The price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. Job 28:18b-19

There aren't many television shows I enjoy as much as Antiques Roadshow. I like to watch the faces of the people, as well as the stuff being appraised.

There's the thrill of victory when someone's garage-residing bric-a-brac is judged to be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

There's the agony of defeat when an individual brings in a cherished and pampered family heirloom and is told the item is a piece of junk.

"A piece of junk" is not what they said to the lady who brought four pieces of carved Chinese jade to the show in Raleigh, North Carolina. She said her father had collected the jade during the 1930s and 1940s, when he was stationed in China.

The experts said the jade was conservatively worth more than a million dollars. It's the first time that figure has been reached in all the years the show has been on the air. Now, it's quite possible the four pieces of jade are beautiful and the result of painstaking and expert craftsmanship. But a million dollars? Wow!

I never would have guessed.

Sometimes it's pretty hard to figure out the value of a thing. For example, take a look at the baby in the Bethlehem feeding trough. What do you think He's worth? Or, take a few moments to see Him being challenged by the religious establishment. They obviously didn't consider Him to be of any value.

Pontius Pilate thought his political career was more important than that Man's life. His good friend Judas considered his Master to be worth . . . what . . . 30 pieces of silver?

No, you can't always tell what something, or someone is worth. I pray most of you, when you look at Jesus, see Him as the most precious Person in your life. Take a good look. See Him being beaten, falsely accused, and nailed to a cross. What do you see? What is He worth to you?

What was Jesus worth? I don't know. What is a person worth who was willing to die so you could live? What is the price on someone who loved you enough to give His entire life as a sacrifice to redeem you from sin, death, and the devil?

What is He worth? Everything is a price far too small.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, You loved me enough to offer Yourself as my substitute. It is a gift undeserved. May that gift never be underappreciated. In Your Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Amos 1-3    Acts 15:22-41

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