Clear Conscience; Sweet Confidence

The French have a proverb:

There’s no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.

It’s true, of course. When you’ve nothing to worry about, there’s nothing on your “I shouldn’t have” list, sleep is sweet.

There are waking-hours benefits to a clear conscience as well:

• You don’t have to hit the brakes when you see a patrol car in the median up ahead.
• You don’t have to remember what you said to whom.  The truth will be the same every time.
• People can snoop if they want.  They may irritate you by doing so, but they won’t incriminate or indict you with what they don’t find.
• You can afford to be forgetful or absent-minded because nobody’s going to stumble on anything that would embarrass you.
• You can talk to anyone anywhere about anything and not worry about what may come to light.  Your conscience is clear. Clean.

Paul wrote to his protege, Timothy, that the goal of his instruction was “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim 1.5)   What noble objectives, don’t you agree?

• Love from a pure heart
• A good conscience
• A sincere faith.

I’m sure the apostle Paul fell exhausted onto his pillow most nights.  But he was just as capable of facing dignitaries and rulers, some of whom didn’t much care for him, wide awake and with confidence.

He was able to say with sincerity:
“Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.”  Acts 23:1

A clear conscience.

Confidence.

How sweet!