God's Riches Toward Us
The Bulletin
In 2017, a world record was set for the most expensive painting ever sold - allegedly Leonardo da Vinci's take on Jesus, called "Salvator Mundi" (Savior of the World). It sold at auction for the staggering price of $450 million.
Before ever looking up who paid such a sum, we can deduce a few facts about that person:
1) He/she is insanely wealthy
2) the painting held incredible value in their eyes, and
3) they had some purpose for the painting that motivated their purchase.
Now think about the subject of the painting. John 3:16 tells us that God loved you, me, and everybody else so much that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation. All of the paintings, houses, and jewels in all the world could never hold a candle to the price He paid for us when Jesus came to this earth and went to the cross.
Just like the buyer of the painting, we can learn much about God from His spending habits:
1) God is incredibly wealthy in the currency He spent (love and mercy, Ephesians 2:4),
2) He saw tremendous value in you and me to pay such a price, and
3) He has a purpose for that which He has purchased.
However, there’s one important difference between our God and the auction winner. For the kind of person who has $450 million to spend on a single painting, they might notice the slight decrease in elevation to their mountain of cash, but overall the cost likely didn't hurt them at all. Conversely, consider the costs laid out in Philippians 2:5-8–leaving Heaven, emptying Himself, living as a slave, and ultimately going to an excruciating death. The value God has placed on our souls is unfathomable, far beyond any $450 million painting. He loves you more than you'll ever know.
And He has a purpose for all those He has purchased by the blood of Christ. Unlike a painting, this purchase was not made to stash somewhere to hold value. We were redeemed to walk in good works here and to be fitted to live with Him eternally.
What a blessing it is to benefit from the riches of God’s love!