Feelings or Values?
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. (ESV)
Our emotions are a huge part – a massive part – of who we are. You can’t ignore them – nor should you. But at the same time, they have a huge capacity to lead us astray.
The nations of this world fall into one of two categories; those whose legal systems are based on the Judeo-Christian ethic and those that aren’t. And in that first category, there are two sub-categories; those that’ve largely stuck by those values (there aren’t many of those left) and those that haven’t.
The further we drift away from the ways of God – the one true God, the One who loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die on a cross to save us – the more we move from being values-based to feelings-based.
As I said, feelings … emotions… are important and shouldn’t be ignored. But when feelings trump values we enter into dangerous territory– both as a society and as individuals.
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. (ESV)
Integrity, decency, honour, kindness, the sanctity of human life … these values run much deeper than mere feelings. They keep us on the right path even when our emotions fight like hell to lead us down the wrong one.
Look, feelings wax and wane. Sometimes they serve us extremely well, yet often they betray us as the innate crookedness of the human heart takes over our lives; as the feelings of, for instance, a vocal, immoral minority swamp society with treachery. We’ve all seen that happen, right?
Don’t forsake the values that God’s ordained just because you feel like it. Let the integrity of the upright be your guide.
That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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