My Daily Pause

Some people think they are doing right,
but in the end it leads to death. – Proverbs 16:25 NCV

When Tinkerbell tells Pinocchio to “let your conscience be your guide”, the world thought they had the answer to life. While the conscience is a pretty good tool for staying out of trouble, we must train it to do so. An untrained conscience is pretty useless to a Christian.

Here is some food for thought on the subject of what I call the “Jiminy Cricket” philosophy:

• The majority of people living in sin are not acting against their conscience – A lot don’t know right from wrong. Many don’t care. Either way, they are sinning under a good conscience!
• Incorrect worship is sinful yet it makes people feel good – God authorized certain acts in worship. There are plenty of new additions that “feel spiritual” but have no place in proper worship.
• A philanthropist that never obeys the gospel will be passed over at the judgment – There are some very kind and generous people that will die with a clear conscience. They are still subject to God’s word.

Are you making sure you know what is “right”?

Hiding from God didn’t work for Adam and it doesn’t work for us.

How much time needs to pass before an unforgiven sin no longer counts against us? Is that even possible? The Proverbs writer answers for us:

If you hide your sins, you will not succeed.
If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy – Proverbs 28:13 NCV

Sins can’t be hidden and they don’t expire when we just ignore them. What are the ways we hide and “forget” our sins?

• We deny them
• We extenuate them
• We diminish them
• We dissemble them
• We blame others for them

Sometimes we get good enough to quit thinking about them at all. Look at what David wrote when he was hiding from a sin:

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah. – Psalms 32:3-4

People by nature “groan” when they are in the wrong – when they need to be forgiven. This is for our own good!

because …

…people are by nature sinful.

God hears the repentant Christian’s call for forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) He wants us to lean on him, not hide from him. However, hiding our sin leaves us in a dangerous state (1 John 1:10)

Freedom doesn’t always look like we thought it would.

The world thinks that living outside of God’s boundaries provides some sort of freedom.

The Proverb writer did not think so:

Evil people are trapped by their own sin,
but good people can sing and be happy. – Proverbs 29:6 NCV

By looking at other versions we can see they used different words to try to get the point across:

• snare
• ensnared
• caught
• etc.

In the Greek, the literal word is a noose or a nose hook. Sin does not give us freedom – it places us in a noose!

Look at the things a careless lifestyle causes:

• bad reputations
• addictions
• health issues
• relationship problems

The list could keep going, but isn’t that enough?

Godly and faithful people have much cause for celebration. They have hope. (Hebrews 11:1) Those who will not or cannot turn from their sinful ways do not know hope. They also do not know the peace Paul describes in Philippians 4:4-8.

Choose to stay with God’s freedom.

Choose hope.

We are what we think about

Earl Nightingale’s famous motivational speech “The Strangest Secret in the World” seemed ground breaking in 1961 when it sold over a million copies. Its powerful message was simply “We become what we think about.” The key factor is that You will grow a healthy crop of whatever you plant in the fields of your mind. It doesn’t matter if what you put in there is good or bad, your mind will return it in abundance.

The idea wasn’t new in 1961. The Bible has been teaching this all along!  Philippians 4:8, one of the theme verses for this website, tells us to think about only “the good things.” Paul closes the Philippians letter with that and some other exhortations for living godly lives. I am certain that having the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5) is not possible when worldly things enter it.

Look what Solomon has to say about our thoughts:

Be careful what you think,
because your thoughts run your life.
Don’t use your mouth to tell lies;
don’t ever say things that are not true.
Keep your eyes focused on what is right,
and look straight ahead to what is good.
Be careful what you do,
and always do what is right.
Don’t turn off the road of goodness;
keep away from evil paths. – Proverbs 4:23-27 NCV

The things that routinely dominate our thoughts are what we become.

The good thing is we have full control over it!

Crucifixion of Peter – Caravaggio (1571-1610)

The church does most of its growing when her detractors are the loudest.

It was true then:

• Saul got the persecution ball rolling
• The Jews were jealous over the attention Christianity received
• Peter and John were beaten and chased
• Paul and Silas were beaten and jailed
• The Roman government made sport out of killing Christians

As we read though Acts, we see the participants tried at every turn for proclaiming the truth. God did not exempt himself from the cause and effect cycle of growth born from challenges. (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4) Despite all that, the church grew by leaps while Christians went proudly to their deaths as a statement for God. In fact, the persecutions helped get the church to grow outside Jerusalem.

It takes a lot of discomfort to make nearly anything happen!

Why is that?

Is it because we tend to remember what happened better?

Is it because it helps us own what happened?

It is true now:

• Evolution vs. Creation is a hot topic
• Atheist are not only bolder, they are very vocal
• Homosexuality is being normalized and treated like racism
• God’s word is second guessed routinely be even those “in” the church

The church is under no less stress now than it was in the first century (or any other time for that matter.) I suspect it will get worse before it gets better.

Like Stephen, Peter, Barnabas, Paul and the rest of the great men that lead the way, we need to be ready for anything.

Prepare to be memorable.

Prepare own it!