C.S. Lewis once said true friends face in the same direction, toward common projects, interests and goals. Paul’s letters show that he considered Timothy his son in the Lord (Philippians 2:22). They lived C. S. Lewis’s definition of true friends as they spread the gospel.
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
I Timothy 1:5
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul established their goal as partners as being a display of love from a pure heart that desires the best for the person to whom they were ministering. Loving with a good conscience meant serving with integrity as a person that could be relied upon to do the right thing. Loving from a sincere faith meant being committed to trusting Jesus and doing God’s will.
Who are the people you serve in your life? Is your aim to love from a pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith? Be a true friend. Next, pray about what’s best for the nation, with a right attitude, while trusting God. Then intercede for the nation’s leaders to be more concerned about the welfare of the citizens of the nation rather than their own selfish ambitions.
Recommended Reading: Hebrews 10:19-25
Tag Archives: conscience
Charles Spurgeon – Human inability
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” John 6:44
Suggested Further Reading: 1 Timothy 4:1-5
When man fell in the garden, manhood fell entirely; there was not one single pillar in the temple of manhood that stood erect. It is true, conscience was not destroyed. The pillar was not shattered; it fell, and it fell in one piece, and there it lies along, the mightiest remnant of God’s once perfect work in man. But that conscience is fallen, I am sure. Look at men. Who among them is the possessor of a “good conscience towards God,” but the regenerated man? Do you imagine that if men’s consciences always spoke loudly and clearly to them, they would live in the daily commission of acts, which are as opposed to the right as darkness is to light? No, beloved; conscience can tell me that I am a sinner, but conscience cannot make me feel that I am one. Conscience may tell me that such and such a thing is wrong, but how wrong it is conscience itself does not know. Did any man’s conscience, unenlightened by the Spirit, ever tell him that his sins deserved damnation? Or if conscience did do that, did it ever lead any man to feel an abhorrence of sin as sin? In fact, did conscience ever bring a man to such a self-renunciation, that he did totally abhor himself and all his works and come to Christ? No, conscience, although it is not dead, is ruined, its power is impaired, it has not that clearness of eye and that strength of hand, and that thunder of voice, which it had before the fall; but has ceased to a great degree, to exert its supremacy in the town of Mansoul. Then, beloved, it becomes necessary for this very reason, because conscience is depraved, that the Holy Spirit should step in, to show us our need of a Saviour, and draw us to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For meditation: Our consciences need to be cleansed by the blood of Christ, like every other part of our being (Titus 1:15; Hebrews 9:9,14; 10:22). The Christian now has the ability to seek to maintain a good conscience (Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 1:5,19; 1 Peter 3:16).
Sermon no. 182
7 March (1858)
Joyce Meyer – A Clear Conscience
Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water.—Hebrews 10:22
I have learned from experience that a guilty conscience hinders the flow of confidence. Confidence is faith in God and a belief that because He is helping you, you can succeed in whatever you need to do. However, if we feel guilty, we will shrink back from God rather than boldly expecting Him to assist us. We will give up rather than face our challenges in life because we feel bad about ourselves.
If you want to walk confidently, strive to keep your conscience clear of offense toward God and man. Even quitting when you know you should keep going will bother your conscience. God did not give us His Holy Spirit so we could be in bondage to fear. He did not send the power of His Spirit into our lives so we could be weak-willed, wimpy, or the type of person who gives up when the going gets tough. Remember: God gave us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
Lord, thank You that through the blood of Jesus I can come to You with a clear conscience. Help me to walk in power, love, and sound mind today. Amen.
Charles Stanley – Caring for Your Conscience
1 Timothy 1:5
All of us at times face decisions that test our character. When a choice conflicts with our value system, the “first responder” is our conscience. However, even this divine gift has been exposed to the world’s programming, which means we must not only reorient but also fortify our “inner compass.”
The strength of our conscience depends on both truth and tradition, and these, in turn, are impacted by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
• Truth. Since Jesus declared that He is the truth, then maintaining a close relationship with Him through prayer and obedience strengthens our conscience. Both the Holy Spirit and the Word of God play vital roles in this growth process. The Spirit of Truth, as Jesus identified the third Person of the Trinity, is also known as “the Helper.” The Spirit doesn’t just assist us in distinguishing righteousness from sin; He also teaches us and guides us into all truth (John 14:17, 26; 16:8, 13).
• Tradition. Joseph and David both set godly examples for us to follow when we face temptation—they let their conscience guide them in honoring God. At great personal cost, Joseph rejected the advances of Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39). And David, though presented with an opportunity to kill or humiliate Saul, chose instead to leave the matter in the Lord’s hands (1 Sam. 24:5-7).
We can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us develop a better conscience. He has given us everything we need for the task, which is essential if we are to live a godly life.
Charles Stanley – Avoiding Shipwreck
1 Timothy 1:18-20
The apostle Paul wanted his young charge Timothy to grasp the basics of keeping the faith. So he wrote about two men who ignored their conscience at great peril. Their example shows that without an understanding of what this gift from God is, we run the risk of capsizing our faith.
Many people mistakenly think of the conscience as God’s voice instead of God’s gift. We were created with an “inner monitor” that acts as a moral compass for life; it points to a standard of right and wrong that can guide our decisions. But the conscience, like everything else in us, is fallen and in need of redemption. Depending on how it has been programmed, our conscience can nudge us in the wrong direction.
Paul himself is an illustration of this. His formal education as a Pharisee had taught him that Christians were a threat to God and the Jewish faith. His conscience had been programmed to see killing them as service to the Lord. So he passionately hunted down believers without tripping an alarm on his moral compass. Only after the risen Christ met him on the way to Damascus was his conscience transformed and his life altered.
Unless we let the Lord redeem us fully, our decisions can prove as destructive as if we ignored our “monitoring system” altogether. By understanding the divine gift of conscience, we stand a better chance of staying on course and away from trouble. What’s more, if we submit our conscience to the Holy Spirit, we will find safe harbor when storms threaten our faith or future.
Charles Spurgeon – Human inability
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” John 6:44
Suggested Further Reading: 1 Timothy 4:1-5
When man fell in the garden, manhood fell entirely; there was not one single pillar in the temple of manhood that stood erect. It is true, conscience was not destroyed. The pillar was not shattered; it fell, and it fell in one piece, and there it lies along, the mightiest remnant of God’s once perfect work in man. But that conscience is fallen, I am sure. Look at men. Who among them is the possessor of a “good conscience towards God,” but the regenerated man? Do you imagine that if men’s consciences always spoke loudly and clearly to them, they would live in the daily commission of acts, which are as opposed to the right as darkness is to light? No, beloved; conscience can tell me that I am a sinner, but conscience cannot make me feel that I am one. Conscience may tell me that such and such a thing is wrong, but how wrong it is conscience itself does not know. Did any man’s conscience, unenlightened by the Spirit, ever tell him that his sins deserved damnation? Or if conscience did do that, did it ever lead any man to feel an abhorrence of sin as sin? In fact, did conscience ever bring a man to such a self-renunciation, that he did totally abhor himself and all his works and come to Christ? No, conscience, although it is not dead, is ruined, its power is impaired, it has not that clearness of eye and that strength of hand, and that thunder of voice, which it had before the fall; but has ceased to a great degree, to exert its supremacy in the town of Mansoul. Then, beloved, it becomes necessary for this very reason, because conscience is depraved, that the Holy Spirit should step in, to show us our need of a Saviour, and draw us to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For meditation: Our consciences need to be cleansed by the blood of Christ, like every other part of our being (Titus 1:15; Hebrews 9:9,14; 10:22). The Christian now has the ability to seek to maintain a good conscience (Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 1:5,19; 1 Peter 3:16).
Sermon no. 182
7 March (1858)
Joyce Meyer – It’s Your Future
Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. —Acts 24:16
The Roman poet Horace wrote: “Rule your mind or it will rule you.” The enemy wants your mind; he wants to control or influence as much of your thinking as possible, but you do not have to let him. The key to overcoming him is learning to discipline your thinking, and disciplining yourself to believe you are disciplined is the beginning. As my son once said, “Discipline is a discipline!”
Most people don’t get excited when the subject of discipline comes up. However, if you learn to understand the power, the liberty, the joy, and the victory discipline brings to your life, you will embrace it eagerly.
DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION 