When you're sitting home on a Wednesday morning, just woke up with your coffee and grapefruit, with the whole day ahead of you, what will you decide to do? What you decide to do is what you value most.
Yes some days get away from us, time seems to slip by, but what we spend our time doing is what we value. Since I've finally resolved and accepted that I am a "stay-at-home right now, let's make good use of our time and get practical in the how-to of what we value starting with our coffee and grapefruit (mmm...grapefruit sounds so good right now!) Do you turn on a talk show or open your Bible?
1. God values His Word
"The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true, each one is fair. They more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them." Psalm 19:7-11
The Lord's Word is perfect, trustworthy, right, clear.
Reverence for the Lord lasts forever
More desirable than the finest gold
Sweeter than honey dripping from the comb
Reward for obedience
The Lord's Word gives insight into living each day. If we recognize reverence for the Lord lasts forever then we might start spending more time opening His Word to learn how we can respect Him better and obey His commands more.
You took the last sip of coffee (I know ....sad moment every morning) and you opened the Word of God... what's next?
2. God values physical training, but values godliness even higher.
"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:7-8
Let's do something to get active; a walk, a run, at the very least put your tennis shoes on so you will walk a little faster around the grocery store, and remember godliness has more value than physical training so when you're at the grocery store (walking fast!), you may have a chance to show some godliness.
3. God values obedience
"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 28:1-2
God wants us to follow Him only, no other god, and worship Him alone
IF we obey Him THEN He will bless us
If we come across an opportunity to show godliness AND we obey then God will be pleased. And if we value respecting God then we will want to obey when those opportunities come our way. So what do we do when an opportunity does come our way?
4. God values forgiveness and compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14
God says to forgive twice in this passage and He says to forgive as the Lord forgave. Not as an option, but as a command. Forgive. We are to clothe ourselves every morning with qualities of true value; compassion and kindness.
An opportunity does come our way at the grocery store, the woman in front of us is scrounging in her purse, can't find her money to pay the cashier. Do you tap your foot impatiently, make some unkind comment to hurry her along or do you offer to pay for her items? Maybe her bill is over $100 and you just don't have that in your bank account, well maybe you could be kind and patient, assuring her it's no problem to wait the extra 3 minutes.
In those times, God is testing what we value most.
5. God values perfecting my faith
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:7
When Jesus comes again one day, he will take up those who believed in him, believed that he died on the cross and rose from the dead and God will judge our faith. Have you ever heard people say what's important on a gravestone? It's not the dates or the phrase, but it's the dash between the dates.
The dash between the dates is the time frame when God is refining our faith, testing our faith, bringing us through fire and trial because our faith is much more valuable to God that gold (and if you did a study on gold, you would learn gold is of great value in the eyes of God).
We may be tested at the grocery store when the lady can't pay, but God values obedience, forgiveness, patience and kindness. Our faith will be tested and it will grow.
Now we're home from running our errands, we still have the whole night to spend with our family. Will you busy yourself with your to-do list, hobbies and chores? Only to look at your watch at 9:30 and discover it's a little late to start a board game with your husband?
6. God values quality time
"...But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details. The is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42
Some of you know the story of Mary and Martha. Martha is running around with details while Mary is spending quality time at Jesus' feet. Jesus says that is the ONLY thing to be concerned with and it will not be taken away.
Quality time with Jesus. Quality time with our husbands.
The list could go on and on, the Bible is full of insights to apply.
God values loving others selflessly, commanding us to love. Matthew 20:28 "For even the Son of man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."
God values wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 13:15 "Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her."
God values a noble wife just as valuable as wisdom. Proverbs 31:10 "Who can find a virtuous and noble wife? She is more precious than rubies."
God values marriage and children.
God values prayer and fasting.
God values inner beauty.
God values you.
If you have a full crazy schedule and work outside the home, I'm not judging you for one second, but for women who are stay-at-home, we constantly hear the messages that "we are nothing without a job" and we should be able "to do it all"....it's simply not true. God never said any of that and we have to fight to separate those worldly messages from what God tells us.
You are beautiful and you are valuable. Jobs, hobbies, chores, leadership roles; those are all just cherries on an already delicious red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.
God loves the cake with or without the cherries on top.
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