Devotionals for the Heart: Worthiness

A Worthy Heart
A devotional by Tessa Huckstep

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” –Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)

We all have struggled with self-worth at some point in our lives.

Some of us work strenuously to obtain it, others quietly shove the desire down, feeling it is sinful and selfish. But in each human heart is the desperate longing to be worthy.

This elusive idea of worth is a deep and God-given desire of our human hearts. We long to be worthy. We long to possess value.

If we are all striving toward self-worth, why do so few of us reach this level of worthiness and even fewer can maintain it?

It all began with the Fall of humankind, as detailed in The Holy Bible. Read Genesis 3 for the full story featuring Adam, Eve and the serpent (Satan in disguise) who deceived them and led them to sin. After Adam and Eve had sinned, worthiness for humanity became unattainable. Many of us who follow Jesus Christ work tirelessly in church ministries, hoping others will see us as “good Christians”. But when you see people like us, do you see a captivating and worthy heart, or do you see a tired heart pleading for others to tell them their worth?

Striving is not the answer to our quest of discovering self-worth. Striving is our own human way of attempting to attain worthiness on our own. I know it’s counter-intuitive, but in your journey of seeking self-worth, you will never achieve anything through your own effort. Worth is not based upon your appearance or performance.

Picture an auction in your mind’s eye. People crowd the aisles of items for auction and the auctioneer continues to shout the bids. You watch as the next item is brought forward, a large blank painting. The blood drains from your face as the scenes of your life flicker across the painting—every failure, every mistake, every heartache—the very essence of who you are.

You duck your head in shame as the auctioneer asks for a bid. No one would want this ugly, useless, unvaluable painting.

“I’ll take that one.” A Man shouts from the back. The astonished crowd parts and the Man who had spoken is gazing knowingly into your eyes.

“How much, sir?” The auctioneer asks.

The Man did not hesitate. “My Son.”

What determines an object’s price is not how pretty or accomplished it is. What determines price is how much the buyer is willing to pay. And you, dear reader, are worth the precious and infinite blood of Jesus Christ.

When God’s Son (Jesus Christ) died on the cross, He knew that with each fallen drop of his life-giving blood, your sins—your every failure and mistake—were being placed upon Himself. That is what redemption is all about. Our filthiness and unworthiness were placed upon Christ and His own worthiness and righteousness was placed upon us. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, God (our Heavenly Father) now sees His Son’s worthiness in us.

All throughout Ephesians, the apostle Paul uses the phrase “in Christ”. You will not find worth in striving to be better. You will find your worth in Christ. Everything else is just a cheap imitation.

How then do we get this knowledge of redemption from our head to our hearts? Are you already striving to make this supernatural occurrence take place within you, planning to read your Bible more and pray more? Take a moment and stop. God says you have a worthy heart. You may not feel that you have a worthy heart, but belief is not an emotion. Belief is a choice—emotions will come later. Dear reader, are you going to choose to believe what God says about you? Are you going to start this journey of recognizing your self-worth by renewing your mind?

If your answer is “yes”, then I encourage you to open The Bible and read through Ephesians Chapter 1. As you read, underline everything God says of the Ephesian believers and make it your own. Take this passage and meditate over it. Renewing your mind will take time, but I promise the results are worth it.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for taking our unworthiness upon Yourself and offering us Your rightful worthiness. Please help us to release our tendencies to strive toward worthiness and find our worth in You alone. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

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Author Bio:

Tessa Huckstep grew up in rural Illinois to Christian parents and has known Jesus personally since the age of five. 

She is currently attending community college and majoring in elementary education. In the future, she plans to teach in the public school, hoping to bring the love of God with her.

God’s dream of Tessa becoming a writer was revealed to her at the age of sixteen and she hasn’t been able to stop since. Though she has not yet been published, Tessa enjoys writing historical romance novels and speculative fiction.

Tessa believes God loves stories, and through her writing, she wants to reveal the happily ever after God dreams of for each of his daughters—one where Jesus is the knight in shining armor.

Tessa loves all things Georgian/Regency, needlework, and dainty teacups of every size. When she isn’t writing or studying for exams, Tessa can be found in the kitchen with more flour in her hair and on the floor than in the mixing bowl, though the mess is always half the fun!

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Connect with Tessa:
Blog: https://beautifulbeloved937002841.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beloved.bookworm/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/101227159