The Value Effect

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

Proverbs 13:20 (NLT)

There are different levels of relational love, but the level of intimacy is unique. It’s the level that only you, God, and your mate can share. It’s also the level where you experience the most value. Yes, we have our family, friends, neighbors, work, creativity, and financial prosperity, but these don’t give us our greatest value, only some of our greatest enjoyment.

Do you know how valuable you are? I only ask because a lot of people don’t know how valuable they are. I used to be one of those individuals. I spent years hating myself and searching for value outside of myself, until I had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, who showed me I had value in him before I entered my mother’s womb and was born.

We are in multiple relationships every day, but we don’t always experience value from all of them. It wasn’t until I experienced God’s love and his value of me

that I began to value myself. From valuing me, I am able to value others around me through him.

In the two most important relationships we will enter: Holy Oneness with God, and Holy Matrimony with our mate; we must express value. The best way to express value to someone is to show love and support. God always shows us his love and support, John 3:16 (KJV) is evidence of his ultimate love and support for us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

However, support in a relationship can sometimes be questionable, or not be there at all. Some years after my daughter’s divorce, she and I were having a conversation about how badly she was treated. I shared with her what God had taught me: “When a man/woman doesn’t see your value, then they can’t treat you as valuable, so they will mistreat you instead. This is especially true if you are a Christian and have mated with a wicked unbeliever. Not every unbeliever is wicked, but the wicked unbelievers will mistreat you the worse! They are completely blind to your value because of their own darkness, so they can only share with you the darkness that they have. There is no light or love in them to share. They are perpetrating a fraud. They’ve invited you into their lie and entrapped you into their evil. It won’t be too long before abuse and abandonment occur.”

The Lord also ministered to me, “When someone removes their support, it doesn’t negate God’s blessing for you as his child; it only negates the blessing that they could’ve enjoyed by being a blessing to you.”

Basically, they forfeit being the blessing that they could’ve/should’ve been to you, and they reap a return on their wicked investment of pain and suffering that they gave to you. That’s so sad! But it happens. We just need to make sure that in our relationships with God and our mate; we are reaping a positive value effect. We only want a return of value on our relational investment seed that was sown.

Prayer:

Father, please help us comprehend the relational value that must be present in our relationship with you and our husband/wife. Help us choose wisely the mate that we will marry and minister to and with. And help us build together a relational intimacy that is valuable to you, to us, and to our generations after. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.