Ep 90: Incalculable Value

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What can a jewel heist teach us
about how God appraises a soul?

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We'll chat about that in just a
bit.

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Welcome to the show.
I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for

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your Sunday morning drive.
We're the short podcast with the

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goal of providing you some
motivation, Dr. and

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encouragement while you're on
your way to worship or whenever

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you listen and helping you
recenter your mind on those

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spiritual things when life gets
hectic.

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I want to wish you a happy new
year.

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I'm really excited about what
the show will bring this year.

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Lord willing, we have some
exciting things in store, and

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I'm thankful that you're here to
listen.

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Let's go ahead and kick off the
first episode of 2026.

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This is episode 90.
Incalculable value.

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Let's go to church.
Are we there yet?

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Back in October of last year,
there was a jewel heist in Paris

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and it made headlines both
because of the high profile

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nature of the location where the
robbery took place, the Louvre,

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and because of what was stolen
crown jewels from the Napoleonic

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era.
Now I'll not bore you with the

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names of the jewelry that was
taken, and I'll not embarrass

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myself by trying to pronounce
them, but Needless to say, they

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are worth a pretty penny.
I've seen varying estimates out

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there from 80 to upwards of $100
million, but the phrase that

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really stood out to me on an
article that I came across said

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that the treasure stolen was of
incalculable value.

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In other words, it was
priceless.

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And as I was revisiting these
headlines in the last few weeks,

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I was trying to think if there's
really anything I own, any

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physical object that I would
describe as of incalculable

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value.
And you know, I don't know that

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I do.
Maybe you do.

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Maybe you have a prized
possession that you value

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greatly.
But I can almost guarantee that

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there will be a realistic dollar
amount that we can slap on it.

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And most of us would be as
disappointed with that number as

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the run-of-the-mill visitor to
the Antiques Roadshow or on Pawn

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Stars.
You see, we value things

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differently.
Things, yes, and unfortunately

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people.
But God doesn't.

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In fact, He valued people, all
people, so highly considered the

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world of such incalculable value
that a treasured creation called

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for a priceless payment.
The well loved John 316 and 17

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declares.
For God so loved the world that

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he gave his only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in him

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should not perish but have
everlasting life.

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For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the

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world, but that the world
through him might be saved, a

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purchase of the imperfect with
the perfect, the precious blood

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of Jesus.
First Peter 118 and 19 says,

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knowing that you were not
redeemed with corruptible things

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like silver or gold from the
aimless conduct received by

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tradition from your Father's,
but with the precious blood of

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Christ as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot.

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Now this should be an incredibly
encouraging truth that God

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values us so highly.
And if you're like me, in some

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cases, you question your value
often and the beginning of a new

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year.
It's no different whether it's

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in those times of failure as a
father, as a husband, as a

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servant, as a minister.
It's incredibly uplifting to

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know that God sees those
imperfections and still says,

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yes, I know they exist.
You were and still are worth it.

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You are still of incalculable
value to me because I sent what

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was most precious to me to
redeem you.

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Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says,
but God demonstrates his own

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love towards us in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died

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for us.
I hope that changes how you

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think about yourself.
I hope it changes how you think

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about the God that sent and the
Christ who came.

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And I hope it changes how you
think of every other person

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around you because Jesus died
for them too and we forget that.

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We forget that they are also of
incalculable value to God.

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Maybe that's why it's easier for
us to hate or war against others

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instead of join the fray for
their souls.

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In times where patience runs
short and our wells of

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compassion often run dry, let's
be thankful that the wellspring

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of the blood of Christ is ever
flowing.

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And when we realize how
undeserving we are, maybe, maybe

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we start to value everything a
little differently.

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Well, those are my thoughts for
your Sunday morning drive.

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Now it's time to hear yours.
Our discussion questions this

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week are in what ways do we
often under a praise the gift of

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Jesus that has been given?
How can we be better about

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valuing ourselves and others on
God's scale?

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And what can you do at the start
of this new year to show thanks

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to God and love for others?
Hey, thanks for listening.

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I'm looking forward to the new
year.

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I hope you are as well.
If you really want to help out

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the show, share it with somebody
in the new year.

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I hope they enjoy it.
I hope you enjoy it and I'll see

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you something.