This past Sunday’s message in church (Heart of God – Amazing Grace) centered on the remarkable story of Zacchaeus, and what an encouragement it was! We were reminded that the Lord sees the unnoticeable. This seemingly unimportant, despised thief—an outcast—drew the direct attention of Jesus.
It’s a powerful truth for all of us: the Lord doesn’t push away the outcasts; He draws them closer. Regardless of how “messed up” we feel, the Lord looks at our lives and sees our inherent value as children of the Father.
The Power of “In Christ”
A line from the sermon truly resonated with me: how God takes a 0 and turns it into a 10. It speaks to the incredible transformation that happens when we remain connected to the Lord.
This immediately brings to mind John 15:4:
“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me.”
Once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are fundamentally changed. We move from a 0 to a 10!
Think about it:
- We move from being orphans to accepted children and heirs of God.
- We move from having no purpose, or very little thereof, to receiving a tremendous, divinely ordained purpose (Psalm 139:16).
- We move from a path of eternal damnation to eternal salvation.
Christ’s presence has made our lives count so much more. One could view it much like a famous painter signing their work and adding value to it. By marking it with their signature, the value of the painting increases. Our value, much like a masterpiece, is determined by the Artist’s signature. Without it, we lack inherent wealth; with His signature, we hold tremendous value.
Staying a Ten Requires Staying close to The One
But this raises a critical point: to remain a 10, we must be constantly rooted and backed up by Jesus.
Here’s the stark reality: the minute we walk away, or get ahead of Him, we risk reverting back to that status of 0. The Lord doesn’t simply follow us around to keep our value high; we must intentionally keep in step with Him—with His plans and His will—to maintain this new, powerful value.
Every area of life that we desire to excel in, every role we want to fulfill well, requires this connection:
- If I want to be a good spouse, rated a 10, I have to be led, guided, and rooted in Christ Jesus.
- If I want to be a good parent, rated a 10, I have to be led, guided, and rooted in Christ Jesus.
- If I want to carry significant value for the Kingdom of Heaven, rated a 10, I have to be led, guided, and rooted in Christ Jesus.
The Final Question: Your Value Today?
The challenge for us today is to honestly assess our lives. In every area—our family life, our work, our personal walk, and our service—we have to ask ourselves: Which areas rate me a 10, and which areas rate me closer to a 0?
If we find areas where we rate lowest, we often find the simple, painful reason: we have moved away from the Lord Jesus. The further we drift from the Vine, the more ineffective we become, and the more our spiritual and personal value takes a knock.
So, where are you rooted today? How are you actively remaining in the One who turns zeros into tens?