My Worth Is Not In What I Own

Once, Jesus was asked to get involved in a dispute between two brothers regarding their inheritance. Jesus’ response? “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Jesus knew that at the heart of this disagreement was a love for money, covetousness, and another all too common problem: This man was finding his worth in his possessions.

The parable that follows shows the folly of such a position. Get rich, gather stuff, build bigger barns. Then… die. A wasted life. Sure, you have some big barns full of a lot of things, but what good did it do you? You found your worth in your possessions, and you wasted your life. You spent all of your energy on storing up treasures on earth, but you never took the time to consider if your life mattered for eternity. You never made heavenly provisions. At the cost of your soul, you loved money and found your worth in the abundance of possessions. Oh God, protect us from such foolishness.

But what then is the alternative? If our worth is not found in what we own, where does the Christian find their value? Jesus ends that parable with a command to “be rich toward God” and to “seek His kingdom” and to set aside “treasures in the heavens” (Luke 12:21, 31, 33). Jesus fixes our eyes on eternal things. Not only this, but He showed us where to find our worth at the cross.

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). God has done an amazing thing at the cross. He has shown us His incomprehensible love and mercy. He has loved us and given Himself for us. He did all of this while we were still sinners. As the old hymn (and the new one) reminds us, “Two wonders here that I confess: My worth and my unworthiness.” In the gospel we see that our worth is not in our possessions, but in the cross. We say with Paul, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).

Keith and Kristyn Getty capture this truth beautifully in their song My Worth Is Not In What I Own. We will be singing this song on Sunday, and I pray that it serves as a powerful reminder to set our eyes on things above and to love the cross of Christ. Read the lyrics and listen to the song so that we can sing with hearts full of faith this Sunday.

© Jacob Crouch 2023

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My worth is not in what I own
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross

My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross

I rejoice in my redeemer
Greatest treasure
Wellspring of my soul
And I will trust in him, no other
My soul is satisfied in him alone

As summer flowers we fade and die
Fame, youth and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross

I will not boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom’s fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross

I rejoice in my redeemer
Greatest treasure
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in him, no other
My soul is satisfied in him alone

Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross

And I rejoice in my redeemer
Greatest treasure
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in him, no other
My soul is satisfied in him alone

Songwriters: Keith Getty / Kristyn Getty / Graham A. Kendrick
My Worth Is Not In What I Own lyrics © Make Way Music, Getty Music Publishing