A Different Value System Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: A Different Value System-------------------------------- Date: 9/23/2000 Keywords: "give" "neglect" "woe" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Matthew 23:23-24* 23. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Questions 1. If you are going on an African safari, how would you feel if your guide could not see?   2. Have you been keeping up a good outside appearance as that porn habit keeps right on ticking and ticking like the Timex?   3. How does that camel taste?   Practical help There is absolutely no value in being a good churchgoer, kicking in your weekly tithes, working hard on committees, or leading in prayers and worship if inside your stubborn heart remains as black as coal. The worship God values is the kind that values God and other people above your own selfish pleasures and desires. "But, surely I shouldn't stop those things," you complain. Well, no, you should practice "the latter" without neglecting "the former." But, if you're not practicing "the latter," don't even bother with "the former." It's like what Paul says about works without love in 1 Corinthians 13: if I "have not love, I am nothing." Where are you with your porn habit? That's a good measure of the blackness of your heart. If you're mired in this sin, consider for a time giving up all else that looks good (church attendance, committees, etc.) for the sake of setting up the barricades and scaffolding so God can get to work on your heart. That doesn't mean to isolate yourself from the Church, but the people you let behind those barricades should be the ones wearing hardhats, carrying the right tools, and ready to build from a firm foundation. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version, © copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.