Last year for Christmas, I bought the kids a small little table-top pool table. It was worth the $20.00 I spent and has been used for hours and hours of fun and friendly family competition. A few weeks ago I heard Biscuit say to his brothers, "I just got beat playing pool." Knowing the other two boys were playing another game together in another room, and Lauren was in her room, I asked Biscuit, "Who beat you?" (No one else was in the room with him.) He replied, "I did....my conscience beat me!".
I have no idea how a 6 year old knows what a conscience is, but I'm kind of glad he does. (Maybe I can use that when trying to teach him about right and wrong!)
I decided to ask Biscuit about his conscience.
Me: What is a conscience?
Biscuit: Somebody who is yourself. A not-alive person.
Me: Who told you that?
Biscuit: Nobody. I got it off of a movie.
Me: Really? What movie?
Biscuit: Nemo. (Finding Nemo)
Well, I have watched a LOT of Disney movies in my time. In fact, that's just about all of the movies we ever watch, plus some Christmas classics. Most of the time the Disney movies do teach a lesson or have a "moral" to them.
You may have heard the quote, "Let your conscience be your guide.". Well, for some, that might work, but for others it wouldn't work at all. Your conscience should only be your guide if it is line with what God would want. Your conscience would need to line up with God's standards about what is right and what is wrong. The conscience can be helpful, but only if it hasn't been seared to where it no longer recognizes right from wrong. As Christians, we should let God's Word be our guide, let the Holy Spirit be our guide.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Galatians 5:16
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
What if our conscience has been seared? Can it be made stronger again? Yes, it can, if we will take the time to help make it stronger. How can we make it stronger?
1. By reading the Bible and finding out more about how God wants us to live, our conscience can be strenthened.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
2. It can also be strengthened by prayer. When praying, you can ask God to help you develop your conscience.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22
3. Confessing sin to God and looking to the example of Jesus will help our conscience be strengthened as well.
Look what Paul said in Acts 24:16, "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."
4. Allow the Holy Spirit to work within you.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you have a sensitive conscience or a dull, seared one?
Do you easily recognize right from wrong or is it a hard decision for you to make?
What do you need to do to help strengthen your conscience?
Don't let your conscience "beat" you. Strengthen it with God's help and use it to better serve Him.
1 comment:
I have always thought of my conscience as the HOly Spirit urging me to do the right thing!
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