THE CONSCIENCE

Hi all. I am sorry to say that I really ought to stop making promises. My original topic for today has been moved forward to Friday, and today I’m talking about the Conscience. I also tried something new, from now on my titles will be all CAPS to make it stand out better.

A few days back I had a super fun get together with my friends. It’s something we try to do once a month. Joseph was there, Ethan and Tanya, and Bailey, of course Kate and Lilly, and a bunch of my other friends. We hung out, ate pizza, played frisbee, and watch the movie “The Resurrection of Gaven Stone” (A really good movie, I recommend watching it with you family of group of friends). We were very busy, so we didn’t get to Bible study until later in the evening. It was really good. Tanya played the guitar, and we sang worship songs. And I got to bring up this one point that I’ve been really lead through in my life right now.

I wrote it all out the day before, so here it is for you guys to read. I think it’s something every Christian should approach and think about.

STAND FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN, SPECIFICALLY YOUR OWN CONSCIENCE

Often we’ll violate our conscience for one of two reasons.

1. Caring what the world thinks
2. Asking what is “Logical”

CARING WHAT THE WORLD THINKS

When we care what the world thinks we are quickly able to agree that our priorities are in the wrong place. We no longer have God as our center, and He is not our ultimate reason for everything we do.
Romans 12:1a says “Be ye not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds…” We should seek to please God and see what He thinks. Let our minds be transformed. Don’t let our conscience go numb to right or wrong, because that’s what it’s been given to us for.
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus also says we cannot serve two masters, therefore (When we see this word, go and see what it’s there for, in this case, because we cannot serve two masters) we will either love on and hate the other, or hate one and cling to the other. We must choose who our master is, and serve Him only. Trust me, God beats the world by a long shot. He is God after all.

ASKING WHAT IS LOGICAL

What is logic? Who is to say what is logical when all our spiritual “Laws” (As in laws of motion, or laws of gravity) are only concrete in the Bible?

Therefore what is religiously or spiritually “logical” is only what we have personally understood through God’s word, that what His Holy Spirit has revealed to us.

If we seek a “logical” explanation to everything we do, that is to say, earthly logic, we must first go down to the basis of where we get our logic, God.
People will claim that God is not real because He cannot be “logically” explained. If we must first explain Who God is logically, we cannot do it by the worlds standard of logic, how can we then expect to explain out actions and motives when we cannot explain what causes those actions? When we cannot explain our Source.
What do we have to say to this?
We are not infinite. We are not sovereign. Who are we as humans, with our mini-lives that bloom and then are blown away with the breeze, to demand logic, or really, to demand God to “prove” Himself to us?
Believe if or not, logic can also become a “master” or and idol. We cannot be slaves to it. We must not allow it to become our master.
Do not seek foundation to your life in actions of logic. Especially the world’s logic.

Remember, His ways are higher than our ways. He does not have to explain Himself to us.
God does not ask us to understand life, He asks us to trust Him as He guides us through it!

LETS TALK ABOUT CONSCIENCE MORE

Personally I believe that as a born again Christians, our conscience is no longer just “our conscience.” I believe that as we spend time inHis word, and grow to know the will of God we will grow to understand Him more. We may make decisions that cannot necessarily be explained, but not making those choices would be violating our conscience.

Here I will bring up my own personal experience.

I crochet. A lot. This last week I whipped out two adult size hats in about two hours. One of those hats was purple and black.
I made those two hats for a couple friends from my church. I made a trade with one of the girls, she made me a bracelet, and brought me the yarn, however the second hat was a gift for her sister, so I bought the yarn myself. When she originally told me the colors I understood them to be rustic, Yellow, Red, and Brown.  Cool combo! I thought, and sent her sister a picture of the yarns before making the purchase to make sure she was going to be happy with them.
“Are those Rasta colors?”
I blinked at the message. Rasta colors? I thought she said rustic. So I texted back “What are Rasta colors?”
Waiting for an answer I searched “Rasta Colors.” What I saw made my heart sink. At the same time I received the reply, “Red, Yellow and Green.”
Like the Ethiopian flag. Putting two and two together, my heart very rapidly reached my toes.
She wanted Rastafarian colors. How many of you know what Rastafarian is? It’s a religion jumping off Christianity, only they believe the Jesus has already come a second time. He was born in Ethiopia, and his name was Rastafari. He is now dead, (odd enough) and Rastafarians believe that they need to bring peace to this world in their own meditations, in their own inner strength (which is why they don’t cut their hair, they believe the strength comes from their hair).
Anyway. Bob Marley was why my friend wanted those colors. But Bob Marley is Rastafarian.
It felt so wrong! I stood in the bead isle of Joann Fabrics and called my dad. I went to my authority. I needed guidance.
“Hey Dad,” I explained everything to him, and asked what he thought.
“It’s ok honey. I think it should be fine. It’s just colors on a hat.”
“Ok, thanks. I guess I’ll just think about it.”
After getting off the phone my head echoed it’s own voice, That’s what I told you! It’s just colors. You’re not Rastafarian, she’s not Rastafarian, those colors are clean, just make the hat. It’s totally crazy not to. But my hands shook and I couldn’t properly text a reply. I just couldn’t make a hat in those colors. Not with the motives behind them.
I took a breathed a prayer and a peace touched my heart. I couldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t.
With steady hands I texted the girl, “I won’t be able to make the hat in those colors. I’m just not comfortable associating with Rastafarianism that way. You guys should look up what that is. Are there any other colors you’d like on the hat beside those?”
That’s why the second hat is Black and Purple.

Making a hat for a friend using the colors of the Ethiopian flag may be perfectly fine, but if I had done it I would have chosen to violate my conscience. My authority said it was ok, logic told me it was ridiculous not to, but that terrible feeling in my gut would have burned a hole in me.

Now I understand this may be a bit extreme. I think to most Christians there would be nothing wrong with it. And I agree, it may not be wrong for you. But to me, because I know what Rastafarianism is, because I know that the colors of the Ethiopian flag symbolize that, and because I personally do not want a part in that, a part in stumbling someone else, a part in not saying what it is, a part in exposing my friends to something that I know is wrong, To Me It Would Be A Sin.

Taking a step back ands stripping that story of it’s details, here are the basic facts:

Don’t violate your conscience
Be willing to be wierd
Be willing to be extreme
Pray
It’s not worth doing
Nothing is so important
Do not violate your conscience

I want to encourage each of you to take a step back in your own life, in your own situation, and see where this applies to you.
Maybe you made a choice that violated your conscience, take it to God. Ask Him to forgive you and give you the courage to stand up next time. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Ask Him to give you that Spirit.
Maybe you are faced with a decision right now that you haven’t decided yet. Maybe you don’t know if it’s ok or not. Take it to God. Ask Him for wisdom. Jesus says if any man should lack wisdom, to ask, and he will receive.
Maybe this doesn’t apply to you right now. Trust me, it will. You will have an opportunity to violate your conscience. The devil will be sure to offer it. Pray that God will guide you to do what’s right when the time comes. And don’t be scared. The Bible tells us 365 times not to be afraid.

Guys, stand for what you believe in. Know what your doing and do it. And always pray.
God is the Ultimate. He is the only one you will ever answer to in regards to eternity.

He’s given each of us a conscience and His Holy Spirit.
Don’t ignore it.

~B.R.B.

P.S. Check out the sidebar on “Thought of the Week”