Values: Boundary Markers for Living - Part 2

Values serve as boundary markers for everyday living. Values are guidelines for management of personal conduct. Do they provide guarantees for a perfect, sin-free life? No! We cannot say, "I have values, and they protect me from any temptation or whenever internal impulses push me toward sin."

The Ten Commandments are about values. They help Christians establish values and serve as a reminder when there are deviations from those boundaries. Jesus said he came to this world to fulfill the commandments, not to do away with them. Our self-interest and desires pull us away from the commandments and our personal values.

Romans 11 clarifies. "When Israel tried to be right with God by pursuing her own self-interest, Israel failed. God’s chosen ones have always been those who would invite God to pursue his interest in them, and they in turn received his approval." Values become crystal clear when we permit God to pursue his interest in us. Can you do that without hesitation?  

Focus on Your Values - Part 3

Big city life is a marked contrast to the seemingly simple life I knew as a child. Don't get the wrong idea. Stress and worries always were associated with farming, but there were the exciting days. At harvest time in late summer and fall, neighbors and family helped each other gather in crops.

These were the days before big combine machines replaced those neighbors and friends. While the men worked in the fields, women prepared lunch. I begged to stay home from school, but my dad insisted that I go to school because there wasn't much I could do as a young child.

Although these people were far from perfect, their values bonded them together. It isn't that the big city lacks values, but in the confines of a fast-paced, hurried life, values may become blurred. God’s word from Luke 10:27 helps to clarify where values should be anchored. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” Do these words identify where your values begin and end?