Keep It In The Light!

I’m glad we have clocks and watches instead of having to rely upon sundials. Can you imagine trying to wear a sundial on the wrist? Would we use a flashlight to read it at night? (That in itself could put even people in the same room in a different time zone.) A sundial does not provide any useful information during the dark of night or if it is kept inside a room in the house. Dim or indirect sunlight does not work like the direct light of the bright sun. Direct sunlight is what allows a sundial to be useful as long as the sundial itself is also properly placed.

CONSCIENCE. What would we do without one? Not very well. Things would probably not be going very well for those around us either. Our English word “conscience” comes from the Latin “conscientia” (“con” from “com” meaning “with” and “scientia” meaning “knowledge”). For a conscience to be beneficial it must be based on certain knowledge because without proper knowledge it cannot function as a good guide.

Wait a minute! How did we get from sundials to a discussion of CONSCIENCE? Someone has said, “Conscience is like a sundial. When the truth of God shines on it, it points the right way.” [source: “sentence sermons”]

Just like a sundial being out of the light of the sun will not work properly, so it is when one does not have a proper understanding of truth. A CONSCIENCE can be weak due to inadequate information (i.e. 1 Corinthians 8:7) and would therefore not be able to properly guide. For our CONSCIENCE to work correctly it must receive adequate illumination.

CONSCIENCE tells us when it is time to leave certain situations that are improper and not God glorifying. CONSCIENCE can also tell us when it is time to stay and draw near to help others. The properly trained CONSCIENCE can trigger an alert in time to keep us from carrying out an action suggested by a thought that is wrong. Therefore we must seek to keep our CONSCIENCE in the light of Son, the truth of God. ( John 14:6)

Note the psalmist’s request.
“Send out YOUR LIGHT AND YOUR TRUTH; LET THEM LEAD ME; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” ( Psalm 43:3 ESV)

And John stated…
“But WHOEVER DOES WHAT IS TRUE COMES TO THE LIGHT, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.” ( John 3:21 ESV)

The “science” of a good CONSCIENCE is to keep it in the light of truth. Such will promote timely actions and words to the benefit of others and the glory of God. May our life reveal the evidence of a CONSCIENCE daily guided with knowledge from above.

Have a great day SET FOR EACH MOMENT BY THE LIGHT OF THE SON!
Carl

See other teEn-MAIL on Conscience