" HOW'S YOUR MORALS, VALUES "

Good Morning,

I feel so blessed to be able to share with you again this week. This week the Lord has put on my heart Morals, have you thought about your values lately and how you come across to others.

We must be on the alert, and realize if we're in the furnace, it's easy to catch on fire. We live with neighbors whose values may be completely different from ours. We are called to maintain a life-style that shows our faith. Our lives ought to show that we put obeying God before doing what is praised and accepted by society. Be careful about what you allow to form your opinions. The Bible is the only standard of truth. Evaluate all other opinions in light of its teachings. We need to be careful about the input we allow to form our beliefs. Given TV, Music, and the rest of the media often presenting sinful life-styles and unwholesome values. We find ourselves constantly bombarded by attitudes and beliefs that are totally opposed to the Bible.

No matter who you are, moral laxness will cause problems. Just because you have won a battle with temptation does not mean you will automatically win the next one. We truly need to be vigilant against temptation. Sometimes Satan's strongest attacks come after a victory. Consider carefully the things that you cherish. Now, if you value anything more than God, it becomes your golden calf and will one day drag you down. Let go of anything that interferes with your relationship with God, the source of morals. Many people claim to believe in God while refusing to give up attitudes and actions that God denounces. Now, God cannot be added to the values we already have. He must come first, and His Word must shape all our actions and attitudes.

God's plans frustrate the " Way of the wicked " because his values are opposite of society's. Don't be surprised when others don't understand your Christian values, but don't give in to theirs. Jesus contrasted heavenly values with earthly values when he explained that our first loyalty should be to those things that do not fade, cannot be stolen or used up. and never wear out. We should never be fascinated with possessions, lest they possess us.

People don't usually fall into immorality and evil suddenly - they slip into it a bit at a time until, hardly realizing what has happened, they are irrevocably mired in their wicked ways. Any person who allows sin to take root in his or her life can find himself or herself in this predicament. Temptation entertained today becomes sin tomorrow, then a habit the next day, then death and separation from God forever. To think you could never become this evil is the first step toward a hard heart. Acknowledge your need to to confess your sin before God.

Until Next Time...

Jim,