STOP! First Ask Three Important Questions
If you are feeling worthless, and without purpose, STOP, and first ask yourself three important questions. (1) Where are these thoughts coming from? (2) By whose standards are you drawing these conclusions? (3) And is anyone in this world better or worth more than anyone else?

(1) Where are these thoughts coming from?
Are these thoughts of worthlessness coming from God? Definitely not. We know how God feels about us. These thoughts can only be coming from within our sinful minds, or from Satan who is a master at flashing negative and degrading thoughts into our minds. So the first step in combating thoughts of discouragement, despair, and despondency, is to learn how Satan operates, and how to stop him from flooding our minds with depressing and degrading thoughts.  [Click here] to study the subject on "The War for Control of Your Thoughts".

(2) By whose standards are you drawing these conclusions?
Let's now pause to answer the next question. "Whose measure are you judging yourself by?" Are you judging yourself by the opinion of people around you at work, at school, or in your social group? Are you judging yourself by standards set up by other people who have gone before you in a particular field of expertise, or is it by people in your family?

(Whose measure are you using to determine your worth? The measure of the people in social or work groups? The measure you are using could be the reason for feeling worthless. See picture below)

Whatever measure you are using to determine who you are, or what your worth in this life is, should never be standard set by any group of people. The measure of God alone is what we are to use to determine our purpose and our worth. God has a measure that cannot be matched by the masses. God has a purpose for every single person on this earth that magnifies and multiplies their worth beyond belief. Let's focus on this awesome alternative to the insidious insinuations that Satan instigates into our thinking.
 

Starting With the Genes
When our minds are made up about God being the Creator and Controller of the universe, we will accept who we are in relation to Him. [Click here] to view the article, "If He Created All--He Controls All." In other words, if He is the Creator and Controller of the universe, then I am, as He says, His creature, and His son or daughter. Well, now that really changes the picture, doesn't it. Yes, you and I are children of God. Which parent doesn't adore their children? (See picture below)

Though some earthly parents might lose their love for their children, the Bible says, God won't. "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." Isaiah 49:15, 16. There are countless accounts in the Bible where God, and Jesus, call us His children. We are created in His image to receive His inconceivable love, and give our love back to Him. When we see ourselves as children of the King of the Universe, we must accept that we are worth a lot--princes and princesses of noble decent.

The Purpose of Our Heavenly Parent
God is itching to work His perfect plan in our lives, and we need to allow Him to establish a secure foundation to work from as He gets more and more involved in our lives. This secure foundation comes as we commit ourselves to spending time alone with Him daily in prayer, meditation, and study of the Scriptures. [Click here to see how to spend productive time alone with God before each day starts].  It might take many years to accomplish the miraculous, magnificent purpose that He has planned for each of us, but if we are being exposed to God's words, to God's ways, and to God's purposes daily, we are in the perfect position to be placed into His perfect plan. In comparing the rewards of the daily commitment made by Esther and Joseph to our lives, we need to put their power, position, and prosperity aside, and focus solely on their role of saving the people who entered their worlds at the time. Yes, all people, along with Esther and Joseph, have be called to a common purpose of saving the people in their worlds--the people who have come into their lives through whatever means. The Steven Spielberg movie, "Schindler's List," is a tremendous trophy of how greed and selfishness gave way to the inner spiritual wealth of selfless saving. A mission of money making and personal profit by the German businessman, Oscar Schindler, turned into a crusade of care and compassion, as he hustled condemned Jews to work safely under his control. As the drama came to a close, Oscar Schindler, overwhelmed by the anguish of seeing innocent men, women and children taken to their death, fled from the Allied forces saying, "This ring could have bought life for two more people--this car could have bought life for 3 more people--this suit could have bought life for one more person." Yes, the human spirit soars to heights beyond material possessions or positions of power when it is involved in lifting a soul, threatened by death, back to life. An inexpressible sense of self worth and self esteem floods the life that joins into the divine mission of saving and uplifting mankind.

(The human spirit soars when it touches the spirit of another person in a loving, life changing manner. See picture below).

God knows that this component is fused into every fiber of each of the beings He created. Unfortunately this noble feature has been dwarfed by the demon deceiver. Satan has fused thoughts of self exaltation, self enrichment, and self gratification into the minds of mankind, making them insensitive to the higher and more noble aspirations that form such an integral part of their makeup. Satan contrasts these thoughts of enthroning self with thoughts of disapproving self, doubting self, and degrading self. He engineers circumstances where people are critical and superficial, placing a person's worth with relation to their wealth or position. When God makes this higher calling to become involved in saving those around us, he calls for intimacy and oneness for the present, but He also calls for each of us to go through a preparatory time for a saving work in the future.

Yes, like Joseph and Esther, God needs each of us to save the people who have crossed our paths, who have entered our individual worlds in one way or another, or have been associated with people we know, directly or indirectly. Think about it. If each loyal believer, committed loyally to spending time alone with God daily, without question, like Joseph did for all those years, how easily God would cover the earth with "mini messiahs" or "small saviors." How easily God would touch each alienated rebel with the magnetism of His irresistible love and inconceivable care. Whether filling a position, like Joseph and Esther, high in government, or merely filling a position of humility like Jesus Christ Himself, every person committed to God will be a savior of the people attached and associated with them. Every person will feel the heroic thrill of lifting people around them out of the clutches of death and destruction, to a new level of life and loving.

(3) Is anyone in this world  worth more or better than anyone else?
The Bible clearly teaches that there is no distinction between people on earth--everyone is exactly the same in God's eyes. (See picture below).

Paul states in Romans 3:10-12, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one." James 1:9-11 says, "The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers he plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business." Any mature person with some life experience, knows that no-one is better than anyone else. It is only God who brings value into the lives of people. One person might be strong in one area, but they will have a weakness in another area.

(Every person has mountains to climb over . . . mountains of pride, of addictions, of selfishness, of greed, of lust, or a mountain representing a trial or a sin of some kind . . . no-one is excempt. See picture below)

Every person has weaknesses, some have weaknesses that are visible to others, and some have weaknesses that aren't visible to others--visible weaknesses don't make that person worth less than the person with weaknesses that aren't visible. Without God, the whole of mankind is worthless. If left to his own devices, man will eventually exterminate himself. No man should ever have the audacity to think of himself as superior to any of this fellow beings on this planet. God has a way of dealing with such a person.  My Dad told me a saying which is perfectly illustrated in the paragraph above. "The mills of God grind slow . . . but they grind exceedingly fine."
 

A King Who Exalted Himself - (Daniel 4:29-35)
King Nebuchadnezzar strolls out onto the roof of his royal palace and views one of the wonders of the then known world--the hanging gardens of Babylon. He is overwhelmed by the grandeur and awesome beauty of what he has built and exclaims, "is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes." Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. At the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives for ever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing." God sees every person as valuable and precious in His sight. His heart aches when men, like Nebuchadnezzar make themselves better than others by their independence, arrogance and pride. He brings down the proud and exalts the humble.

(No matter how you feel, it doesn't change the fact that God would sent His Son to die for you - even if you were the only person on this world. See picture)

Your Worth
"The soul that has given himself to Christ is more precious in His sight than the whole world. The Savior would have passed through the agony of Calvary that one might be saved in His kingdom. He will never abandon one for whom He has died. Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast. Through all our trials we have a never-failing Helper. He does not leave us alone to struggle with temptations, to battle with evil, and be finally crushed with burdens and sorrow. Though now He is hidden from mortal sight, the ear of faith can hear His voice saying, Fear not; I am with you. "I am He that is alive, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore."Rev. 1:18. "I have endured your sorrows, experienced your struggles, encountered your temptations. I know your tears; I also have wept. The griefs that lie too deep to be breathed into any human ear, I know. Think not that you are desolate and forsaken. Though your pain touch no responsive chord in any heart on earth, look unto Me, and live." Desire of Ages, by E.G. White, p. 483.