Hardwired for Values
The 2009 sci-fi film entitled “Hardwire” follows a man named Luke Gibson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who recovers from a car crash due to a modern “chip” being implanted in his brain by the multinational Hexx corporation. As he recovers, Luke starts to realize something strange happening to him: wherever he would go, he would start to see and value only Hexx products. He then sets out to uncover and stop the plans of the sinister corporation. But as he digs deeper into the investigation, he realizes that he isn’t the only one Hexx was hardwiring that way. Sounds fictional?
The idea of us being “hardwired” is not as far-fetched as it seems. Everywhere we look, we are bombarded and persuaded by social media to value and accept certain lifestyles, products and beliefs that look popular but are possibly morally wrong. These offers may appear to carry a lot of value, but are actually meaningless in the long run.
But as I mentioned in last week's blog, it is ultimately our hearts—not brains—that determine what we value in life (Proverbs 4: 23). Jesus warns us in Matthew 6, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 100% of the decisions we make knowingly or unknowingly are influenced by what we value. We are hardwired on the inside for values.
From Heavy to Lighter Weights
After Jesus explained the connection between values and vision, he proceeded to train His disciples to determine what was truly valuable.
His next words were: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.“ (Matthew 6: 24)
Here, Jesus teaches His disciples that between God and money, one is more valuable, more “weightier” than the other. Another important thing to note is that Jesus wasn’t saying that money had no value; His point was God is infinitely more valuable so His opinion counts more.
How does one apply this in life?
It could mean, for example, that instead of picking a job simply because it pays more, God could be reminding you to consult Him first and not make the $ signs be your go signal.
After this, Jesus continues by asking a question:
“Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6: 25b)
In simple terms, he asking his disciples, “Can you tell the difference? Can you see what is of heavier value?"
Can you see that your life is so much more precious than the food you eat, the condition of your body much more precious than the clothes you just got into debt for?
Can you see that one is more valuable than the other?
Here’s what Jesus just did: he revealed the six universal values that have always affected mankind:
God Money Life Body Food Clothes
The Six Universal Values
I’ve always been fascinated that in my 20+ years of receiving prayer requests from the members of my congregation, the prayers and concerns of people can oftentimes fall into these six categories.
God: Relationship with God
(i.e. Prayers for salvation; wisdom in decision-making, more revelation, breakthrough, intercession, spiritual struggles, etc.)
Money: Need for provision
(i.e. Prayers for financial needs, jobs, mortgage, rent, tuition, salaries, bills, business ventures, debts, etc.)
Life: Relationship Issues
(i.e. Prayers about how to build relationships or solve relational challenges, whether with a spouse, child, parent, work, projects, etc.)
Food: Need for Satisfaction and Fulfillment
(i.e. Prayers pertaining to finding fulfillment, satisfaction, success, enjoyment, comfort, etc.)
Body: Health and safety concerns
(i.e. Prayers pertaining to healing, better health, safety and security, etc.)
Clothes: Desire or Need for Possessions
(i.e. Prayers for a new car, house, computer, etc.)
Now, all six values are valid. There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing any of these values. But what we need to know is that values have a hierarchy.
Some are more valuable than others, and it is only when we understand and live by the right hierarchy of values that we can achieve a changed life.
So what is the best way to order these 6 priorities?
This is what we will look at, when we resume next week.
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