January 20, 2025

Value Exchange

Value Exchange

Value Exchange

January 20, 2025
January 20, 2025

Value Exchange

Value Exchange

Martin Luther King Jr. used his God-given value, dignity, and life purpose to work with God, so that men and women everywhere could know that they have the very same value, dignity, and God-given purpose for their lives. Followers of Jesus have a distinct advantage in knowing their value. We have a life-giving, value-confirming mission, given by Jesus, to be conduits of value for others.

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Martin Luther King Jr. used his God-given value, dignity, and life purpose to work with God, so that men and women everywhere could know that they have the very same value, dignity, and God-given purpose for their lives.

King believed that every human not only has value, but is able to confirm their God-given value as they follow Jesus and pass value to others.

In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 1963), King wrote,

“Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

In King's last speech, in Memphis, he summarized the parable of the Good Samaritan this way:

“The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ ‘If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?’ That's the question."

This summary of Jesus’ parable informs us about how we should make decisions. The question “What will happen to them if I don’t help?” is incredibly useful to us today as we consider how and when we can best serve others in our work.

Given Value

Followers of Jesus have a distinct advantage in knowing their value. We have a life-giving, value-confirming mission, given by Jesus, to be conduits of value for others. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28) and made to become like Jesus (1 John 3:2), who ultimately calls us to do the very same work He came to do (Luke 10:37, Colossians 1:20).

Who we are is deeply connected to God and others. The more deeply we connect to Jesus, the more we will value God and what He has done for us and others.

God is the creator of all things — perfectly holy, the preeminent source of value. Jesus spoke us into existence (Colossians 1:16). Jesus is the source of our value (Psalm 139:13-14). He is the way we receive our value (John 14:6) and the source by which we accomplish our value (John 15:4).

Giving Value

As humans, we have been given the incredible privilege to recognize the value in those we serve, whether that’s clients, coworkers, or neighbors. We can even help them grow to become more valuable to others.

David Brooks, in his book How to Know a Person, says, “Wisdom is knowing about people. Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life. That’s the great gift Illuminators share with those around them.”

[.text-color-blue]Seeing[.text-color-blue] is recognizing people for who they are. The value they have is a fundamental part of what it means to be human.

David Brooks, in summarizing how to make people feel seen, says, “The apex skill is the ability to see others and make them feel seen.” Brooks gives three fundamental steps to do this well.  

First, “Gaze at them. The care you have for them will come out of your eyes before you ever open your mouth.

Second, “Accompaniment is a way of being in their circumstances and paying more attention to them than to yourself.”

Third, and most important, is conversation. “Be a loud listener, don’t fear the pause, stop listening so you can figure out what to say next, and don't be a ‘topper’, by telling them about the time you did that same thing, but better.”

[.text-color-blue]Assess[.text-color-blue] people’s skills and gifts according to the responsibilities of the job. Skills should be tested based on what is exactly needed to do a job well. Behavioral interviewing is a way to find candidates for new jobs or promotions that display the needed skills before they are expected to do them well.

Gift assessments like Working Genius help us understand motivations for work, so that they can learn how to approach their work in a way that boosts joy and decreases frustration & burnout.

[.text-color-blue]Assist[.text-color-blue] the growth of coworkers and clients by constantly asking questions. Use the answers of those questions to continually align the value of an individual — including their goals for themselves — to the needs of those they serve.  

Here are 6 Questions to Find Out How Your Employees Are Really Doing from Harvard Business Review’s Rebecca Knight.

Lasting Value

Martin Luther King Jr. knew his value was from God and for the people of the world, specifically for those who needed an advocate. This practical wisdom gave him an extraordinary life while on earth. Deploying his value and gifts cost him his life just like his Savior, Jesus.

Martin Luther King Jr. knew no one could take what was promised to Him for eternity. He knew the rewards waiting for Him were more than he could imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Like King and Jesus, we have the opportunity to take responsibility for the incredible inherent value we have been given by Jesus, for Jesus (Romans 11:36), to deploy our value for the benefit of those Jesus has given us to serve in our work.

Let’s go and do likewise!

Resources

Article: "Who Are You?"

Video: "Making People Feel Seen: How to Do it Right" | David Brooks

The Working Genius Gift Assessment

Article: "6 Questions to Find Out How Your Employees Are Really Doing" | Rebecca Knight

Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. ,16 April 1963

*Photo credit: King Memorial March following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Memphis, Tennessee, April 8, 1968. © Santi Visalli—Archive Photos/Getty Images

Howard Graham
Howard Graham
Executive Director

Martin Luther King Jr. used his God-given value, dignity, and life purpose to work with God, so that men and women everywhere could know that they have the very same value, dignity, and God-given purpose for their lives.

King believed that every human not only has value, but is able to confirm their God-given value as they follow Jesus and pass value to others.

In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 1963), King wrote,

“Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

In King's last speech, in Memphis, he summarized the parable of the Good Samaritan this way:

“The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ ‘If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?’ That's the question."

This summary of Jesus’ parable informs us about how we should make decisions. The question “What will happen to them if I don’t help?” is incredibly useful to us today as we consider how and when we can best serve others in our work.

Given Value

Followers of Jesus have a distinct advantage in knowing their value. We have a life-giving, value-confirming mission, given by Jesus, to be conduits of value for others. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28) and made to become like Jesus (1 John 3:2), who ultimately calls us to do the very same work He came to do (Luke 10:37, Colossians 1:20).

Who we are is deeply connected to God and others. The more deeply we connect to Jesus, the more we will value God and what He has done for us and others.

God is the creator of all things — perfectly holy, the preeminent source of value. Jesus spoke us into existence (Colossians 1:16). Jesus is the source of our value (Psalm 139:13-14). He is the way we receive our value (John 14:6) and the source by which we accomplish our value (John 15:4).

Giving Value

As humans, we have been given the incredible privilege to recognize the value in those we serve, whether that’s clients, coworkers, or neighbors. We can even help them grow to become more valuable to others.

David Brooks, in his book How to Know a Person, says, “Wisdom is knowing about people. Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life. That’s the great gift Illuminators share with those around them.”

[.text-color-blue]Seeing[.text-color-blue] is recognizing people for who they are. The value they have is a fundamental part of what it means to be human.

David Brooks, in summarizing how to make people feel seen, says, “The apex skill is the ability to see others and make them feel seen.” Brooks gives three fundamental steps to do this well.  

First, “Gaze at them. The care you have for them will come out of your eyes before you ever open your mouth.

Second, “Accompaniment is a way of being in their circumstances and paying more attention to them than to yourself.”

Third, and most important, is conversation. “Be a loud listener, don’t fear the pause, stop listening so you can figure out what to say next, and don't be a ‘topper’, by telling them about the time you did that same thing, but better.”

[.text-color-blue]Assess[.text-color-blue] people’s skills and gifts according to the responsibilities of the job. Skills should be tested based on what is exactly needed to do a job well. Behavioral interviewing is a way to find candidates for new jobs or promotions that display the needed skills before they are expected to do them well.

Gift assessments like Working Genius help us understand motivations for work, so that they can learn how to approach their work in a way that boosts joy and decreases frustration & burnout.

[.text-color-blue]Assist[.text-color-blue] the growth of coworkers and clients by constantly asking questions. Use the answers of those questions to continually align the value of an individual — including their goals for themselves — to the needs of those they serve.  

Here are 6 Questions to Find Out How Your Employees Are Really Doing from Harvard Business Review’s Rebecca Knight.

Lasting Value

Martin Luther King Jr. knew his value was from God and for the people of the world, specifically for those who needed an advocate. This practical wisdom gave him an extraordinary life while on earth. Deploying his value and gifts cost him his life just like his Savior, Jesus.

Martin Luther King Jr. knew no one could take what was promised to Him for eternity. He knew the rewards waiting for Him were more than he could imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Like King and Jesus, we have the opportunity to take responsibility for the incredible inherent value we have been given by Jesus, for Jesus (Romans 11:36), to deploy our value for the benefit of those Jesus has given us to serve in our work.

Let’s go and do likewise!

Resources

Article: "Who Are You?"

Video: "Making People Feel Seen: How to Do it Right" | David Brooks

The Working Genius Gift Assessment

Article: "6 Questions to Find Out How Your Employees Are Really Doing" | Rebecca Knight

Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. ,16 April 1963

*Photo credit: King Memorial March following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Memphis, Tennessee, April 8, 1968. © Santi Visalli—Archive Photos/Getty Images

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