Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 153
Michael’s book is
available through:
Abiding Life Ministries
International
Littleton, Colorado
Notice: this email is part of a
BLOG, called Living Life With a Capital “C”. Why a
blog? So that many can receive the
weekly thoughts I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner.
In
this day’s writing, Michael gives us one of those “bottom-line” discourses…he
speaks of “conscience”…something very few ever talk about any more. Ever wonder why???
DAY 176
The Job Of Conscience
Because that which is
known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible
attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being
understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. --Romans 1:19, 20
The conscience of man is a wonderful thing.
It might be called the
thumbprint of God on our very being. Created by Him, with every fiber of our being held together
by Him, and living in a world created for man, we find that we cannot escape
God. The whole of
our being agrees that there is a God. Every man knows it is so whether
he resides deep in the Amazon or in the highest places of modern learning. All know of Him. I have a
recurring experience with unbelievers in that they begin our meeting stating
that there is no God, man evolved, and Christianity is an archaic set of rules
that keeps man from living normally due to bondage under Judeo-Christian
principles. Yet by the end of our session, if Christ has broken through, they
will often say that they always knew there was a God and if they had not found
an answer that day they were considering suicide! Imagine! They were just
before saying they had no need of an absent deity! Jesus made an interesting
statement to unbelievers: "The Kingdom of God is in you"! How could
this be? The very laws of the
Kingdom of God are written in man’s very members! It could be no other way, for we
are made in Him. God is good, and everything created in Him must
ultimately be good. That is not to say that man has not fallen into sin, but it
affirms that sin is not
normal for man, for if it were normal, man would grow and improve under it. The
very opposite is true.
Man is made for the Kingdom;
its laws suit us best. Our conscience includes all of the above and is always pulling us
toward God like a magnet. We know deep within that we need Him and sin never
really suits us. That is why when some of the most notorious criminals
are captured, they breathe a sigh of relief, acknowledging that they could not
stop what they were doing, though they despised it and hoped for the day that
they could rest from their wrongdoing. They would rather be confined in prison
and not allowed to sin than to continue on.
Conscience drives man to keep, in some measure, the laws
of the Kingdom of God without command. To a degree man does
act decently, help others, sense compassion for others, and even treat nature
with a measure of respect, all without the command to do so! Before I was a
Christian I sold an old pickup truck that I had restored to a fellow passing
through town. The next day after he departed the engine blew up. He called me, and
I arranged for another engine to be installed at my own expense. When my
grandfather found out what I had done, the only comment I received from him
was, "You did the right thing." It was the right thing, and somehow I
knew it and felt good doing it. Conscience in any society is invaluable; how can we put a price on
it or fully describe its practical worth? Poverty and unemployment reached an all-time high during
the Great Depression, and yet crime did not increase. Why? The conscience of
man was still widely operative in our society. A few years back a movie
was produced in the U.S. on the life of Christ; in a slanderous attempt to
discredit Christianity, it portrayed Jesus as having had an illicit affair with
Mary Magdalene. Though never popular, the movie was distributed and consent
granted for viewing throughout the United States. Some in India attempted to
show the movie there but were arrested. Why? The conscience of the people
decreed that it was wrong to put anyone’s god in a bad light. Would you like to live in a
culture without a conscience?
Laws are given to keep man from destroying his conscience
and to keep society from self-destructing before the message of grace in Jesus
Christ can be preached. However, the carnal side of man has no wisdom and attempts to
destroy all laws that hinder the expression and satisfaction of the flesh
(animal nature); when these laws are destroyed, the collective
conscience is destroyed. The attempt can be made to selectively destroy the
conscience, but it cannot be destroyed cafeteria-style; the conscience is either wholly kept or wholly
damaged. Once it is
buried, any attempt made to replace it with laws will end in failure and
frustration. How many outer laws that possess no power over man's flesh
are needed to replace the conscience: one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand,
ten million? How many? So as
laws increase so does wickedness, and a monster is born.
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
WOW! Is it any wonder so many DO
NOT want to read, discuss, or hear about Romans ch. 1??? God just tells us plainly that no one is without
excuse to not “know Him.” Why? Because He gives every person a “conscience”
at birth… Don’t you like Michael’s
description: “It might be called the thumbprint of God on our very being.”
Think about it…God intended that we didn’t need anything else to know
that He exists. So what does man do to
change that? SIN. So much sin that man’s conscience can become
destroyed, and no longer acknowledge God.
As Michael spoke of “outer laws that possess no power over man’s flesh,”
and that “as laws increase so does wickedness,” I thought of the days of the
Jews and all the laws upon laws upon laws (Pharisees’ doing)…and God tells us: “(Jesus)
came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” Throw in the Romans, and we see a day of “reprobate
minds” and “destroyed consciences.”
Ever get the feeling we are living in a similar day?
There is so much truth and counsel in Michael’s writing this “day.” I will leave it to each one to get with God,
and see what and where He wants to take each one of us with this thing of “conscience.” Well, amen.
To access ALL past weekly
blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital
“C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com
NOTICE: another blog on
Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the
Wilderness. You can access by logging onto
www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
P. O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches, Tx 75963 936-559-5696
No comments:
Post a Comment