Stewardship 106
The question of “How Do You Calculate How Much You’re Worth?” is a difficult question and often depends on who wants to know. There are several valuation methods.
Method 1
We need to value our life worth rather than our net worth. The last thing we want to do is spend our lives climbing the ladder of success only to realize, once we finally do reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. Jesus told us, “a man’s does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15. If you are valuing your net worth more than your life worth, you are indeed climbing up the wrong ladder. Paul reminds us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. I John 3:1 says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God, and such we are”. This makes us very valuable. Our real worth in this life will never be found in the stuff we collect. It will be found in the fact that we personally know the Owner!
Method 2
We need to value our internal acquisitions rather than our external acquisitions. Paul tells us how we should pursue internal, spiritual acquisitions and not material, external ones. He says those who want to be rich fall into temptation. He also says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (I Timothy 6:9-11). If we choose to calculate what we are worth based upon our external acquisitions instead of our internal ones, we must understand this, “What the world esteems greatly (external acquisitions), God disregards and what God esteems greatly (internal acquisitions), the world disregards.
Method 3
We need to value our eternal assets rather than our temporal assets. The Bible is very clear. Our temporal assets will do us no good after we leave this earth. Mark 8:36 says, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world (temporal assets), and forfeit his soul (eternal assets).” Jesus commands us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth (temporal assets), but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”(eternal assets) Matthew 6:19-20. Receiving rewards (treasures) in heaven is not taught in most churches but the Bible is very clear that even though our salvation cannot be earned by good works, our “rewards in heaven” will be directly tied to our good works. Twenty-nine times the Greek word for rewards is used in the New Testament.
When we calculate what we are worth, are we looking at what we have here and now or what we will have then and there? What we keep now, we will lose forever and what we lose now we will keep forever.
If you want to know how much you are really worth, you cannot use the world’s valuation methods. God’s valuation methods are true and accurate. In God’s economy, we can indeed be rich in this life and the next.