CHURCH DIRECTORY & DEVOTIONAL God didn’t make paper plates

easier because of the disposable items. We used them and then discarded them. Life made simpler, right? Maybe – or maybe it is a clue to something far more important than used paper plates. Maybe it is an indication, not of life made simpler, but of a way of thinking.

We use a plate and when we are finished, we cast it aside. Has that become a mindset, an attitude – it's inexpensive, so it is of no great value? Has that same outlook carried over into other areas of our lives? Is that why we see so many young girls with babies but no husbands? Why we see women settling for ‘ relationships' without commitment?

It makes me sad and angry when I see the damage such a mindset has caused; when I see us settling for less than the best God has planned for us! I am convinced God does not make paper plates! He makes fine china! “We are fearfully (awesomely) and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). God calls us in Exodus 19:5 His “special treasure,” “His treasured possession.” The Hebrew can also be translated “personal property.” This is the Almighty God saying we are precious to Him! He shaped us with His own hands (Genesis 2:7). He made man from the dirt, but woman He made from the bone of man (making us more refined, ladies)! Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's “workmanship;” translated that means “masterpiece.” Does that sound like a paper plate to you?

Oh, if we could only realize our value to God, how very special we are to Him, we would not treat ourselves or allow others to treat us as disposable castaways! Someone has said, “You can tell how much a person values something by how much he is willing to pay for it.” God sacrificed to pay our cost – the life of His one and only, much loved Son, Jesus!

A paper plate? Indeed not! We are fine china – a treasured possession.