Search
​Twenty Dollar Bill
(Our Value to God)
(Choices Matter)
(God Has A Plan)
 
The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock.  They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.  Zechariah 9:16
 
On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession.”  Malachi 3:17b
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
Our value, our worth to God, is not based upon anything that we can do or say.  Our successes and failures in life have little bearing on our Creator God.  We would do well to see ourselves as God sees us.  Throughout the Bible, God affirms that we are the crowning touch of His creation.  And as a result of His love, His tender concern and care for us, we have tremendous value to Him.  We are a treasured possession to a God who owns everything! 

The Object

A Hand Drawn $20 Bill And A Real $20 Bill
I hand draw a twenty dollar note, the cheesier the better.  Then I scan the bill and print out enough to give everyone in attendance their own $20 bill.
 
Words To “When He Cometh”
William Cushing 1856
 
When He cometh, when He cometh, to take up His jewels.
All His jewels, precious jewels, His loved and His own.
Like the stars of the morning, His bright crown adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty, bright gems for His crown.
 
The Lesson
 
I usually begin this lesson by talking to the group about my week and how I did something that I rarely do.  I drew a $20 bill.  I then scanned the bill and made a digital copy so that I could print enough bills for everyone to have one.
 
As I hand them out we talk a bit about what $20 is worth and what can be purchased with that much money.  But that part of the discussion ends with an admission that what I have handed each person may look like a $20 bill to a small degree, but it has no value out in the real world.  It is, after all, just a printed piece of paper.
 
I then show the audience a real twenty dollar bill and we talk a bit about how it is made and that, as a Federal Reserve Note, its value is recognized anywhere in the United States.  It receives its value, its worth, not from the artwork on the bill, or the value of the paper.  The value and worth of a $20 bill rests solely upon that fact that its creator has guaranteed its worth. 
 
But a few questions need to be addressed regarding the worth of this real $20 bill.
  1. Suppose that I were to tell you that things have not been easy for this bill.  And suppose that I told you that it had been crushed and crumpled and hidden underneath a cardboard box in the bottom of a dark basement for 4 months.  Would it still be of value to you?
  2. Or suppose I told you that it had been stepped on.  In fact, watch as I drop this bill to the floor and not only step on it, but I am grinding it into the carpet.  Does it still retain its value to you?
  3. What if I could prove to you that it had at one time been used for and illegal purchase.  Maybe a drug deal.  Does it still have its same worth?
 
Of course it does.  You see, its value is not in itself, but in its creator, the United States government.  No matter how it may have been used, no matter what may happen to it, the United States of America has guaranteed that when you present this bill as currency, it is worth $20 anywhere in the nation.
 
We as humans are of great value to God.  He places great worth on our being and His potential relationship with us.  Over 100 years ago, William Cushing wrote a short hymn that reflected upon two verses found in the Bible that talk of our worth as human beings to God.  The Scripture uses a picture of precious jewels and gems and relates their value in our everyday world, to the worth that God places upon us as people.  Something so small as a jewel is a highly prized possession.  We, as insignificant as we can be in comparison to the universe and all that it holds, are precious to Him.
 
Our true value and worth is not in our selves.   It is not in what might have happened to us or will happen to us in the future.  It is not in any of our accomplishments or failures.  Our worth is found in our Creator—God.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Proudly powered by Weebly