After saying "Love the Lord your God" is the most important of the commandments, Jesus continued,
The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV, Mark 12:31)The English word "love" has many different meanings, but the Greek word, agape, used in the New Testament, is commonly known as "Christian love." It means respect, affection, benevolence, good-will and concern for the welfare of the one loved.
In His Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus made the point that we should extend our Christian love to all people of the world, regardless of race, religion, nationality or any other artificial distinction. We must practice that Christian love even toward our enemies! (Matthew 5:43-48)
Jesus' Golden Rule is, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." We should not say or do anything unless we can answer "Yes" to the question, "Would I want that said or done to me?" Neither should we fail to do the good things we would expect of others.
Bible references: Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 7:12, Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:31, Luke 10:25-28, John 13:34-35, Romans 13:8-10, Romans 15:1-2, James 2:8
I value humility as a quality of being courteously respectful of others. It is the opposite of aggressiveness, arrogance, boastfulness, and vanity. Acting with humility does not in any way deny our own self worth. Rather, it affirms the inherent worth of all persons. Humility is exactly what is needed to live in peace and harmony with all persons. It dissipates anger and heals old wounds. It allows us to see the dignity and worth of all God's people. Humility distinguishes the wise leader from the arrogant power-seeker.
Bible references: Matthew 5:5-9, Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 9:35, 1 Corinthians 10:24, Ephesians 4:1-6, Philippians 2:2-8, 2 Timothy 2:22-25,
I value being honest. Honesty and integrity are held as very important values throughout the Bible, and any deception to gain an advantage or harm another is prohibited by the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16) and other Bible passages. Deception may be by false statements, half-truths, innuendo, or failing to tell the whole truth. It is all too common in advertising, business dealings, politics and everyday life. We must strongly resist the temptation to engage in any form of theft, cheating, deception, innuendo, slander or gossip.
Bible references: Exodus 20:15, Leviticus 19:35-36, Deuteronomy 16:19-20, Deuteronomy 25:13-16, Psalms 15:1-5, Psalms 24:3-5, Proverbs 10:9, Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 11:3, Proverbs 12:22, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 19:1, Proverbs 20:10, Proverbs 24:28, Proverbs 28:6, Proverbs 28:20, Isaiah 33:15-16, Zechariah 7:9, Mark 10:19, Luke 3:12-14, Luke 16:10-12, 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 2 Corinthians 7:2, 2 Corinthians 8:21, Ephesians 4:25, Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:9, Hebrews 13:18, 1 Peter 2:12, 1 Peter 3:10
I value being generous with time and money. The Bible tells us to share generously with those in need, and good things will come to us in turn. Each of us has something to offer to someone in need. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work or choose a service-oriented occupation. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents.
Bible references: Leviticus 19:9-10, Leviticus 25:35-38, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Proverbs 14:21, Proverbs 28:27, Isaiah 58:10-11, Matthew 5:42, Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 6:38, Luke 12:33, Luke 21:1-4, Acts 20:35, Romans 12:6-8, 2 Corinthians 9:5-7, Hebrews 13:1-3, Hebrews 13:15-16, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 1 John 3:17
I value practicing what you preach and to resist being a hypocrite. If there was any one group of people that Jesus couldn't stand, it was hypocrites! The Pharisees of Jesus' time were a religious and political party that insisted on very strict observance of Biblical laws on tithing, ritual purity and other matters. At the same time, many of the Pharisees forgot the true spirit and intent of the law and became self-indulgent, self-righteous, snobbish, and greedy.
Bible references: Psalms 50:16-17, Isaiah 29:13-15, Jeremiah 7:1-11, Micah 3:11-12, Matthew 6:1-7, Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 15:7-9, Matthew 23:1-33, Luke 20:46-47, Romans 2:21-24, James 1:22-27, James 2:14-24, 1 John 1:5-7, 1 John 2:3-6, 1 John 2:9, 1 John 4:19-21
I value living a moral life. Jesus gave a list of actions that constitute immoral uses of the body: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, arrogance and foolishness. The apostle Paul gave similar lists.We often think of morality in terms of sexual sins, but according to Jesus, sins such as slander, greed, deceit, and arrogance are equally immoral.
Bible references: Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 5:27-28, Matthew 15:18-19, Mark 7:20-22, Mark 10:11-12, Romans 13:11-14, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:16-26, Ephesians 5:1-7, Colossians 3:5-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-9
I value NOT being self-righteous. I or no one is perfect; we are all sinners in one way or another (Romans 3:23). Living a moral life means taking responsibility for controlling our own behavior. If we say or even think we are better than people we consider to be "sinners," we are guilty of the sin of self-righteousness. It is not our right to look down on, criticize, judge, condemn, or try to control other people. Judgment is to be left to God. Jesus said,
Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. (NRSV, Matthew 7:1-5)This does not deny the right of governments to maintain law and order and collect taxes. Jesus and other New Testament leaders supported the authority of civil governments (Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7).
Bible references: Proverbs 26:12, Isaiah 5:21, Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 9:10-13, Matthew 18:10, Luke 6:32-42, Luke 7:36-50, Luke 18:9-14, John 8:1-8, Romans 2:1-4, Romans 3:23, Romans 14:1, Romans 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 1 Corinthians 16:14, Galatians 6:1-3, James 2:12-13, 4:11-12, 1 John 1:8
I value NOT holding grudges. Jesus said there is no place for hatred, holding a grudge, revenge, retaliation or getting even in the life of a Christian:
You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (NIV, Matthew 5:38-40)You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (NIV, Matthew 5:43-45)Bearing a grudge and seeking revenge are never appropriate responses to a perceived wrong. A grudge destroys the grudge-holder with bitterness, and revenge only escalates hostilities. Jesus told us we must reconcile with our adversaries, forgive their transgressions, and let go of the anger that may tempt us to commit an act of revenge.
Bible references: Leviticus 19:18, Psalms 37:8-9, Proverbs 10:12, Proverbs 12:16, Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 15:7, Proverbs 19:11, Proverbs 20:22, Proverbs 24:29, Matthew 5:21-26, Matthew 5:43-48, Romans 12:17-21, 1 Corinthians 6:7-8, Ephesians 4:26, Ephesians 4:31-32,Colossians 3:7-8, James 1:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:9-11, 1 John 4:19-21
I value forgiving others.
If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NLT, Matthew 6:14-15)God is merciful and forgives our sins and failings. In the same way, we must be merciful and forgive other people who sin against us or do us harm.
Bible references: Matthew 5:7, Matthew 18:21-35, Mark 11:25, Luke 17:3-4, Colossians 3:12-14, Ephesians 4:32
