A clear conscience is worth any price. It is the key to peace of mind, contentment, and freedom from guilt.
You can have a clear conscience, all the time. It is possible to be completely and permanently free from guilt. Just men made perfect, like Paul, lived in this condition:
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. (Acts 24:16)
Imagine the peace of having a clear conscience:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)
Imagine the courage you would have in attempting the difficult, knowing that you are in God’s grace:
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1)
Imagine the strength you would have in trials, trusting fully that everything that happens to you is given as a gift from God to propel you towards greater things:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Imagine having an unshakeable confidence that God hears and answers your prayers:
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (1 John 3)
These are just some of the blessings of having a clear conscience. The importance of maintaining a clear conscience stretches beyond how you feel in life. It also includes what you perceive of life.
Your conscience is not just the seat of right and wrong, but also the seat of your understanding. The conscience is the window through which you will see the world, and as such it is worth keeping clean. 1
Say what you believe; believe what you say. Do what you believe; believe what you do. Think about what you believe; believe what you think about.
Have the courage to say what you know you believe, even though you know other people do not believe it and will hate you for saying it. Have the courage to do what you believe, even though you know other people will not do it and will hate you for doing it. Have the courage to think what you believe, even though it will require you to challenge old thoughts and rise to new ideas.
Listen to what you say, and don’t say what you don’t like hearing yourself say. Watch what you do, and don’t do what you don’t like seeing yourself do. Pay attention to what you think about, and don’t think about what you don’t like thinking of yourself thinking about.
The price of a clear conscience is to always obey your conscience, all the time. If you haven’t obeyed your conscience, now is the time to start. Just as soon as you start living according to it, you can start having the benefits of doing so.
Footnotes
- 1. Paraphrase of Bernard Shaw, who wrote, “Better keep yourself clean and bright—you are the window through which you must see the world.” ↩