His Values
Monday— Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt. 6:19-21
When Mr. Crotchety died, his heirs found huge wads of cash stuffed into walls, under floorboards, and in the attic of the tumble-down farmhouse where he’d lived his entire life. He’d shuffled into town a couple times a month dressed in rags and everyone thought he was destitute. But the money recovered from his house totaled over a million dollars. Why had he lived like a beggar when he was the richest man in town? Money that could have improved his life and met the needs of others did no good at all. Thinking the money itself was the treasure, he wasted its value because he’d lost sight of what really mattered.
It’s easy for us to lose sight of what really matters too, so Jesus reminded us. Nothing on this earth will last forever and none of our treasures will follow us into eternity. All we have to take with us is what we DID with the resources God entrusted to us: our time, energy, finances, and intellect. He urges not to squander it during the few years allotted to us on earth, but to store up real treasure in heaven, the kind we can enjoy forever. We can use our earthly resources to invest in heavenly ones and when we do, our heart’s passion follows. The best way to maintain heavenly values is to invest in heavenly treasure right now.
Challenge: Wherever your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be. What’s most important to you?
Prayer: Father, do I place the right value on material things? They are important in providing for myself and those I love. But do I make them TOO important? Help me develop your values about eternal treasure and store it up. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Tuesday— You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… Matthew 5:43-44
It’s so easy to love the loveable and so easy to hate the jerks: the arrogant driver who flipped you off, that boss on an ego trip, the child molester who got off Scott free. Righteous indignation boils within and we feel justified in hating them. But Jesus says, “Hold on. Anybody can hate jerks. That’s easy. But in My kingdom, we rise above that. We show love toward them. We smile and pray for the rude driver. We do extra work to please the boss. We pray for the salvation of the child molester and the healing of his victims.” When we humbly serve those who don’t deserve it, we prove ourselves citizens of a higher kingdom.
Jenny cleaned house for the drunk daughter who had cussed her out the night before. Frank stopped to help the stranded motorist who had cut him off in traffic half a mile back. Rhett and Jimmy mowed the lawn of the hostile neighbor who yelled at them. They were all doing what Jesus said. They could have chosen anger. They could have made enemies. But they chose to love instead. Love doesn’t come naturally when we’ve been wronged. Our natural response is “an eye for an eye.” Loving our enemies is supernatural. And supernatural responses get an audience. In God’s value system, reaching people—even enemies—with His gospel of grace and forgiveness supersedes our rights to get even. And the long-term payoff is better.
Challenge: When you’re tempted to make an enemy, do you respond naturally or supernaturally?
Prayer: Jesus, this is hard. When people push my last button, I want to react naturally and push theirs. Help me learn to respond supernaturally, to represent you well, even to people who’ve hurt me. Help me live like a citizen of heaven. Amen.
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Wednesday— Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. 1 Peter 3:11
Throughout scripture, the Lord is called “the God of peace.” In His value system, peace between people ranks high. He promises to bring peace on earth, and He wants us to pursue peace, as much as it depends on us (Rom 12:18). But we can have mixed-up definitions of what a search for peace looks like. And those mixed-up definitions may silence us when we need to speak up, paralyze us when we need to act, or make us turn away when we should move forward. The kind of peace God wants is a bold peace. Active peace. And a peace that may come at great cost to us if it’s for the long-term good of another.
Our culture defines peace as tolerance of anything anybody says or does. But tolerating an abuser punching a child is not peace. Tolerating the very sins that will ruin someone’s life is not peace. Jesus was not peaceful according to the world’s standards because He riled up crowds wherever He went. He was always saying things that made people mad but He also brought peace to hearts yearning for it. God’s peace is the quiet, unwavering stand for His values. The refusal to budge when we know “Thus sayeth the Lord…” Peaceful people overlook wrongs done to them, go out of their way to get along, and prove themselves responsible and kind. God urges us to be peace-loving, but without compromise when truth is at stake.
Challenge: Is God’s peace high on your list of values? Learn the difference between peace and tolerance.
Prayer: Father, how well do I bring peace to my world? To my family? To my community? Am I a peacemaker or a silent observer when evil is tolerated? Help me learn the difference and promote the kind of peace you love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Thursday— Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
Another value high on God’s list is holiness. We may grimace when we hear that word if we picture somber-faced monks or Amish bonnets. We might be tempted to flip the pages until we find values we like better. But holiness simply means “set apart.” Temple vessels were declared “holy” when they’d been dedicated to the Lord. When we’ve dedicated our lives to the Lord, He takes on the task of making us holy, like He is holy (Romans 8:29). He commands us to participate in that process called “sanctification” because He’s passionate about making us like His Son (1 Pet. 1:15-16). It’s a life-long process.
Think of it this way: You were handed a priceless vase when you were born. You promptly dropped it and it shattered in a million pieces. Frantic, you spent your life trying to superglue it back together and it only got uglier. Then the Master Artist stepped in, took the pieces from you, and began to mold them together in a unique way. As the pieces become a work of art, He warns, “Don’t use this in the garage. This is priceless. It cost my Son His life. Treasure it. Keep it clean and safe. Keep it holy to show its great value.” So as believers, we honor our bodies, our words, and our attitudes as a way of demonstrating the value of the great gift we’ve been given. Along with peace, we want to pursue holiness that keeps us in step with our Lord.
Challenge: God highly values holiness. Do you?
Prayer: Father, I haven’t valued holiness the way you do. But when you saved me, you set me apart for honor. Help me honor myself and other people as a way of becoming more like your Son. I will pursue holiness to be like you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Friday— Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
No one could understand why Marsha took him back. After what he did, she had every right to kick him to the curb and move on. “I love him,” she said. “I forgive him.” And that was that. Brett was deeply wounded by his church. They treated him terribly and everyone expected him to drop out for good. But he went back. “I love them,” he answered. “They’re fallible like I am and I forgive them.” Both Brett and Marsha grew from their experiences and developed a deeper love for God and others. They chose to let love, not judgement, rule their hearts and they benefited from it. They let love cover a multitude of sins.
When Bible writers use the phrase “above all,” they’re calling our attention to something significant. They’ve just listed some vital truths we should make notes about, but they’re not finished. There’s one more thing and it tops them all. Peter had just given some strong instruction about how believers should act, but ends with “Above all, love each other deeply.” In other words, “If you’ll love each other completely, you won’t need to remember the other things I just said. It will come naturally.” Love is the highest value on God’s list. He showed us what love looks like when He sent His Son to be punished in our place (Rom. 5:8). He never asks us to do anything He hasn’t demonstrated for us. Love, holiness, kindness, truth, forgiveness—they’re all laid out for us in His word. And if we can just learn to love each other deeply, the rest will come naturally.
Challenge: Pursue loving people deeply and the rest of God’s values will fall into place.
Prayer: Father, help me love like you love, forgive like you forgive, and treat others as I want to be treated. Thank you for showing us how to do it and giving us the power, through your Holy Spirit, to pursue your values. In Jesus’ name, amen.
