Christians Must Value God’s Nine Values

May 8, 2019 –

This is the final article on God’s Nine Values. Christians should reflect these Core Values.

No person can perform in a manner inconsistent with his or her values. Aligning your values with God’s values has a significant impact on your behavior. To fulfill your desire to walk with God, you must embrace His values.

Paul, in Galatians 5:19-21 (HCSB) reveals God’s nine Master Values. They are:

  1. Love. The outward expression of an intense inward desire to please God, and to do good to your neighbor.
  2. Joy. Authentic joy includes the capacity to rejoice amid the worst of circumstances.
  3. Peace. Not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict.
  4. Patience. The inner strength that provides calmness when we are called upon to bear with one another.
  5. Kindness. Acts of kindness involve service and service requires personal involvement.
  6. Goodness. The ceaseless, eternal, endless desire, not only to have pure motives but also eager to help those in need to the utmost of our ability.
  7. Faithfulness. Steadfastness, fidelity, allegiance both in words and action.
  8. Gentleness. An attitude of strength under God’s control.
  9. Self-Control. Mastery over all evil passions and desires—especially sensual impulses and desires.

These nine master values are “The fruit of the Spirit.” Paul uses the word fruit in the agriculture sense of the product harvested. The fruit is a byproduct; it is the fruit of a seed of the same origin. An apple seed can produce apples, and a lemon seed can produce lemons. But the apple can’t produce lemons and lemons don’t produce apples. The seed reproduces itself. Peace creates peace. Patience is a product of patience and so forth.

Values are like a human fingerprint. People identify us by our actions. Jesus provides a guideline for distinguishing between true and false prophets: “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:20). We are our values.

NEXT WEEK OUR JOURNEY LEADS US TO SPIRITUAL PLANNING