It is fascinating to watch someone build a house from the ground up. Many stages make up the process, but one especially important stage is the framework. The framework is the skeleton of the house and plays a big part in what the house will look like. On it the builder will put the wallboard, siding and roof. Without the framework, there would be no house.
A house’s framework is similar to the values on which you build your life. The values you hold will play a crucial role in what your life will look like and how it will turn out. They even play a part in your eternal future. For these reasons and more, it is essential that you hold the correct values. The challenge is how to determine what the correct values are.
The answer? God and His word. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:105,
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.” (NKJV)
Through His word, your Creator can teach you how to live, including the values to hold.
“But the Bible was written so long ago; how can it give values for today’s world?” The truths of Scripture are timeless and speak to core areas of life, regardless of the time in which you live. For example, in it you can find how to form healthy relationships and what kind of friends to have. You can find what to do with your life, how to set your priorities and how to discern truth from error. If you look anywhere else in choosing your values, you will eventually find the framework of your life is weak; it will not last in view of eternity.
On what framework have you been building your life? Take a close look at the values you hold, not just in thought, but in action. (When we look at our actions, sometimes we find that the values we say we hold are not actually reflected in what we do.) Do they reflect God and His word? If not, adjust your values and see what God can build out of a life with the right framework!
Dear Lord, I want to build my life on a good, solid framework.
Open my eyes to any way that my values
do not align with You and Your word.
If I have subtly taken on wrong values, reveal them to me
and give me the courage to change them.
I look forward to seeing how You will build my life
as I surrender my values to You.
In Jesus’ name, amen.