True Value

Bible Reading: Zechariah 8:14-17

“Tell the truth. . . . Don’t swear that something is true when it isn’t! How I hate all that sort of thing!” says the Lord. Zechariah 8:16-17, TLB

IF YOU HAD fifty cents to spend, which would you buy (circle one):

a bag of M&M’s or that day’s newspaper?

If you had a dollar to spend, which would you buy (circle one):

a bottle of soda or a six-minute phone call from a pay phone?

If you had a hundred dollars to spend, which would you buy (circle one):

a pair of cool tennis shoes or an iPod?

If you had a hundred thousand dollars to spend, which would you buy (circle one):

a house or a lifetime subscription to Iguana Owners Monthly?

OK, so maybe the last one was too easy; after all, everyone wants a lifetime subscription to Iguana Owners Monthly. But still, take a minute to look back over your choices. Why did you choose those items? Why was it really, really easy to choose in some cases?

Because those were things you value. You chose the items you valued. Your choices revealed your values.

Well, the same is true of God. His choices reveal his values. For example, in today’s Bible reading, God talks about the things he values and the things he doesn’t value! That’s not hard to understand. God told the people of Jerusalem, “Tell the truth” because he values honesty. And he told them, “Don’t swear that something is true when it isn’t” because he actually hates dishonesty (Zechariah 8:16-17, TLB).

And if we love God and want to follow him, our actions should show that we (like him) value honesty.

REFLECT: Look back over Zechariah 8:14-17. Using the space below, separate what God says to his people into two columns that show what God values and what God hates:

What God Values		What God Hates
__________________________________		_____________________________________
__________________________________		_____________________________________

How much do your values and actions reflect God’s values?

PRAY: “Lord, I know you command honesty because you value honesty. Please help me to show by my actions that I value honesty, too.”