My wife loves yard sales. I don’t. But I go along just to haggle. “That book of DVDs. Would you take $3 for the whole thing?” I know a guy who spends Saturday’s comparison shopping at yard sales. He says, “I saw that same Barry Manilow record at Bob’s place for 25 cents. Can you beat that?”
Reminds me of a guy named Bob. He was used to overpaying at yard sales too. One Saturday morning his neighbours were selling off their excess stuff, so he walked over and started sifting through the junk. Something caught his eye. It was partially hidden under a table cloth, but the shape was unmistakable. A motorcycle. A Harley-Davidson.
“Is the bike for sale?” he asked his neighbour.
The man shrugged. “I don’t see why not. That bike hasn’t run since I’ve had it. How does 35 bucks sound?”
They shook hands on it and Bob took it home. The Harley needed restoration and Bob loved to tinker. So he called Harley-Davidson to see what it would cost. The dealer asked for the serial number and Bob gave it to him.
Bob was put on hold, but soon the parts man was back on the line. He sounded more engaged. “Listen, Bob, take the seat off your bike and see if anything is written underneath?”
Bob did as he was told, and returned to the phone. “Yes,” he said, “It says, ‘THE KING.’”
There was silence.
“Bob, my boss has authorized me to offer you $300,000 for the bike, payable to you immediately. Do we have a deal?”
Bob was stunned. “I-I’ll have to think about it.” The offer went higher. And soon, the bike Bob redeemed from the scrap pile which had been owned by Elvis Presley, was sold for half a million. After years of seeking “The Big Find,” Bob found it. The value of the motorcycle, of course, wasn’t in the metal or the parts. It didn’t even run! It was valuable because it was owned by “the King.”
I don’t know if the story is true. But there’s a truth in it that should stop you dead in your tracks and put a smile on your face that won’t go away. You are worth more than any Harley. 1 John 3:1 says so, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” He saw in us something of infinite value. He owns us. He lives in us. He has written his name on our hearts. “The King of Kings.” So let’s dust ourselves off and give thanks to the God who would rather die than live without us.
