Thursday, June 27, 2013

True Value

 
Psalm 119:33-40
33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
    that I may follow it to the end.[a]
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
    and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
    for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
    preserve my life according to your word.[b]
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
    so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
    for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!
    In your righteousness preserve my life.

 “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. - Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)


 



I am privileged to work with remarkable people in a workplace that is largely focused on academic reward. Yet this highly intellectual environment brings the risk of allowing academic achievement to become the measuring stick of a person’s worth. Adopting such a value system is easy. Society often measures our worth by our success, knowledge, or wealth.

But what are these achievements if they are not attained while seeking after God and God’s purposes? Does any of them make us more important in the Lord’s eyes? No. God loves us unconditionally. Reading Jeremiah 9:23-24, we see that strength, riches, and wisdom are not negatives. But first and foremost, God longs for us to be people who devote ourselves to seeking God and understanding God’s ways.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you that our value is not determined by our riches, strength, or intellect, but by your unchanging love for us. May we diligently seek to know and honor you, remembering that our hearts, not our achievements, are most important to you. Amen.
Prayer focus - Those who work in academia

      
Comment by Don of Ozark, MO
Good morning. Adele, thank you for your thoughts and welcome to the UR family. It is so sad that people in this world worship the gods of wealth, physical beauty and academic achievement, rather than the God who is our creator. Many who possess great financial and material wealth tend to look down upon those who have very little of this and view those who have less as stupid and lazy. The truth is that God blesses each of us with much and asks that we use what we have to serve Him by helping others, not just to get more and more for ourselves. Those who think that money will buy happiness for themselves for all time are truly deceived. Once one dies they no longer have financial wealth, it belongs to other as they cannot take it with them. The only true wealth that we can hope to obtain is salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and we can take that with us, and bank on it. It is for real but it does require that we show our faith in Him and pray in earnest for forgiveness of our sins. Let us all do what we can do today and in the future to help others to find Him and at the same time serve Him by looking out for the physical needs of our fellow man. Praise His Holy Name!!
Posted June 27, 2013 at 03:52AM CDT

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