Core Values

Riding home from work last night, I was contemplating Core Values and what that really means to me. A picture of an apple core came into my mind with only the core of the apple left. Inside this are the life of the apples of the future. The seeds. They are the core values of these apples for without them the apple will only feed you once. From the seeds come the true wellspring of life that will feed many throughout a season. Our core values are what we place upon our children's hearts and those we come into contact with whom we mentor. We write a few small tenants upon their soul that will change how they view and interact with the world.  Different groups in this country hold out different standards of values as their list of ideal values. It is these values that they want to build the foundation of their group or community. The issue is that we start learning our true values at a young age. I truly believe that this is one of the reasons Father was so protective of little children. He tells His people to teach His commandments to their children writing them upon their hearts. It is by training up the  child in the way he should go (values) that ensures he will not depart from them. We have forgotten this simple teaching and so are suffering the consequences of our lack of teaching. If we wish to win the hearts and minds of a foreign country, the method of choice has been to focus on the next generation. Yet, we as christians are not learning this simple lesson. If we want to return God to this country we should focus on winning the next generation for Him. When was the last time you talked about the Be Attitudes? When was the last time you discussed the Ten Commandments? When was the last time you sat with your children or anyone and impressed upon them the need to love your neighbor as yourself?