Daily D – Exodus 23:2-3

by | Jan 26, 2023 | Daily D | 0 comments

David G Bowman Logo

Exodus 23:2, 3  “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.” (NLT)

Sometimes you have to oppose a crowd. Sometimes you have to overcome your bias to do what is right, just, fair, and compassionate. Sometimes doing the right thing is hard. Do it anyway. 

God-shaped values are those hooks we hang our hats on that help us make decisions. Most people share a dozen or so values. There are typically a handful of values that drive us. Have you identified yours? How do you state them? 

Consider a simple test. If I offered you a check for one million dollars, and if that check was legitimate, what would you do with it?

  • Some people would spend it.
  • Some people would save it.
  • Some people would invest it.
  • Some people would give it away.

What you would do with a million dollars is based on your most deeply-held values, your core values. 

A church website I checked out yesterday declared the church’s vision, mission, and goal. Their vision does not meet the definition of the word. Their mission statement is generic. Their goal is imprecise. They also have eight “core” values. These values are not really values. Instead, they are points of theology restated from their very long belief statement. 

Noting these things is not picking on the church or its leadership. These are simply observations from someone (me) who has studied these things deeply for decades. A lack of clarity about how we define ourselves muddies the water for those who long for a refreshing drink of the good news. 

Eight core values are too many. Eight are not really core. Four to six is a more honest number. 

Also, if we say we have certain core values, they should be easy for others to identify in our ordinary lives. 

Values not shaped and refined by the heart of God tend to become biases. We favor some people, places, and things. We hold other people, places, and things at more distance. For example, consider MSNBC and NewsMax. Where do their biases lie? Also, consider the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington team formerly known as the Redskins. 

The fact that I used the name the Washington team used to be known as brings up another bias, doesn’t it? 

There is a point to this exercise. How are you allowing God to reshape and refine your core values? How are you allowing him to shift you from bias to compassion?

The Gospel reshapes our lives. It refines every aspect of our lives. If we are unwilling to allow God entry into our political preferences and ideas of what is right, just, fair, and compassionate, we are installing our values as higher than God’s. Needless to say, that is dangerous ground. 

Today is a good day to reconsider our individual core values. Does God have free access to reshape and refine our filters for daily living?

I will allow our Father in heaven to reshape and refine my values to align completely with his.

Our Father, reshape me. Refine me. Place your thoughts in my mind, your compassion in my heart, and your tools of grace and peace in my hands. Amen. 

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

          Church Unique Logo          Auxano Logo

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Acts 20:22-24

Acts 20:22-24 “And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there, except that in every town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Daily D – Acts 16:14

Acts 16:14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.

Daily D – Acts 13:9

Acts 13:9 But Saul — also called Paul — filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas

Daily D – Acts 12:24

Acts 12:24 But the word of God spread and multiplied.

Daily D – Acts 9:19-22

Acts 9:19-22 And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”
All who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.