February 20, 2019
Values have eternal consequences and provide fundamental spiritual dynamics for a walk with God. If a person is to live a life that is pleasing to God, he or she cannot select just any values. They must choose God’s values. While the choice is theirs, the consequences are not.
To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, Nothing can stop the person with godly values from achieving his or her spiritual goal; nothing on earth can help the man or woman with worldly values.
Worldly Values Produce Worldly Behavior
The fifth chapter of Acts provides an excellent example of “worldly” values producing “worldly” behavior. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property and, contrived in their hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit.
After deducting some of the money, they received from the sale they brought the remaining money to the apostles and acted as if they were giving all of the proceeds of the sale to help the needy.
But, Peter quickly saw through their charade. He said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the money for the land?” (Acts 5:3). Confronted with his false deed, Ananias fell dead at Peter’s feet.
Later, after questioning Sapphira about the selling price of the land and receiving a false answer, Peter reminded her that while the property remained unsold, it had remained hers and her husband’s and after it sold the profit from the sale was theirs. But the couple valued worldly acclaim and sought the praise without the sacrifice.
By their actions, they proclaimed, “Here is the money, all the money from the sale of our property. Use it to help the needy.” Ananias and Sapphira’s actions revealed values of stinginess, not generosity; unfaithfulness, not faithfulness. The result, both died instantly.
No person can consistently perform in a manner that is 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.
Next week: Listing of God’s Master Values.