I just got back from the auction at Mt. Hope. It was cold, drizzly and dreary, everything that I thought it would be. There was a lot of stuff (some may call it junk) that could fill anyone’s garage or outbuilding. It seems as though that is what some of that stuff is destined for. There were motors that may or may not run, lawnmowers that definitely needed work and those “thingies” that nobody was sure what they were or what they did. There was a stepladder that we all thought would go for around $35 but to everyone’s surprise, it went for $85! Someone thought it was worth it. It kind of reminds me of that old story of the auctioneer who tried selling an old violin. When he started he couldn’t get a bid. But then an old gentleman stepped up, took the violin and began to play it. The music that poured out into the room filled everyone’s ears with a delicious banquet of sweetened notes. The bidding began and they bid, and they bid and they bid. The violin went for top dollar; someone thought it was worth it. It’s no wonder; the old gentleman was a master violinist who showed the folks the worth of that old violin.

I recall another auction that we all were present at. In fact, we were that which were being auctioned off. And there were many who bid for our hearts. There were many who volleyed for our souls. Who would pay the price? What was the price? What was the value? But Jesus came, not with silver or gold to redeem us, but with His own precious blood. We have been bought, we have been redeemed, and we have been purchased by God. We may not have been anything before, but now we are the property of God. But more than property, for Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants, but friends.” Paul tells us that God has adopted us, giving us the Spirit of His Son –by which we cry out, “Abba, Father.” We may have been losers before, but now we are more than conquerors. We are no longer the tail but the head. God has given us worth. We have been touched by the Master, and we have become the fragrance of life. We have been given the Spirit of Christ and we have value, we are the apple of God’s eye and the treasure of His heart. I don’t know about you, but when I consider my life I am the first to think that it really doesn’t amount to much. The only thing that I have that is valuable is my salvation. And because I have salvation (and all that it entails) all that is in my life is valuable. That’s what Jesus does for me! I’m not going to find myself packed away in someone’s garage. I’m not going to stay broken down and unusable. I’m going let the Master lay His hand upon me and play whatever symphony He so desires.