At first glance, Worth Season makes no sense. Why would a campaign to connect, heal, and bless the world have the opposite effect on us as campaign workers, getting us excluded, wounded, and victimized by the world. Don't we deserve better?

We are the most worthy people in the world because God assigns and empowers us to do so much for everyone's good, yet the world often treats us as worthless. It treated Jesus the same, mocking him for his claim that he was the Messiah, the spearhead of God's campaign for a better world.

Jesus carrying his cross is our model for worthily enduring the opposition we run into as we do our assignments in his campaign. He gave us plenty of warnings about opposition so we would not be caught off guard, and he assured us that he values our loyal endurance more than our achievements. When we show our faithfulness, we show our worth.

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Here is a preview of some of the perspectives on human worth in the biblical books we will read during Worth Season: 

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Old Testament

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• Numbers: The sufferings of the Israelites in the wilderness en route to their promised homeland

• Deuteronomy: Moses sums up a lifetime of messages from God, urging Israel not to bring suffering on themselves by disobeying God.

• Lamentations: Jeremiah's lament when Babylon conquers Israel, destroys Jerusalem, and exiles the nation

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New Testament

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• Philippians: While in prison for preaching about Jesus, Paul writes a letter about humility and joy 

• 1 & 2 Timothy: Paul, the veteran, coaches Timothy, the next-generation leader, about some of the challenges of church leadership

• Hebrews: Exhortations to stay faithful, come what may, to the magnificent King who is also our High Priest and our sacrifice

• 1 & 2 Peter: Peter encourages the whole Church to endure its trials with confidence in God's presence now and Jesus's return soon.

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Looking back over all this, we gradually realize where and how we fit into the biblical story, and a fantastic thought dawns on us--God affirms our worth no matter how much the world denies it! 

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His campaign strategy is to transform us by affirming our worth to him. We stop being worried about other people's opinions of us. We barely react to them because their opinions matter so little any more. Our quiet confidence gets their attention, and sometimes it opens the door for us to tell some of the story behind our confidence.

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A great deal of the world's pain is caused by people who don't know what they are worth. Jesus is leading a campaign to clarify their worth for them. As they realize their worth, he calls them to live worthily of the value he has placed on them. 

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Read the Bible as the story of that campaign. Get a feel for what you are worth in God's eyes, enjoy watching the opinions of your critics fade into insignificance, and say a prayer for those who haven't discovered their worth yet.