Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Job 31:1–33:33, 2 Corinthians 3:1–18, Psalm 43:1–5, Proverbs 22:8–9

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You Are Precious to God

Have you ever felt small?

Maybe someone overlooked you, rejected you, criticized you, or made you feel like you didn’t matter very much. Maybe you’ve looked around at other people’s lives and wondered what they have that you don’t. Or maybe no one had to say anything at all—you’ve simply struggled to see much value in yourself.

The world has a funny way of making us feel like we have to prove our worth.

Be successful enough. Pretty enough. Smart enough. Talented enough. Accomplish something important. Have enough money. Get enough attention. Make people like you.

And if we aren’t careful, we start believing our value rises and falls depending on how well we’re doing at all of those things.

But God doesn’t see us that way.

Today He whispered this tender Gem of Knowledge to me,

“You are precious to Me. Even if the world makes you feel like you are small or worthless, to Me your worth exceeds that of rubies. No treasures on earth can compare to you. You are more precious than silver or gold. You make Me rich. You make My sacrifice worthwhile. You are My reward and I am yours. I will give you all that I have. I will withhold nothing from you. All that I am and all that I have is yours if you will be Mine. Amen.”

I love the thought of God saying, “You are My reward.”

We usually think about what we get because of Jesus. We get forgiveness. We get eternal life. We get His Spirit and His presence. We get to belong to Him forever.

But have you ever stopped to think about what Jesus gets?

He gets us.

Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was waiting for Him on the other side. He knew exactly what He was doing when He went to that cross. He knew what it would cost Him, and He did it anyway.

Because He wanted us back…He wanted you.

That doesn’t mean we’ve somehow earned His love or that we’re perfect enough to deserve what He did. We aren’t. That’s what makes His love so incredible.

He knew everything about us and still chose us.

He knew our weaknesses. He knew the mistakes we’d make. He knew the messes we’d get ourselves into. He knew the times we’d doubt Him, ignore Him, run from Him, and need His forgiveness all over again.

And still, He said we were worth coming for.

Today’s reading in 2 Corinthians says something I think many of us need to remember:

“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5, NLT)

In other words, you don’t have to be enough all by yourself.

God is enough.

When we constantly look at ourselves, we can always find something we wish were different. Someone else will always seem better at something. Someone will have more money, more followers, more talent, more education, more confidence, or a life that looks a whole lot more put together from the outside.

But God isn’t comparing you to them.

He’s looking at you.

And when you belong to Him, He doesn’t leave you where He found you either. A few verses later, Paul says that as we spend time with the Lord, He changes us little by little to become more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).

That’s something we’ve been talking about a lot lately: time with Him changes us.

We don’t become valuable because we’ve finally gotten everything right. We are loved by God right where we are, and because He loves us, He keeps shaping us into who He created us to be.

So maybe today you need to stop looking at yourself through everyone else’s eyes.

Maybe somebody didn’t recognize your worth.

Maybe somebody didn’t choose you.

Maybe you haven’t accomplished what you thought you would by now.

Maybe you look in the mirror and mostly notice your flaws.

None of those things change what God sees.

Gold cannot love Him.

Silver cannot worship Him.

Rubies cannot know Him.

But you can.

And I think that’s what makes the last part of today’s Gem so beautiful:

“You are My reward and I am yours… All that I am and all that I have is yours if you will be Mine.”

He’s not asking you to impress Him.

He’s asking you to be His.

And maybe that’s what we need to remember today. Our greatest treasure isn’t something God can give us.

It’s God Himself.

And somehow, amazingly, the God who owns everything looks back at us and says:

“You are precious to Me.” 💎

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take time to be with the Lord today, even if its only 5 minutes. Ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want me to know about this personally?”
  • Journal what He gives you through His Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what He reveals – then do it!

If you’ve been feeling small, overlooked, inadequate, or not enough, take those thoughts to God today. Instead of measuring yourself by the world, ponder on what you mean to God. Let it penetrate and permeate your heart, mind, and spirit. Let His love change the way you see yourself.

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Prayer

Father, thank You for reminding me that my worth isn’t determined by the world around me. When I feel small or overlooked, help me remember how precious I am to You. Thank You for knowing everything about me and loving me still. I don’t want to spend my life trying to prove that I’m enough. I want to belong to You and allow You to keep changing me into who You created me to be. You are my treasure, Lord. I am Yours, and You are mine. In Jesus’ name, amen.

To read more 5 Minutes with God devotionals click here.