As I was driving through town the other day, a song popped into my head (this happens a lot). I hadn’t heard it in probably 20 years. My college roommate used to blast a southern gospel album with a song called “The Value of One”:

Go sound the horn! Strike up the choir!
A sinner is saved, saved from the fire!
No more in darkness; he’s received God’s Son;
All heaven’s rejoicing: that’s the value of one!

I’m not sure why I found myself humming these lyrics to myself, but it’s a healthy reminder, isn’t it?

Jesus reminded His listeners in Luke 15, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Only one. One soul out of billions. And yet the angels of God—who are treated continually to the most dazzling vision of the power and majesty of the God who made the stars and mountains and oceans—shout for joy over that one sinner.

I love that God’s Word reminds us of the value of one.

A few weeks ago, two American airmen were shot down in their F-15 over the mountains of Iran. One was rescued pretty quickly, but the other was forced to trek many miles across extremely rough terrain until he was finally extracted at the cost of millions of dollars worth of equipment and at the risk of dozens of American lives. But they got him!

Regardless of your opinion of the conflict in Iran (frankly I don’t know enough to have a strong opinion), you have to admit that the decision to do whatever it took to rescue just one man represents an admirable ordering of priorities. The value of one is greater than state-of-the-art military equipment.

How much more the value of an everlasting soul?

There’s a temptation in Christian circles to think that God saves sinners even though we’re utterly worthless trash, fit for nothing better than to be thrown away.

But that’s not how Scripture presents the human condition. Every one of us is created in the image and likeness of God. Every one of us is given a mandate to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.

That identity doesn’t go away because of sin. The image of God is marred and twisted but it’s still there. God went to the greatest possible lengths to restore His image in us through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, who makes us new creatures and conforms us to the image of the perfect Son of God.

We need to remember the value of one. So often we allow the enemy to distract us from this. We compare our meager gifts with the charisma of a great minister or missionary who has led many thousands to Christ and we are tempted to think, “I guess my life doesn’t matter quite as much.”

Not true! One conversation with one person has the potential to reverberate into eternity! Its impact is infinite. And by the way, just because you don’t see the impact doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

Consider the testimony of Charles Spurgeon. He’s known as the “Prince of Preachers” who held forth to unprecedented multitudes every Sunday. But have you ever read about the day of his conversion?

Stranded in a snowstorm, young Charles ducked into a tiny church building for some relief from the cold. The pastor had been prevented from coming, so a wizened old deacon was tasked with bringing an impromptu message.

Spurgeon pulls no punches when describing the rustic, limping rhetoric of the ill-prepared preacher. But the Holy Spirit pricked his heart: “Look unto Me,” the man had read. And in these few short words the young man’s eyes were opened to the glories of the cross and he was gloriously saved.

I’ve wondered whether than old deacon even knew what happened that day, or if he lived long enough to see what his eager listener would one day become.

You never know what God is doing. Don’t give up and don’t grow discouraged. Every single soul on your list or in your sphere of influence is of infinite value to Christ. Go after the one, and watch God work.