A Misinformed Conscience

 

A GPS (Global Positioning System) is terrific; most of us use it constantly. However, the GPS depends on data downloaded from satellites. As long as that data is correct, we get to our destinations. Still, it can send us away from our goal if the data is incomplete. So it is with our conscience. A good conscience helps guide us in our journey through life and assists us in knowing the difference between right and wrong.

However, a conscience can be misinformed; when that happens, we will not feel guilt or make informed decisions regarding right and wrong. We can be going in the wrong direction but be convinced we are right.

Once on a work project, I had a guy digging a trench. I had put up a string and instructed him to follow the line. As he dug, he kept pushing the string further away. When I noticed what he had done, I had him step back, and the string snapped back in place, and he was two feet away from the string. Our conscience can be pushed away from God’s guidelines for our lives if we repeatedly ignore its warnings.

King Saul was an example of someone who had a misinformed conscience. He completely disobeyed the Lord’s commands and yet felt no guilt. Saul seems to believe that he had done nothing wrong and had entirely carried out the Lord’s instructions. His deception was acute because sin has a way of distorting our thinking and causing us to rationalize.

Rationalization is a way of explaining bad behavior in a way that makes it seem proper. King Saul was a master at it. Chapter 15 of 1 Samuel is an insightful study of the deceptive power of sin. It reveals its power and destructive nature as Saul rationalizes his choices that led to his sin of disobedience. The sinfulness that leads to disobedience often blinds the sinner to the reality of their disobedience. But as in the experience of Saul, a clear conscience is no guarantee of innocence.

It takes the probing work of the word of God to bring us to the recognition of our sin. The writer of the book of Hebrews says that “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). God’s word can cut through all the deception and duplicity if we listen to it.

Biblical Stewardship

The scriptures have given us biblical stewardship principles that we can live by. The money, resources, and assets belong to the Lord but are given to us to manage for his glory. This is a complex concept for most Christians to comprehend. They think, “This is my money, I worked hard for it, and I intend to spend it the way I want to.” However, that is not how a committed follower of Christ views their money. They see what resources they have as having come from God. Without his blessings, they would not have any of them. Therefore, they are responsible for managing the assets in a way that brings glory to God. If we see our wealth this way, the pride of accomplishment will be gone. We will not brag or be arrogant about what is not ours if we see them that way.

The younger generation struggles to give tithes and offerings. They see what they have as theirs and worry about having enough. When you know what you have is from God—you know God will meet your needs because he has done it many times. One of the greatest joys in life is the joy of giving. Many people never experience this joy because of their unwillingness to let go.

We submit our plans for his approval, praying, “Thy will be done.” Our attitude should be, as James explains, “If the Lord is willing.” Biblical stewardship sees life as a short journey to our eternal home with God. While here, we seek his will and follow his plan.

This biblical mindset also changes how we see our marriage and our children. Our marriage belongs to God, and we need his help to succeed. Without him, we will fail; with his help, he will not let us fail. We also see our children in a different light. We see them as belonging to him and not to us. These children have been loaned to us to raise for the glory of God. We come to understand that God has a plan for each of their lives, and it is our job to seek his guidance for each child.

A Contradictory Christianity

Contradictions abound in life. Take, for instance, the term “friendly fire” to describe fire coming from one’s army to its own soldiers. However, to the soldiers receiving that fire, there was nothing friendly about it. What about the term “random order”? Was it random, or was there an order? Have you ever heard of a “real imitation” used to describe a quality copy? How about “intense apathy”? Well, nothing could be more confusing. There is a contradiction that is even more confusing. The Christian accepts the abortion of a baby (fetus) as appropriate.

There is something abhorrently wrong with that kind of Christianity that would condemn a human life to death for the convenience of the mother or father. We will remove the 1% aborted due to rape or incest, so we are only discussing the 99%. How could a Christian who believes God created all life, including the unborn, be willing to consent to their destruction?

Either their Christianity is so weak and uninformed that they do not know what the scriptures have to say on the issue of life, or they are so possessed by cultural mandates that they join the crowd who willingly murder babies.

Suppose you loved God and have experienced a genuine conversion to Christianity. In that case, I do not see how it is possible to support the abortion of human life. Culture tells us what to believe and how to live. We have arrived at a place in our culture where if you believe in abortion, you are more intelligent. Incidentally, it is never called abortion—that name is obsolete. It now goes by the name of reproductive rights. Nonetheless, whatever name they give it—it is still the murder of innocent babies. No faithful Christian should ever support that sin against humanity.

 

 

Four Things That Will Change Your Life

 

Learn to Obey God Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense.

This is difficult because when things get complicated, we are prone to rely on our own intelligence. We often are inclined to take desperate measures, even if that is the opposite of obeying God. To obey God in all situations requires faith, courage, and commitment. Today our culture is influencing people in powerful ways to disregard God’s commandments and use their own judgment over God’s Word.

Learn to Admit Your Mistakes and Own Them.

This is extremely difficult for anyone because it requires maturity and humility, and both are in short supply. Admitting you are wrong means, you are not perfect and have hurt someone or messed up. If we double down on our refusal to admit wrong, we must blame someone else for the problem. Usually, it is our stubbornness and arrogance that keeps us from owning our mistakes. As hard as this is, admitting our mistakes causes people to respect us because they see our authenticity.

Learn to be Thoughtful & Prayerful And Not Impulsive.

Unfortunately, most people are impulsive and need to be more thoughtful. They react to situations. Impulsivity is dangerous. It’s when we respond to something and are angry or confused. We want something, so we make a reckless decision. It is rarely the right decision. In marriage and parenting, and work, it is usually not helpful. How much better it is to be thoughtful and prayerful and take our time to think out the best course of action. Nothing is wrong with stating, “I will take some time to think about what to do.”

Don’t Worry About Your Reputation—Let God Take Care of It.

Patience is almost as scarce as being thoughtful; they go hand-hand. We worry about our reputation and what people think of us because we want to be admired. But that is a pitfall because, in the end, it only matters what God thinks. If we learn to live this way, we will find freedom—freedom from peer pressure and freedom from living to please people.