My grandfather used to always recite a poem called, “The Touch of the Master’s Hand” by Myra Welch. This poem is about a violin being sold at an auction. The violin was described as “battered and scared.” The auctioneer couldn’t get anyone to bid more than 3 dollars on the violin. Everything changed when a man in the room came and played the violin. The man played the violin so beautifully that everyone viewed the violin differently. The auctioneer stepped back up when this man finished playing the violin and started the bidding again. This time, the violin was much more valuable and sold for 3,000 dollars. Shocked, the people in the room wonder what changed the worth of the violin. And the answer to their question was “the touch of the master’s hand.” The violin’s worth was because of the way it looked or how it played. It had to do with the master’s beautiful playing. This poem is a valuable lesson for us as we enter into this next year. While the new year is a time that we try make improvements on ourselves, our worth and value is not found in the way we look (or don’t look) or the things we do. Our worth is found in the Master’s hands, and that is God.
One person who understood that our value is found solely in Christ was Paul. He taught in Ephesians 2 that we cannot earn or do anything to deserve God’s good favor. He said, “salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (verse 9). This means that our value is not based on the good things we have done or anything we can bring to God. It is all about God and what He has done for us.
There is so much freedom that can be found when we know that our value is not based on anything we have done, but on what Christ has done for us. We do not have to work for God’s approval. We do not have to prove ourselves to have value and to find our purpose. We simply need to look to Christ. His kindness and grace in our lives is a gift from God, and He sees us as valuable simply because we are His.
Spend a few minutes imagining what life would look life if you fully believed only Christ defines your value and worth. What would you do? What would you not do? How would it affect the decisions you make? Commit to living this way today, and at the end of the day, take note of how your day changed when you believed that your value and worth can be found in Christ.
"Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."
