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PROGRAM D-8430
I’ve been examining the struggle many face from an overly active conscience. Have you noticed that many people are in a desperate search to feel good about themselves, to find that ever-illusive, good self-esteem? When you think about it, that’s what an overly active conscience is looking for—some measure of success that will still the nagging voice inside and convince them that they have worth so that they can feel good about themselves. But it’s a useless pursuit, destined for failure, because feeling good about ourselves is a byproduct of investing our lives in others and doing the good works that God put us here to do.
The longer I have lived in harmony with his will for me, the more I have come to understand that feeling good about myself will always be dependent on knowing that I am walking in his way—faltering as it may be at times, striving to keep my conscience clear before God and man, and basking in his never-failing, all-encompassing grace and love.
When asked to identify the one thing about Christianity that set it apart from all other religions, C. S. Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.” No other religion offers God’s love and redemption coming to us free of charge, as a gift, no strings attached, no performance required, and no standards to meet. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional. In his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Philip Yancey calls it “the last best word.” The song, Amazing Grace, is sung all over the world by people who have no understanding of or who don’t believe in its message of salvation through Jesus. But the idea of grace appeals to everyone.
The sad truth, however, is that many of us who are Christ-followers and love Jesus dearly never live in that wonderful grace, even after we’ve received it and even though we believe it and sing songs about it. Our daily experience often does not reflect that we have been given this amazing grace.
Living in grace is your escape from the plague of an overly active conscience. You may have to work at it some days; you may have to re-train your thought patterns frequently. But this is yours in Christ, and you should not settle for anything less. It is my prayer that if you have been living under the cloud of guilt or shame from an overly active conscience, you will begin to move out from under that cloud and live in the sunshine of God’s grace instead—training yourself by daily discipline to remember how much God loves you and how Jesus wants you to live in freedom from guilt.