Got Right Values?
Absolutes, Blog, Earthly Values, Erik Garthe, Eternal Values, Freeing, Good, Got Right Values?, Guidance, Lasting, Moral, No Longer Conformed, Purifying, Relative, Treasures in Heaven, Values
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Many people think good is relative, there are no moral absolutes. Bad Thinking! It leads to every person doing what seems right to him. God’s kingdom values must dictate what is important to us. He has established
absolutes that are a guidance system for traveling through life. Jesus spent Matthew 6:19-24 dealing with right values. Here are three reasons to pursue these values, which reveal the importance of eternal values. First, eternal values are lasting values—“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (v. 20) Someone wrote, “What you own soon owns you.” Because things tend to fall apart or get stolen, we spend much energy keeping things up or safe. Moths and rust destroy things, thieves take from you. In biblical times, there was no effective defense against these attackers. The walls of houses were made of dried mud or mud bricks—could dig through them. Jesus doesn’t want you focused on the passing away stuff of this world. (See 1 John 2:15-17) Instead, people should invest in eternal life: developing Christ-like character; performing righteous deeds; winning lost souls to Christ. Second, eternal values are purifying values—“If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” (v. 22) Earthly values result in wrong thinking, and people become emotionally attached to error. A willful rebellion against right ideas is a serious problem! A person with poor spiritual eyesight needs the corrective lenses of the Cross of Calvary. Third, eternal values are freeing values—“No one can serve two masters.” (v. 24) If you attempt to serve two masters, it results in “double-mindedness”: one eye on earthly treasures; one eye on eternal life. God wants your whole heart, not just half of it. The next verse begins with a “therefore” that relates what’s coming to what was just said. We’ll deal with that next time. Do you have the right values—eternal values?
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
