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 work.
In my daily work,
With its deluge of demands,
Its tangle of tasks,
It is easy to lose direction.
To think that either
Work is mundane,
Mere trudging through drudgery,
Or a mountain
I alone have climbed,
An accomplishment for which I deserve accolades.
Speak truth to me, Father God!
Allow my heart to be held,
Not by selfish desire or despair,
Nor by ambition or ambivalence,
But only by You. Remind me, Lord,
That work is not my punishment
Nor my ultimate purpose.
It is a gift, given in love.
My ability to perform it is not an achievement,
But a grace.
So let the work of my hands, head, and heart
Bring glory—not to me—but to You.
