You cannot escape the conviction of your conscience no matter how hard you might try. You might try to ignore it but you will not, for God will not be ignored.
MATTHEW:21:12-13: KJV.
“And Jesus went into the temple and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said to them, ‘ It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.’ ”
We as Christians are all aware of this story whereby Jesus demonstrates righteous anger commanding that the temple be cleansed of all of the sellers and their wares, because it was an abomination before God in God’s Holy Temple. We are God’s Holy Temple. When we willingly knowingly become born again Christians, we choose to adopt the teachings of God and of Jesus. We willingly choose this for ourselves.
JOHN:3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God asks very little almost nothing from us, that God does not more than deserve. It is our free choice whether or not we choose to welcome God into our lives, or not. It is our free choice whether or not we humbly choose to serve God and to keep His commandments, His Laws. It is our God given choice whether we choose to take and take from God, and offer nothing back in return. God is still God.
Something we have maybe never considered or even given any thought to is this: When Our Heavenly Father sent Jesus to earth, Jesus came to “Serve”. God has been “Serving” man in one way or another, since the day of creation. What have you done if anything to give back to God for all that God has done for you in your life?
Which do you value and love more, family, home, luxurius furnishings, and belongings, or, God? If your answer is not God, then you break God’s First and most Holy Commandment.
We willingly choose to welcome into ourselves Holy God, Christ Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit and request God to dwell within us, to reveal Himself through us, through how we are perceived by others, that all might know that God dwells in us and desires to dwell within them too. We become God’s “Living Holy Temple”.
How often do we permit without much consideration for ourselves to be cluttered with sinfulness regardless of how small or how inconsequential the sin might seem in our eyes? Sin is still sin in the eyes of God.
How often does a girl or a young woman choose a man as a possible mate, or, as their mate thinking that there are little things she doesn’t like but might be able to change, rather than accepting that person for who they are? A “Sin of Ommission”
As a man, as a married man, how often have you happened to see some stunningly gorgeous woman on the street, or, in the office, or, at a party, or, while you’re out and about and even just for an instant thought to yourself, what if you were single again? It happens to the best of Christian men, and, any that says it doesn’t, is lying to himself and to God, but, Jesus tells us that even the thought, is by itself adultery, and covetesness.
Think, A husband, or, a boyfriend, may flatter his wife, or his girlfriend, about how she is dressed, or how great she looks all made up, or how great her new hair style is, or her new perfume is, when actually he is truly thinking just the opposite of what he is saying. That’s lying, that’s a sin. “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness”
How often have you been a witness to the wrong-doings of someone else, and failed to correct them or failed to come forward and report what you have witnessed? A sin of ommission is still a sin, and you actually implicate yourself by not reporting it, by saying you saw nothing. “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness, or lie”.
While at work you might take an extra minute or two on your coffee-break or lunch-break, without giving any thought to the fact that you are stealing time belonging to your employer. Maybe even you sneak into work late, or, you sneak out early, you are stealing from your employer. “Thou Shalt Not Steal” “Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Goods”
We all know how much God does and gives to us every day of our lives, yet how often have we failed to give back to God by sneaking out of church early, or, by not even showing up, and heading up to the cottage, or the golf course, or to work, or to the mall, ignoring God completely, and ignoring God’s Commandment for keeping Holy the Sabbath. “Keep Holy The Sabbath”
We also know that God commanded us to “Tithe” to give at least 10% of our earnings weekly as a tithe, offering it back to God for all that God gives us. Just as a point of clarification, that’s 10 % of your net, not your gross income. How often have we held back, or cheated on this commandment, thus stealing from God, that which God deserves. “Thou shat not steal” especially from God.
How often have you helped yourself to office supplies, stationery, paperclips, rubber bands, pencils or pens, without offering to compensate your boss for them? “Thou Shalt Not Steal”, or Covet.
How often have you been grocery shopping and sampled some of the products, or produce like berries for freshness, and failed to offer to pay the store for your sampling? “Thou Shalt Not Steal”. Telling God you sinned and asking Jesus forgiveness, is one thing, but, what about our repentance, what about making restitution for the things we have taken or consumed, should we not be expected to repay these?
How often as a student did you while taking a test or a quiz, ask a friend for help with the answers, or, maybe worse have a friend write a paper for you and then present it as your own. “Thou shalt Not Covet” “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness”
How often have you been driving and you get cut off, or someone does something that upsets you and under your breath or out loud you catch you self saying something like “Jesus Christ Look at that idiot, or, what that idiot is doing. ” “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
How often as a parent, have you instructed your child to do one thing and then they find you doing just the opposite. John in Revelation tells us not to be viewed by Jesus as “Lukewarm”.
We have a responsibility to Our God, to daily cleanup God’s Holy Temple, to cleanse it through an admission of our sinfulness and make repentance for our sins. Every time we fail to do this, we spiritually add yet another lash to Jesus suffering body, for first we sin, then we fail to admit our sin. How much should Jesus have to suffer for you?
These are but a few of the ways that we without even thinking about it can find ourselves sinning in our lives, and there is probably a million other examples that we could find if we truthfully examined our lives on a daily basis.
It takes but a few moments of our time, to enter into prayer and ask Jesus to forgive us our sins, and before we have finished the prayer, Jesus has done just that.
It matters not that we might be totally alone, with nobody else present when we make these sins, God is present and is aware of what we have done.
God instilled his Holy Spirit within us, maybe we call it our “Conscience”. The Holy Spirit warns us when we are about to sin. Big or small a sin is a sin and God’s hates it. When we choose to go against the Holy Spirit of God it is a slap in the face to our father, something we would never ever do to our earthly dad, so why do it to God?