Keep Your Values in Focus - Part 2

Country singer Johnny Cash documented that the best advice he obtained as a young entertainer was to keep focused consistently on the fact that his talents were God-given. He confessed that he sometimes lost sight of this admonition and abused these gifts. Losing sight of one's values is often a prelude to personal crises.

Proverbs 22:1 states, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth." What does a good name have to do with values? A good name identifies a person with high standards. My sister-in-law speaks of my brother Carl as “a good, kind-hearted man who can be trusted because he is honest and truthful.” Carl has a good name.

Listen to these wise words of wisdom. "Morals without faith and trust in Christ Jesus will wither and die, like seed sown upon stony ground or among the briars and thorns." Maintaining a strong faith requires constant focus on Christ Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. Jesus gives special gifts to those who, when using the gifts appropriately, bring honor and glory to God. 

Keep Your Values in Focus - Part 1

When values become an issue in the political arena, you can be sure the family, church, and schools have failed, either by choice or default. While values determine the fate of a family or nation, they coincidentally may be seldom practiced or nurtured. One way of explaining values is to speak of taking the high road or the low road throughout life.

Once when I went hunting with my father-in-law, to our dismay we discovered several dead deer along a country road. Someone had used a powerful spot light and rifle the night before to kill the deer just for fun. This senseless killing angered my father-in-law because it collided with his values.

What you value about life and God’s creation can measure what you value about yourself. Jesus gave this guideline for living, centered in the Golden Rule. "Do not do to others what would anger you, if the same were done to you." God loves all of creation enough to look forward to its redemption, so honor what God created and loves. 

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? 

Focus on Your Values - Part 2

When I consider the small farming community where I lived as a child and compare it to my life now, it's pretty awesome to live in one of the largest cities in the U.S. Most of the people from that little community were good Christian people. Although it was a safe place to grow up, accidents happened. A close neighbor was killed when his tractor ran over him.

Things were not perfect. There were bullies in the school like in today's big city schools. Alcoholism was a problem in my parents' families. Three important entities that promoted spiritual and moral values were my home, a good school, and a little Baptist church. These have provided safeguards and guidelines for my entire life.

Values may become muddled when weaknesses are allowed to overpower our character strengths. It's tempting to become discouraged by weaknesses that tend to rise up and dominate. Romans 8:26 offers these words of reassurance. "The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses." Right now ask Christ Jesus to help you realize how he’s at work to accomplish this goal within you.  

Focus on Your Values - Part 1

I spent my elementary years of childhood growing up in a small farming community. My uncle owned a combination feed and grocery store there, in addition to being the postmaster and pharmacist. I can't remember crime being major concern, for safety and security seemed to be a given.

I cannot explain how I got this idea, except that human nature being as it is, it came naturally. When I was seven or eight, my cousin and I took some of my mother's hen eggs and sold them at my uncle's store. Sometime later I took a twenty-dollar bill from my mother's purse and hid it under our house. When my mom confronted me, I confessed and gave back her twenty dollars.

My mother confronted me because she loved me and what I did was wrong. Confronting weaknesses is a never-ending process. God’s word offers this challenge. "Continue to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Remain patient, keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith."