How do you decide what’s important?

When you log into Facebook, “it” has already decided what are the “top stories” for you to read.

That’s right, of all the posts your friends have made, Facebook — in some unknown way — has already decided what the order of importance is for your reading. You can click on “sort” and change the option to “most recent” if you would prefer a chronological stream of postings.

I thought it was remarkable that the folks at Facebook thought they were wise enough to automate the postings in my Facebook and know better than I which are the most important things I would want to read from the people I’ve befriended. But this social media site isn’t the only source that tries to tell us what should be important to us.

In fact, we are inundated on a daily basis with sources — media outlets, family members, friends, bosses, co-workers, advertising, leaders, politicians, church, homeowner associations — to name just a few of the myriad of sources that are more than happy to tell you and me what should be important to us.

Fortunately, God has helped us out with this issue in a few vital ways.

First, He created us with a free will that even He honors. Sources in our lives may have their influence, but only to the degree we give them. No one can force us to believe what we choose not to.

Second, He’s provided us with the truth of His Word so we can know how to rightly value what is important.

And third, He’s given us the gift of the Holy Spirit as our Helper. John 16:13a says this about a role of the Holy Spirit in our lives: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth …”

When we allow God to be the source we use for determining values and what is important, what can we expect? Jesus answered that question this way:

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash,” Matthew 7:24-27.

What is the source of your values? What or who do you draw from to decide what’s important to you?

Scotty