Hear this, everyone! Listen, all people everywhere, great and small alike, rich and poor together. My thoughts will be clear; I will speak words of wisdom. I will turn my attention to proverbs and explain their meaning as I play the harp.

I am not afraid in times of danger when I am surrounded by enemies, by evil men who trust in their riches and boast of their great wealth. A person can never redeem himself; he cannot pay God the price for his life, because the payment for a human life is too great. What he could pay would never be enough to keep him from the grave, to let him live forever.

Anyone can see that even wise men die, as well as foolish and stupid men. They all leave their riches to their descendants. Their graves are their homes forever; there they stay for all time, though they once had lands of their own. A man's greatness cannot keep him from death; he will still die like the animals.

See what happens to those who trust in themselves, the fate of those who are satisfied with their wealth - they are doomed to die like sheep, and Death will be their shepherd. The righteous will triumph over them, as their bodies quickly decay in the world of the dead far from their homes. But God will rescue me; he will save me from the power of death.

Psalm 49:1-15

It is because God values us so much that He sent Jesus to earth as a baby. He grew up and then died on the cross to pay the price to redeem us. How much are you worth? Look at Bethlehem's cradle and Calvary's cross.

Christ's death is the measure of your worth to God.

Our Daily Bread - December 28, 2002