A Clear Conscience or a Shipwrecked Faith

When that glorious day arrives when Christ returns, nothing else will matter. As a pastor of a local church near our family's vacation home reminded me this weekend, "In 100 years from now, all that will matter is your relationship with God."

We are in a war - not with flesh and blood - but a spiritual army far more formidable that our feeble minds and bodies. However while the enemy can have his way with me, he cannot have his way with the One that fights for me. As Tozer said ...

I’m not afraid of the devil. The devil can handle me — he’s got judo I never heard of, But he can’t handle the One to whom I am joined; he can’t handle the One to whom I’m united; he can’t handle the One whose nature dwells in my nature. — A. W. Tozer

Yet when we wage this war, there is something that we should never let go ... a good conscience.

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, (1 Timothy 1:18-19 ESV)

What a great opportunity on the last day of the year, to be reminded that we need to keep our conscience clear. May we never let pride hold back repentance, our recognition of our sins, and our need for a savior; daily! May our walk with Jesus, while at times stumbling, never be seen empty while we try to hide sins in the dark (as if He doesn't see every dark corner of our life). May our faith be carried like a healthy ship on the sea, even in storms, always upright.

When we close our eyes to sin, conscience, and the Holy Spirit, we leave the wheelhouse empty, and can quickly run aground ...

May we never be shipwrecked.

His,
~Matthew