My dear son,
I am not encouraging you to blindly adopt my personal values as your own, but to base the things you cherish on the Word of God. I have imperfectly tried to do this myself. First of all pursue sound doctrine, Do not believe the lie that it doesn’t matter what you believe-eternally it does. Learn a sound hermeneutic: draw God’s intended meaning from the text-don’t give meaning to the text. God wants to speak to you, so let Him! Know the Word, love the Word, memorize the Word, and accurately handle the Word. Secondly, pursue holiness. Keep yourself unstained by the world. Don’t chase things that do not matter to Christ. Develop heavenly appetites and passions. Learn that only Jesus truly, permanently satisfies. Live your life to please Christ not yourself. Lastly, pursue compassion. Be tenderhearted, kind, gentle, and patient with all people-because this is how Christ loves you. Remember Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Set your mind on things on things above, not on things of earth. Your goal should always be to be a friend of God.
Jeff Patton