Monday's Blessing
Hebrews 10:22
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."
A guilty conscience is a miserable thing to live with.
There are some things you should keep between you and God, but there are some things that need to be brought out in the open. Here's John's story:
John worked for a HUGE Fortune 500 company. His life was looking up each day as he quickly made friends with one of the senior advisers. He was young, wet behind the ears, and learning the ropes. Because of his quick-whited thinking skills that could answer questions outside the box, John was often asked for his opinion from his boss.
One day his boss bent John's ear concerning a fellow employee, Ben. Ben had been working for the company six years and was a trusted employee. There was a position opening up, senior marketing adviser, and John's boss thought he'd be a commendable pick with all his experience. But, there were a few personal "short comings" with him that he noted from the water cooler gossip floating around the room.
John wanted that position, but he was under qualified. So he quickly embellished any scenario he heard about Ben. His boss listened intently and become quite concerned over his over indulgence with alcohol during happy hours at a local bar. Of course, this story was "padded" from John's perspective as it only happened once.
Knowing he had his bosses full attention, he added a few more ugly details about his personal life.
John got the job. His boss "threw caution to the wind" and decided John had the determination and loyalty the company demanded.
A few short years later, John and Ben became best friends. They shared life together which included work, family, and golf on the green.
10 years later, after the birth of his children, John found his Christian roots and began attending church. What he had done to his friend began to plague him more. It got to the point he had trouble looking him in the eye.
John finally spilled the beans. He couldn't stand it any longer.
Ben, fully startled, looked back at John. "How could you? I always trusted you."
But, Ben had risen in the company over the years and was not in a position to ostracize his friend. He uttered, "Hey, it's been a long time. No hard feelings. You free this Saturday?"
John was convinced if he had not obeyed God' calling life would have taken a drastic change. God is willing to forgive us for anything, but we must confess it and make restitution wherever possible.
This Week's Meditation:
I trust you God to call on me to cleanse my conscience.
Pray:
Help me to confront a situation from my past.
Don't allow my fear of consequences to deter me.
I know freedom is waiting for me on the other side.
Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind. And realize God has you in his arms always.
Hebrews 10:22
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."
A guilty conscience is a miserable thing to live with.
There are some things you should keep between you and God, but there are some things that need to be brought out in the open. Here's John's story:
John worked for a HUGE Fortune 500 company. His life was looking up each day as he quickly made friends with one of the senior advisers. He was young, wet behind the ears, and learning the ropes. Because of his quick-whited thinking skills that could answer questions outside the box, John was often asked for his opinion from his boss.
One day his boss bent John's ear concerning a fellow employee, Ben. Ben had been working for the company six years and was a trusted employee. There was a position opening up, senior marketing adviser, and John's boss thought he'd be a commendable pick with all his experience. But, there were a few personal "short comings" with him that he noted from the water cooler gossip floating around the room.
John wanted that position, but he was under qualified. So he quickly embellished any scenario he heard about Ben. His boss listened intently and become quite concerned over his over indulgence with alcohol during happy hours at a local bar. Of course, this story was "padded" from John's perspective as it only happened once.
Knowing he had his bosses full attention, he added a few more ugly details about his personal life.
John got the job. His boss "threw caution to the wind" and decided John had the determination and loyalty the company demanded.
A few short years later, John and Ben became best friends. They shared life together which included work, family, and golf on the green.
10 years later, after the birth of his children, John found his Christian roots and began attending church. What he had done to his friend began to plague him more. It got to the point he had trouble looking him in the eye.
John finally spilled the beans. He couldn't stand it any longer.
Ben, fully startled, looked back at John. "How could you? I always trusted you."
But, Ben had risen in the company over the years and was not in a position to ostracize his friend. He uttered, "Hey, it's been a long time. No hard feelings. You free this Saturday?"
John was convinced if he had not obeyed God' calling life would have taken a drastic change. God is willing to forgive us for anything, but we must confess it and make restitution wherever possible.
This Week's Meditation:
I trust you God to call on me to cleanse my conscience.
Pray:
Help me to confront a situation from my past.
Don't allow my fear of consequences to deter me.
I know freedom is waiting for me on the other side.
Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind. And realize God has you in his arms always.
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