Do your personal failures have a devastating impact on you? I think most honest people would say that they do. I think most of us are spending quite a bit of time, energy and emotion scrambling for significance. We want to make a difference, or we want the fact that we were here to have made a difference. So many of us are desperately trying to answer the question, “Why do I matter?” and we don’t have lots of satisfactory evidence. The truth is, my worth comes from the fact that God made me in His image and Jesus died for me; but honestly, I don’t believe that all of the time. So often my struggle for personal worth and the debilitating power of my failure shows that I look to my own achievements as the measure of my value. Sometimes, in order to sort this stuff out, you have to consider an extreme case - an example so obvious, it’s not open for debate. When Jesus was on the cross, there was a criminal crucified beside Him who said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This man had nothing. He was dying the most horrible and humiliating death possible because of his disaster of a past. He had no present influence and no future prospects. He had wasted his life and yet, he was lobbying for a place in Heaven. Based on what? He had nothing to offer. His only appeal was to the mercy and love of Jesus. We’re all in the same boat. We bring nothing besides our need and that’s all Jesus wants. You are valuable because He bled for you. He died for the world, yes; but, He died for you.
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