Promise for Today - A Clear Conscience

...Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Philippians 2:15 (NLT).

Have you noticed that a jeweler will always put diamonds on black velvet when showing them to a customer? That’s because they shine brighter against a black backdrop. In the same way, as cultures crumble and the world becomes darker and darker, Christians can shine brighter and brighter. You’re made to live with such integrity and authenticity that when people look at you, they see a difference. They see a joy that comes from having a clear conscience.

You might say, “I’d like to be happy, but how do I keep my conscience clear when it’s not clear right now?” The Living Bible paraphrase gives the answer: “What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record” (Psalm 32:1-2).

Happiness, joy, and relief are three things everybody’s looking for in life. We all want to be happy. We all want to enjoy life. We all want relief from our pain. The Bible says we get those things through purity, and purity comes from forgiveness through God’s grace.

So how do we keep a pure, clear conscience?

At the beginning and the end of every day, do a spiritual inventory. Talk to God about anything that is standing between you and him—and then deal with the junk from your day. Ask forgiveness. The Bible tells us when we confess our sins, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Feeling guilty or ashamed can cause you to lose your happiness. So if you want to be happy, you’ve got to get rid of guilt and maintain a clear conscience—because you can’t feel guilty and be happy at the same time.

Talk It Over

What do you need to talk to God about today so that you can clear your conscience?

How can you restructure your life to make time each day for a spiritual inventory?

How are you living as a “bright light” in the world for Jesus Christ? What does your happiness in Christ say to the rest of the world?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         Create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Cleanse our hearts from all impurity, selfishness, deceit, and pride that may have taken root. Help us to delight in truth and to love others with a pure heart. Transform our minds to focus on what is good, and let our lives reflect Your love and grace. Let Your light so shine through us to those around us that they may see the good works and glorify You, according to Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Promise for Today - Do I?

As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
Luke 11:37-41 NLT

I have to admit, I am one of those people who has a "thing" about clean hands. I cringe when someone wants to shake my hand, using the same hand I just watched them sneeze or cough into. I don't refuse to shake their hand - after all, Jesus touched and healed lepers, and He said we could do the things He did and greater works shall we do (John 14) - but when the greeting is over, I do reach for the hand sanitizer in my purse. (Y'all pray for me...)

Am I as careful with what goes inside of me? Do I guard my heart with due diligence, knowing that out of it spring the issues of life? Do I practice and implement forgiveness when offended or hurt? Do I bless and release those who have trespassed against me? Do I protect my thoughts, thinking only on "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise," do I think on these things?

If not, why not?

In our Promise for Today, Jesus asked, "Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?" I'd say He nailed that in more ways than one.

Prayer:

Father,
          Keep us ever mindful of Your Truth. We pray according to Your Word in Psalm 24. We want to be able to climb the mountain of the Lord and to stand in Your holy place. We want to receive Your blessing and have a right relationship with You. Give us clean hands and a pure heart, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Remove the Stains

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Psalm 51:7-10

Shower or Bath? I can hear some of you now, Are you kidding me? You're discussing showers and baths for the Promise? Yes...Yes, I am.

Some like a good, hot shower. Others prefer baths. One might ask, What's the difference as long as we get clean? 

Well, I have noticed there is a difference - even between shower to shower. How's the water flow from the shower head? Is it hand-held or wall-mounted or both? Does it have a pulsating feature or not? And baths - how many different kinds of tubs have you seen or experienced? My favorite is the old clawfoot tubs - now if I had one of those, I might change my mind...

And some of the comments. 

Shower - I just like to stand there and let that hot water beat down on me. 

Bath - I like to sit there with the water up to my chin and let it just soak the stress away. Calgon built an empire on that premise. How many of you remember the ad slogan,"Calgon, take me away..." ?

The point is, we all feel better after getting in and getting clean from the grit and grime of the day. How much more so after being cleansed from the sins and stains of life? There isn’t enough soap or water or scrubbing to cleanse us from our sin and unrighteousness. But the promise is - whether we choose to stand under the flow of forgiveness or sink into the depths of His unlimited grace, we are washed clean – inside and out - by the Blood that flowed at Calvary.

Prayer:

Father,
           Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Clean Inside and Out

Didn’t the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.
Luke 11:40-41 The Message

Have you ever tried to clean a tight spot? A small place, no room to maneuver? You can't even get enough light in there to see to clean in the tiny, dark spaces. That's a good word picture of how our hearts can be when we close off to others. When we've been hurt and no longer want to let anyone close enough to hurt us again. We just build the wall higher and tighter. It just gets darker, and there's no room in there for anyone else. It's not a good place to be.

However, compassion leads to a larger capacity within our hearts. As we make room for others, light pours in and we have a better view of our behaviors. We are quicker to identify and clean up those thoughts that could lead us back into captivity. We are able to be proactive in cleaning out those areas that were hidden from our sight. As we pour out to those around us, even more areas of our hearts are lit up by God's love and grace working in us.

Yes, as we Turn both [y]our pockets and [y]our hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then [y]our lives will be clean...

Prayer:

Father,
          Give us clean hands and pure hearts, according to Your Word. Give us a fresh anointing of compassion for our fellow man. Pour a new and living anointing into us for understanding Your Word, so that we may be washed clean by it - inside and out. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

* Keeping It Clean

As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
Luke 11:37-41 NLT

Christian comedian Tim Hawkins does a skit about hand sanitizer and Greeters in the church. It's funny, but I have to admit, I am one of those people who has a "thing" about clean hands. I cringe when someone wants to shake my hand, using the same hand I just watched them cover their mouth with while they coughed or sneezed. I don't refuse to shake their hand - after all, Jesus touched and healed lepers and He said we could do the things He did and greater works shall we do (John 14) - but when the greeting is over, I do reach for the hand sanitizer in my purse. (Y'all pray for me...)

Am I as careful with what goes inside of me? Do I guard my heart with due diligence knowing that out of it spring the issues of life? Do I practice and implement forgiveness when offended or hurt? Do I bless and release those who have trespassed against me? Do I protect my thoughts, thinking only on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, do I think on these things?  

If not, why not? 

Jesus asked, Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? I'd say He nailed that in more ways than one.  

Prayer:

Father,
           Keep us ever mindful of Your Truth. We pray according to Your Word in Psalm 24. We want to be able to climb the mountain of the Lord and to stand in Your holy place. We want to receive Your blessing and have a right relationship with You. Give us clean hands and a pure heart, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen