TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 1 Timothy 3:9

In speaking of God’s servants, Paul said, “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Timothy 3:9). The conscience is the soul’s counterpart to the Global Positioning System in your car or smartphone. It alerts you when your life and choices are off track. It urges you to make a course correction when you are headed in the wrong direction.

Before your conscience can correctly calculate the way in which you should go, it must be properly calibrated. The Word of God is the sure standard against which you can measure your decisions and actions. The Holy Spirit guided the men who wrote the Bible to provide you with unshakable confidence in its dependability.

For a mobile GPS system to work, it must connect with three satellites to pinpoint your current location and plot a path to your desired destination. This triangulation enables the device to determine your position, speed, and estimated time of arrival. The three members of the Godhead are the satellite system that guides your soul. The Father, Son, and Spirit work together in perfect harmony to help you find your way when you are lost.

Just because your GPS device provides reliable directions does not guarantee you will arrive at your intended destination. You must trust the information and follow the path it provides. The same is true spiritually. At the end of his life, Paul said he had finished his course (1 Timothy 4:8). He followed God’s instructions faithfully and heeded the voice of his conscience.

God provided you with a conscience to safely navigate your way through life. Be sure to consult it regularly (GPS does no good until you turn it on). Do not waver from the recommended route (hold the course). If you do find yourself in trouble, repent and reposition as soon as possible.

Today, I will…thank God for the gift of my conscience and put it to work by weighing my choices against His Word. When my conscience warns me not to do something, I will listen. When my conscience urges me to do something, I will act.