Preacher on the Run…

Just last week I went to McDonald’s for the first time in a long time. As I was looking the menu over I couldn’t help but notice the title the marketing committee for McD’s gave some of their food…Value Menu! Value? Really? By who’s standard? I mean, seriously, who thinks that a 1/16 lb burger (of mystery meat) and an order of not so great fries priced at $3 total is a value? Maybe a value if you need nutrition (the verdict is still out on whether there is any nutrition in that meal) and only have a few bucks to spare. But more than the food itself, this made me think about the things I value in life…God, family, church, friends, running, ministry, and the list goes on.

Near the top of my list of values is family. While having a family of my own (wife and child) has always been a thought in my mind, it was not until college that I seriously began contemplating the reality of it. It was during those years that I realized God wants more for a family than just to be a unit that lives life together. He wants a family to be a picture of His love for the world (Eph. 5:22-6:4). In order for our family to successfully pursue that purpose, we need to have some values to guide us. That is what I want to share today…the Kirby family values. Please do not read these as musts for every family or as my standard for great families.  Rather, these are the values Bethany and I crafted for our family as we thought about the future of our family in light of God’s design.

Kirby Family Values

>      Our personal relationship with the Lord is the most vital relationship in our lives; therefore, we will make Him our priority and passionately pursue Him daily. (Jn. 14:6; Eph. 2:1, 4, 8-9; Col. 1:15-23) 

>      Marriage is a reflection of God’s sacrificial and committed love for the church; therefore, we will be committed to this relationship for life and through joy and hardship. (1 Cor. 7:10-11, Eph. 5:22-33, Heb. 13:4)

>      We believe God has purposely put us together as a family; therefore, we will intentionally spend time together and value that time. (Rom. 9:14-23, Eph. 1:3-14, Col. 3:18-21)

>      God’s Word is the sole authority and foundation for our lives; therefore, we will follow and obey it in our beliefs, thoughts, speech, and conduct. (Jn. 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3, 21)

 >      We communicate with God through prayer; therefore, we are committed to spending time in prayer each day. (Eph. 6:18, Phil. 4:6, Heb. 4:14-16)

>      The local church family is the vehicle through which God is working in our world; therefore, we are committed to ministering to, serving, and fellowshipping with this family. (Matt. 16:18-19, 1 Cor. 12, Heb. 10:24-25)

>      God has commanded us to spread the gospel; therefore, we will intentionally pursue relationships with unsaved people with the purpose of sharing the Gospel. (Matt. 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, 1 Cor. 2:1-5)

 >      God is sovereignly working out His plan; therefore, we will trust Him completely in every situation. (Dan. 4:34-35, Rom. 8:28-30, Eph. 1:3-14)

>      We believe that we are nothing apart from the Lord and can do nothing apart from Him; therefore, we will humble ourselves daily by following Christ’s example. (Is. 66:2, Phil. 2:1-11, 1 Pet. 5:5-6)

>      God has entrusted to us everything we possess; therefore, we will give first and freely, and then wisely steward the remaining resources. (2 Sam. 24:18-25; Rom. 8:32, 2 Cor. 9:6-15)

>      Love is the greatest commandment; therefore, we will love God and love people. (Matt. 22:37-40, 1 Cor. 13:1-8, 1 Jn. 4:19-21)

Again, these are not necessarily a standard for every family, but what we as parents hope to instill into our children as they live their lives for the glory of Jesus Christ. So while our values may not be exactly found on the “Value Menu” we pray that God will be pleased with them.

I would love to hear from you, my readers, at anytime. If you have some family values you’d like to share, please do so in the comments.