Day 272- Having a Clear Conscience
📖Daily Reading
1 Corinthians 4
🎥 Video
Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.
📝 Reflection
1 Corinthians 4: 1-4
“So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.”
Having a clear conscience is not the same thing as being right. Let that sink in. So if it doesn’t mean that what does it mean? How do we have one and stay out of the prideful danger zone of thinking of ourselves as right? To me as I pondered this it means that we are doing our best. Doing our best with what we have at any given moment. But don’t let doing your best cause you to think of yourself as better than others, that is the ‘catch’.
Paul likens himself to a manager of sorts as an assigned role from God. Within in that he sees himself as having authority to say certain things to the church. Simultaneously he is humbling himself before himself and them. He is being faithful to his assignment and role as their ‘spiritual father’. He is warning them that this young church is vulnerable to people coming in who see an opportunity to capitalize on a new structure. There are many who seem like believers and sound like believers but that have their own agendas and are seeking power, honor and authority for themselves.
He used himself and Apollos has examples, he says we are the legitimate authorized agents of God and we are despised, made fun of, ridiculed, beaten, suffering in our ‘leadership’ roles for God. God did not send us as messengers to be glorified so that should be evidence in and of it self that should help you discern, the truth from lies. Deceit usually has enough truth mixed in to make it seem like the truth. That is why it is hard to discern.
Humility once again is the necessary indicator that not only points to the truth, but allows it to be seen. The ‘me-go’ blocks the truth from within and from without. As humans we love honor and accolades, it make us feel important. We not only love to receive it but we love to give it. It helps us feel special and like we belong to something special. So knowing this we have to be really careful of what, whom, how we are honoring - we must be honest about our motives. This group think that we are vulnerable to has had catastrophic consequences for humans since the beginning of time.
Having a clear conscience should include doing our best and simultaneously being humble and knowing that we are ultimately responsible for carrying out our own assignments to the best of our abilities and understanding, so that we stay out of being the judge of others, lest we be judged. This type of non-judgemental, humble but confident and clear conscience authority demands respect from the person in authority towards those they have authority over and almost always vice versa.
Beware as words like good and bad or right and wrong come into your mind or out of your mouth. These are words of judgement. We are all capable of doing our best and assuming the that others are doing the same. This changes the conversations we have. Doing our best leaves room for respect as well. My mom likes to say that we can move from condemnation to conversation when we keep this posture. I think this is wise and beautiful, thanks Mom!
✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt
How does doing your best with humility resonate with you with respect to having a clear conscience? How do you think this could impact your relationships? Not just externally but internally with your relationship with yourself?
📖Tomorrows Reading
1 Corinthians 5-6
Coaching Opportunity
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