed. Some items were easily marked 25 cents because they didn't cost us much and were insignificant.  Other items were a little more because they were definitely items people could use and would want and we didn't need them.  Then they were the items that you had to ask yourself, "do I really want to let this go? ...the item cost us way more than we will get back." Then there is the item that we had to ask, "Will we invest the time it needs to become a beautiful piece of furniture?" Decisions had to be made what needed to be kept and what we needed to emotionally let go. All the items had to be accessed for their worth.

Last night's message at church was about our worship to Jesus.  Specifically our worship at church.  Do I prepare my heart?  Do I realize that Jesus is present during service and knows my sincerity? Am I prepared to participate in Sunday school sharing by doing my lesson?  Am I giving Jesus His "Worth-ship"? This morning I was going to do my routine - say my morning "thank you" prayers, get coffee, and check Facebook.  Then later do study and prayer time.  This morning it was Lord you are "worth" more than my routine.

I spent time in prayer and Bible study.  The blessings and peace that comes with it are priceless.  I feel ready for the day.  I can be on the computer without the conviction of the Holy Spirit asking me,"When is our time?"  Yes, I am aware we are to pray and be in relationship throughout the day but I am talking about a specific time in our Lord God's word and the conversation of Prayer. By the way, I still drank my coffee while studying. Gotta have my morning cup.

Back to the yard sale.  We had bought a small maple hutch from an auction.  We looked at it and saw its potential.  We knew we could use it.  It was outdated compared to the modern sleek finishes and styles of today's trends.  We bought the hutch and then went to the home improvement store to buy all the things we needed to make it part of our household.  It needed investment of time to sand, fix the holes/damages, and refinish/paint.  We slapped on some new hardware and though it looked better, we never completed the piece and it never quite fitted in with our household.  So off to the yard sale it went.  We didn't know how to price it.  We had made a decent investment in price. We still saw its potential and I had some emotional attachment to it.  It didn't sell at the yard sale.  However, a lady looked at it and said, "This is beautiful! The price is a bargain.  I just don't have the room."  She saw its potential and worth.

What is Jesus worth to you?  I am asking myself this question.  The obvious is He is my everything. My breath. My eternal salvation. But I need to ask myself honestly:

• Can I use Jesus in my life?
• Do I need Jesus in my life?
• Do I  want Jesus in my life?
• Do I want to let Jesus go or give up when effort is required?...Do I realize my salvation cost Him more than He will ever get back?
• Am I willing to invest time to have a "beautiful" relationship with Him?
• Am I willing to let go of emotionally attached items, habits and relationships to put Him first?
• Am I willing to serve  and stand up for Jesus when it is not a "trendy", popular thing to do in our current culture?
• Do I want Him to be part of my household?
• Can I stand the "sanding" of my behaviors, and attitudes? 
• Am I willing to allow Jesus to fix, fill, and heal the "holes/damages" of my life...letting go of bitterness and unforgiveness?
• Will I endure the refinishing process to have a new life?
• Am I only willing to go so far and just allow some "hardware" to be applied to my life - get the knowledge but only let it affect my life just so much?

This may all sound so silly to you but I believe the little hutch was a great object lesson for me.  I want my Lord God to know that I appreciate Jesus.  He is so worthy of my time, prayer and study. I will better prepare for worship at church.  I know I got the bargain! I have Jesus' grace and forgiveness that cost Him much and I can never repay Him.  I want people to want Jesus because they see the beauty of peace and His glory in my service to Him and my life.  I want to pray for the one who thinks they have no room for Him.  Friends, He is deserving of my worship. I just hope now that I can consistently survey my heart and give Him his "worth-ship". 

Side note: Doing the yard sale reminded of what was shared with me during one of my trips to Jamaica.  The Jamaicans don't have yard sales.  Many Jamaicans don't have the excess!  Many have just what need and some not even that.  My Bible study this morning was in Deuteronomy chapter 15. I was reading about meeting the needs of the poor.  It is truly sad that we have so many in need around us and afar.  It would take so little from each of us to make things a little easier for the needy.  

Deuteronomy 15: 7-11
⁷ “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; ⁸ but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. ⁹ Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘ The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. ¹⁰ You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. ¹¹ For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’
 
Something to Ponder: I am looking for a quality good used dining table. I have been checking on Craigslist for one. I read where a person was selling his/her sofa for $60. The person stated ASAP need money for gas. Now I could be a cynic and say they were a crook or shady, but I thought how sad that someone needed to sell their sofa to make ends meet. Maybe a child came home and saw the sofa gone.  Maybe a parent had to tell her child that they needed money for gas.  Who am I to judge?  I am asked to give.

Today's post sounds a little preachy but as my blog description notes: My posts are lessons in my life.  Welcome to my diary.  You are loved, acf