Daily Reading for Saturday, Jan. 12

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

“Values exist and have meaning only within a web of other values, not in isolation. For example, if I say that honesty is important to me, then you might expect that I will always tell the truth. But, in fact, knowing that honesty is important to me will give you little
idea as to whether I will always tell the truth unless you know the priority I place on honesty relative to my other values. If I place a higher priority on being liked than on honesty, then I may not give you honest feedback if I fear doing so would alienate you. This is an example with just two values. The situation gets much more complex when our top 10 or 20 values are in play. It also means that people with shared values, but with different value priorities, may behave in radically different ways. Thus, in working with an individual or an organization, it is not enough to know what their values are – you must also explore their value priorities. And, if you want to help that individual or organization change, then the best strategy is to help them re-prioritize their most important values, not for them to prioritize their less important values more highly.” Mike Munro Turner

Yesterday, we discovered what was most important to us, and we wrote it down. Today, we place priorities on those values. As the above passage explains, the priority of our values impacts our actions much more than simply having values. What do we consider to be the highest, most fundamental value we have? If all else were stripped away, what would we consider to be the greatest value upon which to build our value system? When we answer that question, we can then see real transformation take place in our lives. We are no longer “double-minded” as described by James, but we are focused solely on those things that God has given us to be and to do.