1/12- A Good Conscience

Reading 2 Timothy 1 today and stopped on verse 3:

"I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day."

Paul urges Timothy to serve God in a similar way in 1 Timothy 1:5. It can be safely assumed that in order to serve God with a pure conscience that one must live a certain way to attain that sort of security, namely, by the will of God. When we simply do what God asks of us, it frees us to serve Him in a much more effective way and thereby be led to further live out His will. It's almost like a never-ending cycle - serve God, He honors you, by the Holy Spirit you're compelled to serve more, He honors you, repeat....

The notes in my Johnny Mac (John MacArthur Study Bible) lay this principle out pretty well:

"The Greek word for "good" refers to that which is perfect and produces pleasure and satisfaction. God created man with a "conscience" as his self-judging faculty. Because God has written His law on man's heart (Romans 2:15), man knows the basic standard of right and wrong. When he violates that standard, his conscience produces guilt, which acts as the mind's security system that produces fear, guilt, shame and doubt as warnings of threats to the soul's well-being. On the other hand, when a believer does God's will, he enjoys the affirmation, assurance, peace and joy of a good conscience. "

1/1 - Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone had a safe & fun night. I know we did - got to finally hang out with our neighbors of 3 years that somehow we still hadn't spoken to yet. Cool stuff & I'm looking forward to experiencing why God put them in our lives. As for the new year, I think I had given up on resolutions a while ago. Instead I wanted to make a resolution just for that day, and it's the same one I'll make today: to be more faithful. A year long resolution is easy to lose sight of but one for today makes things more defined and clear. I'm not even sure how to gauge how faithful I was in 2009, but it's a little more defined if I consider how I did yesterday.

So I'm still in 1 Timothy, chapter 4 this time. Verse 6 points out something really cool. Paul explains to Timothy that if he'll instruct believers in truth that he'd be a good minister for Christ, "nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which [he has] carefully followed." In recent weeks, I must admit I've been a pretty slack in my devotional time and now I realize that I've been malnourished. Proper nourishment happens on a regular basis. Any healthy person would know that they didn't get where they are by a few healthy choices here and there but rather by a lifestyle of healthy eating. Every day, consistent, almost second nature. Spiritual nourishment is no different. Consistent time with God & investment into that relationship will produce the results of a well-fed individual.

So choosing the right diet is key, I think, to this whole being faithful thing. What I've learned in this time of malnutrition is that I didn't go hungry. I just replaced the good stuff with stuff that wasn't good for me and the benefits, well, didn't turn out to be benefits at all. Logically it makes sense - do what God says and you can be satisfied. Don't do what He says and end up in the midst of confusion and chaos. I think Romans 6:21 put it best, "What fruit did you have in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death."

So here I am in a place of rededicating myself and Lord knows this ain't the first time. So often, in fact, that sometimes I wonder if God is bored with the whole act. In any case, I'm still resolved to press on.