It’s all about provenance. Proof of lineage. Having the paperwork that says we have a provable history, something in our past that substantiates our claim that we are who we claim to be.
Take the early Mustang automobile. Ford built millions. The bulk of them were low-powered, lightly equipped daily drivers that were replaced as soon as a new model was introduced.
Ford decided they wanted the Mustang to become something more. They wanted to give it a history, a provenance. They hired racing driver Carroll Shelby to soup up some Mustangs and race them on the track.
In 2007, a 1965 Shelby GT350 went for $528,000 at RM Auctions on Amelia Island, Florida.
In 2008, Carroll Shelby’s 1969 GT500 was sold at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $742,500. In May 2013, a Shelby GT500 Super Snake at Mecum Auction in Indianapolis went for a whopping $1.3 million.
Yet, ClassicCars.com lists numerous similar cars for $18,000 to $30,000. You can occasionally find fixer-uppers for as little as $5,000. What’s the difference? Provenance. The pricey ones have been touched by Carroll Shelby’s hand, and that alone—if we can prove it—makes them worth a hundred times as much.
What are we worth if we’re touched by the awesome hand of God?
Genesis 2:7 gives us our provenance:
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
We went on the auction block two thousand years ago, represented by the person of Jesus. The gavel fell once, then twice, and God cried out, “Wait! I’ve touched humanity with my hands. I’ve built them from scratch, and made them into what they are. Look carefully, and you’ll find Made by God on each and every one.”
Bam! The gavel fell the third time, and the auctioneer cried, “Sold! A record price! God is willing to pay with the life of his Son so that every man might gain salvation and life everlasting.”
God looked at us, and he had no regrets. He knew we were worth every drop of blood shed by his Son.
Our salvation is already ours, paid for on the cross, and given to us for free. All we need to do is reach out and take it.
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Code: FGO.B.14.16.vp.esv