Future Focus Present Faithfulness -- Recallibrating Values Series

Future Focus Present Faithfulness Pt 12

“Recalibrating Our Values”

Review

A clear comprehension of the future helps keeps us accountable in the present.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

We will all stand before God.

We will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:10-12

Most every extended passage dealing with future events also includes a strong exhortation to live holy in the present. What sort of people ought we to be today in light of tomorrow’s monumental events? How we live in this life really does affect our life in the next. Hebrews 12 encourages a disciplined life in light of some awesome present spiritual realities and some sobering future accountability. The writer suggested three life pursuits.

? Promote healing among the body.

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

? Pursue peace in our relationships with one another.

Pursue peace with all men

? Pursue holiness in our relationship with God.

Pursue the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

The passage also warns against three struggles that would sidetrack that those pursuits.

Seeing to it that no one comes short of God’s grace.

Seeing to it that no one comes short of the grace of God;

Seeing to it that no root of bitterness take root and defile many.

Seeing to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

Seeing to it that no one fall prey to the grip of temporal values.

Seeing to it that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. Hebrews 12:12-17

We have explored all but the last one.

? Guard against failing to appropriate God’s amazing enabling grace; available and sufficient.

? Guard against bitter roots; pervasive and destructive.

? Finally Guard against living according to temporal values.

Failure to daily appropriate God’s enabling grace results in a lack of spiritual power.

Failure to prevent and eradicate bitter roots of negativity results in a lack of inner peace.

Failure to put Christ before everything results in a lack of eternal purpose.

INTRODUCTION

We ALL live according to a value system. We make decisions in life according to what we consider to be important. Somewhere along the way, we categorize our world according to the important and what isn’t. We adopt our values from our parents, mentors, our culture, our peers, our education, observation or from God’s word. We then we allocate our most treasured resources to things we deem important or valuable. We not only establish and prioritize a list of important things. Out of twenty important things, #6 is more important than #3. Only the things I consider important receive my time, my energy, my money, my possessions.

If I consider a formal education important, I will sacrifice time and money to pursue it.

If I consider family important, I will give my personal resources to protect and support it.

If I determine personal pleasure and comfort is important, I will delegate resources to its pursuit.

The list can be short or extensive. It is different for everyone because it develops over our lifetime. What seemed so earth shattering at 13 years old somehow just doesn’t matter much at 65.

Possessions, power, prestige, physical looks, achievement, money, friends, home, recognition, fame, ability, sports, experiences, travel, being loved and accepted, heritage, good marriage, well behaved kids, perfect job, entertainment, feeling good, escaping pain, avoiding conflict.

We spend our whole life trying to figure out and pursue what is important. Because we have limited time, energy and money we must continually decide how to spend those limited resources based on what we consider more important. Allocation of resources ultimately reveals perceived level of importance. Monitor the distribution of resources and you will detect the degree of importance. Our values are not demonstrated by the declaration of our mouth so much as the distribution of our resources. Every Christian would strongly declare that God and His kingdom are of first importance. Yet one cursory glance at our calendar and checkbook more accurately demonstrates what we really consider important.