Our values are the beliefs through which we process life in our family, our culture, our community and our workplace. They are the lens through which we make decisions, develop our mindsets, and determine our standards. They affect our attitude, our outlook and our spiritual walk. How critical it is then that we ask ourselves, What Do You Value Most?
This question is crucial because it sets us on the journey to discovering what our values are – the core beliefs and principles that shape every part of our lives and the way we approach them spiritually, mentally, emotionally, financially and physically.
Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, in the early years of their marriage, their walk with God and their ministry, began adopting God’s values as their own as they learned what the Word of God had to say about how we’re to live our lives here on earth. It was through this process that they matured as believers and grew up in Christ.
This process of adopting God’s values as our own is part of our maturing, as well. It’s part of our transformation. It helps us to renew our minds according to the Word, be healed in the realm of our soul, and learn how to live our lives looking through the lens of God’s Word instead of our own.
Some people call this process, and where they land becomes their core values. Others might call it a code of conduct or their non-negotiables or simply truths they live by. Whatever we might call them, we all need them. We need to make what God values most become what we value most – and then we need to learn how to live that out in our lives. So, again, What Do You Value Most?
Determining What Matters to Us
To help you begin establishing what you value most, consider some of the tangible and intangible things that might appear on your list – both of which can be spiritual or natural. Perhaps you value ideals like transparency, discipline, a good reputation, integrity, kindness or love. Maybe you equally value gratitude, courage, self-respect and dependability. Perhaps it’s critical to provide for your family, to create a safe place for your children to grow and be nurtured, to attend church together, and to pray together. Perhaps being generous and tithing are non-negotiables that you would never let go. Maybe serving at your church or volunteering in your community are acts of high value because giving back is something that means a great deal to you – perhaps because you once benefited from others who gave of their time and talent to you.
Whatever your values are, it’s important to evaluate them in light of the Word and to double-check that they are rooted and grounded in the Word. The Word is our standard for what matters most while we walk on this earth. Our values should be informed by and based on the Word!
Where To Look for God’s Values
If we want to ensure that our values line up with God’s values, we need only look to His Word – to key passages of Scripture that give us a clear window into God’s perspective and His will for our lives. Consider this list of values and corresponding Bible verses as you begin to double-check what you value most. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it will help you get started thinking and praying over any adjustments you might need to make in your heart and mind.
- We’re to love God and love others.
“‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-38). - We’re to be forgiving, just as God is always forgiving with us.
“Be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). - We’re to walk in the fruit of the spirit.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23). - We’re to put the Word first place in our lives.
“With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes” (Psalm 119:10-13, NKJV). - We’re to talk to God continually, meaning we’re to pray about everything.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). - We’re to share the gospel with others.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16, NKJV). - We’re to fellowship with other believers and gather together regularly. This would include honouring the Sabbath in our lives.
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). - We’re to avoid practicing the things God hates, including all the things He calls sin.
“There are six things the LORD hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (Proverbs 6:16-19). - We’re to be generous with others with our time, talent and treasure.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21). - We’re to tithe the resources God puts in our hands.
‘“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’” (Malachi 3:10).
Did the Holy Spirit show you any adjustments you need to make in your heart and mind? Did other values come up in your heart as you reviewed this list? Did you recognize some values that you’ve let go of, and need to begin practicing again? Defining our values, knowing they line up with God’s Word, and seeing them written down to review regularly, keep us on track. Then we can obey and please God, and live our lives according to His Word, which is His will for us. Save this article and refer back to it quarterly or annually as a checkup, to keep yourself spiritually strong and continually maturing. And when you face a decision, a trial or an attack of the enemy, don’t forget this crucial question: What Do You Value Most?
© 1997 – 2024 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
Watch Pastors George and Terri Pearsons on Believer’s Voice of Victory as they define core values and their influence in your life. Learn to identify beliefs you’ve internalized contrary to God’s WORD, and replace them with seven core values that will guide you every day!
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