To understand how God sees you, try to think of these two things:

(1) A five-dollar note. What makes it more valuable than any other piece of paper of equal size? The wealth and stability of the government whose signature is on it. You can crumple that five-dollar note up, step on it, even tear it in two and tape it back together again, and its worth is still the same.

(2) A diamond. If you rub a diamond in the dirt, it’s still a diamond, albeit a dirty one. But it has not lost its value. Now, we must point out that in order to truly appreciate the beauty of the diamond, you would have to get the dirt off it and then restore it back to its original lustre.

What’s the point of these two illustrations? That your value in God’s eyes as his redeemed child doesn’t change or diminish when you get dirty, or stepped on, or torn apart by life and circumstances.

That’s because your true worth is determined not by your own efforts but by the price Jesus paid for you on the cross. There, the great exchange took place. All your sins from the cradle to the grave were laid on him.

And when you accept him as your Saviour, all his righteousness is transferred to you. You don’t have to strive for it.