“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)

Several US governmental agencies who work to set the Value of a Statistical Life have determined that as of 2023 your life is valued at $11.6 million dollars as an adult and if you are a child your life is valued at $23.2 million dollars. This figure is used to evaluate benefits and costs for policies and regulations that affect mortality risks. While the factors used in arriving at this number may be complex the scriptures are clear and simply stated in the fifth commandment, .

God sets high value on each and every life. In His commandment He decrees that we are to honor life so that neither murder, nor revenge, nor hatred, nor neglect, nor selfish advantage would harm another person’s life (See Proverbs 24:1-2, Ephesians 4:31-32). Rather, we should proactively work to care for, speak well of, and serve others in a way that blesses, protects, and maintains life.

And it was Jesus who valued your life so highly that He laid down His so that you might always have it. Honoring and valuing life with the highest esteem is what it means to follow Jesus, to be transformed by His life and staying committed to His mission.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank you for the gift of life. It is a precious gift. Help us to honor life in the way that we speak, in the way that we act, in the ways that we think about this gift that you have given to us. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.