Conscience can be defined as a God-designed and God-given faculty that helps us assess what is good and bad, right and wrong. What role, then, does the conscience play in Christians’ lives? How can it help Christians grow in personal holiness, wise decision-making, and spiritual maturity?
The Austin Stone Institute asked nine writers to compose a liturgy in response to the questions, as applied to a particular area of life. Today’s writer addressed cultivating one’s conscience in relation to foundation and framework.
Gracious Father, Creator of all that is visible and invisible,
You made humanity with beautiful complexity.
We have the capacity to do what is good,
Yet the gravity of our fallen flesh pulls us toward what is evil.
O, the pangs of conscience!
How I fall short of Your glory, Lord.
My heart is full of deceit,
But my soul longs for Your righteousness.
When I ignore my conscience and choose the wayward path,
Will I be forsaken to wander the dark wilderness of my heart?
By no means.
You, O God, have redeemed my life.
When the shadows of my heart overwhelm the path ahead,
Help me choose to walk in the everlasting light of Your Son.
