Worse than frogs...

I ask you, who has more value, you or a frog? (I will also pose this to my girls soon and get you their answer)

Slime, warts, eats bugs. Right? Anyone in their right mind would say that we humans, the pinnacle of God's creation, would certainly be of more more value than a frog. We were created in God's image. Not sure what this ugly reptile is a copy of.

You might be thinking, "We must be of immense value, certainly more than frogs. Look at what it cost God to redeem us. His ONLY Son." Now, it is certainly true that the price that God paid to restore us is immeasurable. However, note that this does not reflect our worth, but rather the immensity of God's love.

Read this quote from Piper's 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die and you will see where I am headed:

I have heard it said, "God didn't die for frogs. So he was responding to our value as humans." This turns grace on its head. We are worse off than frogs. They have not sinned. They have not rebelled and treated God with the contempt of being inconsequential in their lives. God did not have to die for frogs. They are not bad enough. We are. Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay it.

We think we have more inherent value than other people or other things (including frogs) because we have we not considered the seriousness of sin. If we will contemplate the seriousness of our rebellion, as exposed by the greatness and inherent worth of God, we will realize our absolute unworthiness. It is not because we were valuable that we were redeemed. It is not because we were wise enough to make a decision. It is because Jesus died for the unlovable and unworthy. If we will spend time considering this, the cross of Christ will be the most precious thing we can think of. We will talk of it, sing of it, and cherish it. We will put Jesus in the limelight where he belongs and cast ourselves to the shadows. What a blessed riddance!