How do I take inventory of my current values?

Proverbs 30:8First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

Romans 1:29Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.

Ephesians 5:4Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.

How do you view acts the Bible calls sin, such as gossip, flattery, profanity, lying, or cheating? If you don’t see these as sin, you must face up to the fact that your values are different than God’s.

Matthew 15:19“From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander.”

The heart is the source of moral or immoral behavior. If our actions don’t regularly match up with what God identifies as important and good, then we need a change of heart before we can hope to change our behavior.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

An effective inventory of values begins by taking nothing for granted. Assuming that our lives are blameless sets us up for not seeing what God may want to correct or improve about our values and the way we carry them out. Knowing what it takes to “stand strong” is not the same thing as actually standing strong.