by Abi, Bible School for the Nations student
We came to Japan to tell people that they are valuable because they are created in the image of God and loved by him! What makes people valuable is not what they offer to society, not their position in their job, not their social status. This is the message we brought to Chi Alpha students at the prestigious University of Tokyo.
Our focus was in Luke 7 where the woman comes to Jesus weeping. She anoints his feet with her expensive perfume. Simon, the Pharisee, judges her as a sinful woman but Jesus shows her value as he acknowledges her and forgives her sins.
So it is with us when we are beaten or called unworthy–our value doesn’t change because our value comes from the Lord.
We challenged the students to think about where they have found their value in life. Then we asked them to consider how they treat people based on where they attribute the source of their value.
I’ve found this a very powerful message in Japan. With such a strong work driven culture, people are seen as more valuable if they have a high business job or have studied at the top universities. God is speaking value into every person’s life here. The people we see at the best universities as well as the people who are living on the streets or working in fast food. God’s love for each of them is powerful and we hope to continue to bring this message to others here.