Jesus was clear:
We put our heart into what we value. So I think it is a good theme the Lord nudged me with today – value.
As I looked up the word it listed references to mathematics, standards, economics, theory, law, character and more. But as I thought and prayed the value of time, money, sharing our faith and being a loving person rose to the top of my heart.
We all know what God values more than anything else. God loves people more than anything, He has given believers the task of sharing the gospel.
Acts 4:12 “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
We also know that God loves when we follow His values.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"These are the values of God. We are much closer to the heart of God when these three values are on our hearts. God values our lives being a public demonstration of His valuable work in us. What God requires of us is not closet spirituality, but public spirituality.
God requires that we do justice.
Here is our work. Our God is just, and therefore his people must be just and work for justice. Talking about it is not enough. Loving it is not what he requires. He demands that we “do” justice.
God requires us to love mercy.
For some mercy is not even a part of their vocabulary. As if the only mercy to exist in the world is God’s to them personally, and everyone else is judged. Telling someone they “deserve what they are getting” is amazing when we want God’s mercy to keep from us what we deserve. It is very possible to give mercy and not really value it. When we are reluctant to extend mercy we are not valuing it as God does. God does not value the actions of a man when his heart is not in it. To love mercy means we have the heart of God, desire to reflect his glory and bless our neighbor.
God requires that we value being humble with Him.
God can move to and through a humble heart while He rejects those who value self above Him and above others. I was praying for our church today and thinking of the value of the people God has allowed us to come to know, share truth with and serve alongside. We have some amazing people and if you take time to get to know them you will see the value in them. Jesus encourages us to be cautious as to what we value. He says:
Matthew 6:21 "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." When Jesus spoke of our "heavenly Father," he contrasted the power and presence of God in our lives with our own fears and anxieties. He told us, do not be anxious saying "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" ...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6: 28 – 34)
Do not be anxious. Do not be afraid. You are already citizens of the kingdom of your heavenly Father.
Jesus spoke directly to our fears of not having enough to live on, and He spoke right to our value system. We often hear that, Home is where the heart is….and I would add your from what Jesus has spoken, your treasure (what you value) is your home.
What do you value most in life? That's an easy question to ask but a hard one to answer. To answer it truthfully, to discern clearly what matters most to you in life, would require a serious effort of personal inventory. As we continue to complete our sanctuary expansion and move into our multi-purpose building, it is clear what we value. We value space for people to congregate, worship, learn, share, grow, have their needs met and more. We have built these facilities because we value together giving to the Lord’s work. People have taken the finances which they value and released them – our council and leadership have taken the time to pray over them and spend them wisely to allow there to be enough to invest not just in now but in future.
You may need to take some time out from your everyday routine to take stock of what you treasure most of all. What do you value most in life? Where is your greatest treasure?
If you're like me, you probably don't have time to think of that very often. You're too busy just living. But if you had the time to take stock of your life, how would you answer that question about your greatest treasure? What matters most to you? Where does your heart live? What do you believe most deeply?
Take a moment to ask God to help you discern what you value most.
I am praying for you,
Pastor Bernie
We put our heart into what we value. So I think it is a good theme the Lord nudged me with today – value.
As I looked up the word it listed references to mathematics, standards, economics, theory, law, character and more. But as I thought and prayed the value of time, money, sharing our faith and being a loving person rose to the top of my heart.
We all know what God values more than anything else. God loves people more than anything, He has given believers the task of sharing the gospel.
Acts 4:12 “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
We also know that God loves when we follow His values.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"These are the values of God. We are much closer to the heart of God when these three values are on our hearts. God values our lives being a public demonstration of His valuable work in us. What God requires of us is not closet spirituality, but public spirituality.
God requires that we do justice.
Here is our work. Our God is just, and therefore his people must be just and work for justice. Talking about it is not enough. Loving it is not what he requires. He demands that we “do” justice.
God requires us to love mercy.
For some mercy is not even a part of their vocabulary. As if the only mercy to exist in the world is God’s to them personally, and everyone else is judged. Telling someone they “deserve what they are getting” is amazing when we want God’s mercy to keep from us what we deserve. It is very possible to give mercy and not really value it. When we are reluctant to extend mercy we are not valuing it as God does. God does not value the actions of a man when his heart is not in it. To love mercy means we have the heart of God, desire to reflect his glory and bless our neighbor.
God requires that we value being humble with Him.
God can move to and through a humble heart while He rejects those who value self above Him and above others. I was praying for our church today and thinking of the value of the people God has allowed us to come to know, share truth with and serve alongside. We have some amazing people and if you take time to get to know them you will see the value in them. Jesus encourages us to be cautious as to what we value. He says:
Matthew 6:21 "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." When Jesus spoke of our "heavenly Father," he contrasted the power and presence of God in our lives with our own fears and anxieties. He told us, do not be anxious saying "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" ...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6: 28 – 34)
Do not be anxious. Do not be afraid. You are already citizens of the kingdom of your heavenly Father.
Jesus spoke directly to our fears of not having enough to live on, and He spoke right to our value system. We often hear that, Home is where the heart is….and I would add your from what Jesus has spoken, your treasure (what you value) is your home.
What do you value most in life? That's an easy question to ask but a hard one to answer. To answer it truthfully, to discern clearly what matters most to you in life, would require a serious effort of personal inventory. As we continue to complete our sanctuary expansion and move into our multi-purpose building, it is clear what we value. We value space for people to congregate, worship, learn, share, grow, have their needs met and more. We have built these facilities because we value together giving to the Lord’s work. People have taken the finances which they value and released them – our council and leadership have taken the time to pray over them and spend them wisely to allow there to be enough to invest not just in now but in future.
You may need to take some time out from your everyday routine to take stock of what you treasure most of all. What do you value most in life? Where is your greatest treasure?
If you're like me, you probably don't have time to think of that very often. You're too busy just living. But if you had the time to take stock of your life, how would you answer that question about your greatest treasure? What matters most to you? Where does your heart live? What do you believe most deeply?
Take a moment to ask God to help you discern what you value most.
I am praying for you,
Pastor Bernie
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