Each of us has a framework of convictions about reality that guide our perceptions, values and choices. This framework is the lens through which we view and interpret life. This is called our worldview. Our worldview is made up of the rules we live by. It establishes our values. It determines our morality in every area of our life — mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially. There must be a standard. If there is no standard, there are no rules for you to live by! In the past most people adhered to a worldview based upon unchanging biblical values or absolute truth. Absolute truth can be defined as truth that applies to all people all the time, under any circumstance.
Today many people have adopted a secular worldview that denies the existence of absolute truth. Unfortunately, this denial of absolute truth results in the absence of an unchanging standard upon which they can build their life. They have exchanged absolute truth for what can be referred to as “relative theology.”
For example, during an interview a former politician said, “Christianity and moral views have to be relative to the day that you live in.” That was his way of explaining his acceptance of immorality. This is simply another way of saying that the Bible is out of date and can no longer relate to the day in which we live. My friend, that is terrible theology! Unfortunately, that is the theology that much of the world accepts and preaches today.
Take a moment to think about your worldview. Do you have a clearly defined set of moral values? One’s morals relate to principles of right and wrong — an ethical standard of right behavior. If you are unsure, then I’ll just tell you, you don’t! If you can’t immediately determine your sense of moral values, you haven’t given this adequate thought and attention in your life. This should be important to every one of us. If moral values aren’t held in high esteem they will be exchanged for immorality!
By way of illustration…when my youngest daughter was just a little girl, about three or four years old, one day she was playing by herself in her bedroom. I was seated in the living room when she came out carrying a handful of coins from her piggy bank. She had been playing with them and came out to show me her coins.
She had pennies, nickels, dimes, and one quarter. The quarter was her favorite because it was the biggest, although she didn’t understand what it was worth. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a penny. I said, “I’ll give you this penny for your quarter.” She immediately, said, “No.” I pulled out another penny and said, “I’ll give you two pennies for your quarter.” She looked at the pennies, and hesitated for a moment and said, “No, I like my quarter better.” I pulled out another penny and excitedly said, “Baby, I’ll give you all three of these pennies for that one quarter!”
She took a quick breath and said, “Three pennies for my quarter?” I said, “That’s right.” She looked at her quarter and looked back at those pennies. Then she looked at her quarter again and said, “Okay.” So, we traded our coins. That was a good deal for me but a bad one for her! She didn’t know the value of her quarter. She didn’t know that just to be fair I should have given her twenty-five pennies!
Some of us have spent a lifetime trading quarters for pennies! Lying, stealing, drug use, sexual immorality, etc. have become a normal part of life because we have failed to esteem important moral values in our life. It’s time to establish a strong set of moral values for ourselves and stop trading quarters for pennies.
I want to encourage you to begin to develop genuine character within yourself. Real character development is not just “behavior modification”. If all you are doing is controlling or restricting wrong behavior, you are not exhibiting genuine character. Genuine character development must come from the inside out and involves inner motives and desires, not just actions!
In the Bible, Jesus taught that a tree is identified by its fruit and fruit comes forth from the root. I call this the “Fruit/Root Principle”. Notice Luke 6:43-45,
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks.”
Mike McComb Ministries 