Does it Even Matter?

I was having an in-depth conversation with an older woman the other day about the insidiousness of worldly thinking and how entrenched we are in it. The discussion wasn’t about how terrible human beings are to each other (that was an early concession in our discussion) but rather how this world is in bondage to the “father of lies” (John 8:44), namely Satan, whose strategy is to propagate his scale of values, thus creating a “rat race” amongst its adherents.


You might be so engrained in this evil that you aren’t even sure what I’m getting at yet. Well, let me help.

Suppose you receive a compliment from someone about your beauty or how handsome you are. Let’s say that the giver has a habit of bringing it up whenever they see you, so you’ve come to expect it. Furthermore, there have been others over the course of your life who have likewise praised you on your physical attractiveness. The question is, what’s the message you’re receiving? What’s the scale of values you’re being subtly encouraged to buy in to? To amplify this point, I recommend you read the blog I wrote on November 11, 2019 titled, What’s the Message We’re Sending? ( http://nccdighton.org/view/?permalink=whats-the-message-were-sending ).

So, the first question is, what’s the message we’re receiving? Might we agree that the more poignant question here is, what is the presupposition? In other words, why should we even care, beyond the superficial, what others think about our physical appearance? Seriously.

When you pause and begin challenging your current thinking, you quickly find that, without even knowing it, you very often assign value to attributes of your life that are both superficial and transient. Do you really think we’re going to be focusing on physical beauty in Heaven? Do you think God is glorified in time by how good you look today?

Beauty is among the easiest areas in life to pick on here. Money and reputation are at the top of the list, as well. Why should it matter how much money you make or how popular you are? The list is endless, yet whatever you have that’s worth anything has been given to you by God, right? “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it” (1 Corinthians 4:7)?

If you’re boasting in something within the purview of Satan’s scale of values, and you are doing so to boost your own self-esteem, then you are in the Spirit’s crosshairs as you read this! You are in bondage because you think such things matter. That thinking is cancerous to your own peace and contentment! Your thinking is diseased.


I’ve met a lot of Christians who have convinced others (and even deceived themselves) into believing they have transcended the muck and mire of the world’s system of thinking. But, put them to the test and they will always fail. Tell an attractive person they used to be a lot better looking when they were younger, a lot more attractive, too, and study their reaction. Chances are their countenance will change for the worse, regardless of the phony smile they might give you. Why does it matter to them? Because they secretly harbor a heart still in bondage to Satan’s scale of values. It matters because they still have idols, beginning with themselves.

In the Garden of Eden, God warned Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die. Satan told them it was good to eat. Eve bought the lie that eating the forbidden fruit would add value to their lives. Apparently, Eve talked Adam into following suit once her own heart had fallen. Yet, by eating the fruit, they were essentially murdering themselves, opening mankind up to a litany of sins throughout human history.


If you eat the fruit of corruption, your thinking becomes polluted. This is the death of your peace and contentment. You are now at the mercy of a merciless killer, “[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him” (John 8:44b). All because you thought there was value to your life in the forbidden fruit.


Right about now your flesh is kicking against this blog, reminding you that in certain areas of your life, you are “winning” the game and therefore there is real value worth clinging to. That’s the great lie here, my friend - even when you think you’re blessed, you’re really cursed. Even so, let’s face it, why would anyone want to downplay their beauty if they’re beautiful? Why would anyone want to hide the fact that they are successful, by world standards? Why would anyone willingly divorce themselves from a society that esteems them so highly?

Another blog I suggest you read is Take Me Out to the Ballgame from April 27, 2016 ( http://nccdighton.org/view/?permalink=take-me-out-to-the-ballgame-20170215095958 ). Here’s an excerpt from that blog:


I used to think it was much easier to denounce a scale of values that a person fares poorly in. For example, it seems an ugly, financially broke, or unpopular person would want to relieve themselves of the burden of always looking up to others, right? But experience has shown that in many ways, the “losers” in society (definitely not my sentiments – I only speak from a worldly perspective here) are even more deeply engrained in Satan’s scale of values than the so-called “winners” (many of those who have “made it” have realized the view from the top isn’t all it was cracked up to be and have since reassessed their own scale of values); however, those still scrapping their way up the mountain are too blinded by their own blood, sweat, and tears to step back and challenge the presuppositions that guide their choices. As the old saying goes, people are gluttons for punishment. I guess sometimes we fear missing out even more than we love ourselves, huh?


The reason for this blog is simple: I want you to let go of the world’s scale of values. First, admit that you have a problem (be humble and remain humble as the Spirit leads you away from a life of bondage). Second, commit to God’s way by hacking off those habits, routines, and even people in your life who directly or indirectly encourage you to return to the mire. Be decisive about this, too! As a smoker trying to quit might say, “Go cold turkey!” There’s no weaning an addict off of a drug they’ve been addicted to for years, there’s only a decision to make. We’re all addicts of the world system (we were born this way), some recovering better than others. The key to recovery is humbly submitting to God’s Word, daily. There’s no “nicotine patch” you wear on your arm, there’s only Truth to set you free. There’s no self-help book you can read, there’s only the Bible. There’s no alternative way to beat this, there’s only Christ’s way: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6a).

The next time you’re tempted to assign value to a corrupt thought, step back and challenge the suggestion, itself. Ferret out the evil presupposition that motivated the temptation in the first place, and when you find it, squash it!


Love in Christ,

Ed Collins