Dear Tabernacle Family,
Several years ago I wrote on paper personal values that I wanted to live by. I remember the exercise being very powerful. It was an excellent litmus test for me to see where my values and my actions aligned or misfired.
Over the years, Gabi and I have developed that list of values. Together, we have revised and polished the language of our values and now use it regularly as guidance in our lives. We filter decisions about our time, relationships, finances, even vacations through our core set of values.
It’s a wonderfully empowering aspect of our life that adds security. One of our influences in this principle has been Stephen Covey. You may have heard about his book, "7 Habits of Highly Successful People." A whole section of the book is about values.
Here’s one thing he says about values: "I believe that a life of integrity is the most fundamental source of personal worth. I do not agree with the popular success literature that says that self-esteem is primarily a matter of mindset, of attitude- that you can psych yourself into peace of mind. Peace of mind comes when your life is in harmony with true principles and values and in no other way."
A great truth we see here is that when our life is aligned with our values, it gives us great confidence and peace. We can’t psych ourselves into that kind of peace. It comes from integrity. When our values and our actions align, we are walking in integrity. When we walk in integrity, a great confidence comes to us from the peace that we experience being whole and aligned with our own values.
If there’s one thing God is doing, it’s shaking what we put our trust in and what we value. There is no better time than the holidays and the new year to work on creating family values or returning to our values. Time unplugged allows us to meditate on where we need to align stronger within our own core values so we can walk out greater PEACE, HOPE, and HARMONY in our lives.
Let’s be men and women of strong values! Let’s be people secured in the PEACE of Jesus that comes when we walk in integrity and wholeness.
Merry Christmas and Holiday Blessings,
Pastor Mark