What do I value?

Maybe in the past you have looked to those around you for clarity or direction. Perhaps you have even acquired the value system of those closest to you just to keep the peace and stay connected. But this can be the very stumbling block that reinforces your old identity and holds you captive. Instead, your values should be a direct reflection of your new identity in Christ.

Take for example how you value friendship. You realize that the world’s standards around friendship includes behavior like competing, comparing, or gossiping with and about others. Yet when you are made new in Christ, your values are now rooted in the desire of the Spirit, and not the desire of the flesh (Gal 5:16).

To establish good friendships, you must first value being a good friend. Scripture is full of foundational values around building community and sustaining healthy relationships.

• We are told to discern; those who walk with the wise become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Proverbs 13:20).
• We are warned about gossip; do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what helps build others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Eph. 4:29)
• We are advised against comparing or competing; do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:3-4)

We are meant to do life together, yet good intentions around relationships are not enough. When the world gets noisy, or insecurity rears its ugly head, you can cling to the values of God and align yourself with them. Here you become better positioned to sustain a value system that embodies all of who you are in Christ.