Wording of this Handout:
Top of the class.
Public schools tend to make children feel more valuable if they are near to the top of the class. The higher the marks, the higher the self-esteem. The effect is that the lower the marks, the less value students tend to feel they have. And right at the bottom are the dummies, who usually drift away into life, get into trouble, and die young, miserable, and lonely. (I'm exaggerating of course)
But it is true that the more 'intelligent' you are, and the more attractive you are, the more valuable you seem to be. The beautiful girls get the attention while the plain ones miss out. The brains rise to the top jobs and get the admiration, the prestige, the special treatment... while the lower jobs just provide a wage and the workers plod along.
How utterly different the view is from heaven, God pays absolutely no attention to our looks, wealth, or our abilities. We are His children first and foremost, and then, if there is anything good about us, that is just something he has given us to be used for his kingdom work.
And besides, who can say they 'made themselves' brainy, or 'gave themselves good looks? Its impossible to do either. These things can only come from God.
I sing for Jesus!
I dance for Jesus!
I draw for Jesus!
I chew slippers to bits!
The Bible says " I have called you by your name; you are mine... since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored." Isaiah 43:1,4 (New King James version)