The Habit of Keeping a Clear Conscience

I have no trouble getting to sleep at night. It’s a nightly battle for Rosemary. I tell her  the secret is a clear conscience. This irritates her to no end and is, of course, completely unfair on my part. She responds that for me it’s a lack of conscience, a bit tough on her part. The truth is conscience is subjective. It’s not the same for everyone, but it should be.

Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard. This explains why conscience is different in different people. If I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The question is, will I obey?

Much of the world is in trouble because it has accepted a lesser standard than God. Such allows folks to believe: “I’m a good person.” They mean, “I’m a good person, relatively speaking.” But God doesn’t grade on the curve. As creator He has a right to set the standard. To apply any standard other than His is to play a dangerous game. It allows “religious” people to be racist or unconcerned about the environment. It allows church people to sit in pews and never DO anything. It is indeed a dangerous game.

Let’s keep God in front of us, His standard and His grace which allows us to reach toward Him and His standard.

Be blessed.

Nick