Doing the right thing when no one else notices…. that’s hard.
Doing the right thing when others can’t see your heart or discern your motive… that’s hard too.
Doing the right thing when no one else follows you, believes you, or understands… that’s so hard.
But, if you’re like me, then doing the wrong thing goes against your conscience… which is not hard, but nearly impossible. Why is that? (Read to the end for the answer.)
“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” – John 3:21 NIV
As Christians, we are called to step out from the rest and to do the right thing, without fanfare, affirmation from others or acknowledgment of any kind. Even when others misinterpret our actions and take offense, we are called to check our motives, pray for wisdom, and follow God’s will for our lives. We wouldn’t even know in our heart the right thing that we should do if it wasn’t for receiving Holy Spirit and God’s truth within us.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. – Ephesians 1:11-14 NIV
Annointed for heavenly places, but living in the natural world as a human right now, our humanness leaves a gaping hole where we desperately want to be loved, accepted and affirmed for what we do, but that hole isn’t for any human to be able to fill. The Lord is the only one who can fill the hole within us because it was deliberately placed there to allow us to become one with him. Humans are like a puzzle with a missing puzzle piece, but few choose to trust that Jesus Christ is the only piece that completes us.
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. – Genesis 1:27-29 NIV
We are a beautiful masterpiece, made in God’s image, and we were purposefully created for the exact time and day that we are alive now. We were created to reveal God’s glory on earth (see Isaiah 4:7), and by trusting fully that he will guide us, provide for us, and work through us, we are able to do the “right thing” even when it doesn’t match up with the values of the world around us. We do the right thing because we believe that Christ indeed is our missing puzzle piece, and that when we allow him to transform all of our humanness, all of our shortcomings, and all of our doubts, we can see things from his perspective.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” ~ Matthew 7:13-14 NIV
We do the right thing for no other reason than because our Father tells us to, because it is the only thing that we know how to do. That takes us back to the question toward the beginning of this reading, which is essentially, “Why is it nearly impossible to do the wrong thing because of my conscience?” Conscience is defined as “an inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior,” as well as “the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good.”
The voice which we were created to listen to is the Lord’s. He calls to his children and we follow. When we step out of line, he lovingly corrects us. When we continually disobey, he lovingly disciplines us. When we stray far from him, he does what any good father would, he lets us go but never stops loving us. Because he created us, there is one thing within each of us that allows him to speak to us, but most don’t even realize that it’s him because it’s always been there… it’s our CONSCIENCE.
By making a choice to sin, we must argue with our conscience, and if we sin enough, we master the skill of winning the argument with our conscience. Since this is something we can all relate to at some point in our lives, I would like to insert a bit of hope here. All is not lost if you have gotten used to winning the argument with your conscience, justifying bad choices, and committing sins to make yourself feel in control.
Tell God that you are sorry and that you want him to forgive you and show you a better way to live. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and into your life, and tell him that you want to trust him as your Lord and Savior. Then find a trusted Pastor or Christian friend that has a mature faith to pray for you and guide you in leaving sinful ways behind.
Your conscience is a blessing, and it is God’s voice speaking into the choices you make in your daily life. If you’ve gotten used to arguing with your conscience, then it’s probably time to get a different perspective, that your conscience could very well be the voice of God within you. Arguing with God will only frustrate you throughout your life… and THAT is HARD!