Honest Reflections

WHAT DOES PURE HEART, GOOD CONSCIENCE, AND SINCERE FAITH GET YOU?

Read time: 4 minutes

“The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5 NIV)

Love is the answer.  If we are to love, we must maintain three things: heart, conscience, and faith.  Only with God’s help will we find success.

Giving up control of our lives to God is a daily exercise.  Each day we must seek Him, allowing Him to search our hearts for iniquities.  In other words, the wickedness inside all of us.  When God’s light falls upon it, revealing it to us, our hearts become pure.   We clear our conscience as we confess our sin to Him, having faith He forgives us.

Life is demanding.  None of us know what the day ahead will bring.  Moments happen and change our lives forever.  COVID is one we all experienced.  One week, routine, the next week, we’re quarantined in our homes, everything closed.  The reality of the last several months is becoming a reality for all of us.  Clinging to God during difficult times is challenging.  But if we are to love, to Him we must look.

God’s love provides the way.

God sent Jesus to provide a way for us to love.  Because of His actions on the cross, God forgives our sins.  Jesus paid the price for us.  Believing in the resurrection requires faith in what God says is true.  When Jesus asked God to forgive us, minutes before taking His last breath, we must believe God did.  We can allow Him to reveal our iniquities to us because we know He’s already forgiven us.  As the knowledge of God’s love fills our hearts, we can’t help but share it with others.

Paul shows us how we can find the strength to let God penetrate our hearts:

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.  The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 1:12-14 NIV)

Just as Paul relied on Jesus for his strength, we can do the same.  Lean into Jesus’s example for us on how to cleanse our hearts and clear our conscience.  Lay our burdens at the foot of the Cross.  The price of sin paid, we live in the truth of the resurrection—God’s love is for all who accept it.  When we do, we give God access to our hearts.

In His love, He will purify our hearts, cleanse our conscious, and build our faith as we seek Him daily.

Question of the Day:

Have you allowed God access to your heart?

Further Reading:Jeremiah 28-29 NIV,  1 Timothy 1 NIV, Psalm 86 NIV,  Proverbs 25:17 NIV

“We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.” (2 Thessalonians 3:11 NIV)

Busybodies aren’t busy; they’re idle and disruptive.

My mom always used to say, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”  She wasn’t lying. The root word for “busybody” is periergos.  According to Vine’s Greek New Testament Dictionary: “some who are not busied in their own business, but are over busied in that of others.”  Focusing on other people’s lives means busybodies don’t have to focus on the truth of their own lives.  

Taking a meal to someone going through a difficult time is different from popping over with juicy gossip to stir up trouble.  Busybodies aren’t doing anything productive.  Instead, mayhem follows after them, simply because they create it. 

Busybodies requires boundaries.

Identifying who the busybodies are in your life protects you from their manipulations.  God help you if its a neighbor.  When we were first married, I had a busybody neighbor.  They start subtle, just a friendly, “Hello.”  Next thing you know, they think they live in your house.  Learning to set boundaries in that relationship was educational for me.  We are still good neighbors, but the limit is clear of what is “too much.”

Identifying the line in the sand is what boundary setting is.  As I’ve worked with people in different capacities, all different ages, everyone wants to know the limit.  When we started our fall tennis classes this year, the date coincided with the first day of school.  Every kid who came was wound up, ready to test limits.   Once they know what they are, the rest of the classes go well.  Establishing boundaries smooths the journey.

Jesus set boundaries.  He withdrew from crowds when He needed time with God:

“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:15-16 NIV)

We need to know who the busybodies are in our lives so we can set the appropriate boundaries.  And we have to understand; sometimes we’re the busybodies.  Instead of focusing on the things in our own life that need work, we focus on other people’s faults.   Developing a relationship with God will help keep your focus on the right things.  No one’s marriage is more important than yours.  No one else’s family is more important than yours.  Prioritize your relationships to guard against becoming a busybody.

One common way people prioritize a Christ-follower’s relationships is with JOY:  Jesus, Others, You.   Husband, family, friends are how I prioritize “Others.” Not every relationship is the same; prioritizing helps keep perspective.

Don’t let people’s idleness and disruption distract you from your priorities.

Question of the Day:

What busybody do you need to set boundaries for today?

Further Reading: Jeremiah 26:1-27 NIV, 2 Thessalonians 3 NIV,  Psalm 85 NIV,  Proverbs 25:16 NIV

“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NIV) 

Everyone lies.  

In the middle of a Presidential election, deception is rampant.  Each candidate has stretched the truth more than once.  People cannot have conversations with each other if they disagree on the candidate of choice.  How is truth found?  Only Jesus reveals the truth to us in His time. If we want to see who is deceiving us in our lives, we must seek Jesus.

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 NIV)

The person who deceives us the most is ourselves.  Self-deception is the hardest to identify.  God reveals the lies I believe, as I study and apply His word to my life.  Lately, I’ve recognized the deceit I’ve told myself for decades as His word penetrates my heart.  Digging deep takes effort and intentionality.  We have to want to know the truth to find the truth.

Finding the truth takes work.

The first step in finding the truth is placing your trust in Jesus.  Secondly, we have to allow God to search our hearts and lives, accepting what He brings to light:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

God gently reveals the truth.  For me, when I see something I’ve never seen in myself before, it’s an “Aha” moment.  For instance, Zoom has given me new insight into myself.  When having a video conference, I am more aware of my facial expressions than ever.  Up until now, I’ve never seen what I look like in conversation.  Now I do.  Through technology, God revealed truth to me I did not know.  My understanding of how people see me is more precise, which helps me communicate better.

Some people prefer living in a lie than dealing with the truth.  Recently, a woman in an abusive marriage sent me a picture.  When I saw the reality of the situation, I did the best I could to communicate in love;  they needed professional help.  She didn’t receive the response well and has cut off all communication with me.  My heart aches for her, but we can’t force people to face truths they don’t want to see.  However, I planted seeds of truth in her heart; God will take care of the rest as I continue to water them in prayer.

Deceivers don’t fool God; in Him, we find truth.

Question of the Day:

Have you asked God to reveal the lies in your life?

Further Reading: Jeremiah 23:21-25:38 NIV, 2 Thessalonians 2 NIV, Psalm 84 NIV,

Proverbs 25:15 NIV

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 NIV)

God brings justice to all.

Amid a Presidential election, pandemic, and overall world crisis, truth is hard to find.  Watching the craziness of political candidates push forward their plan is not easy.  But we can rest well, knowing God is in charge.  Wrapping our minds around God’s sovereignty in a world of chaos brings sanity.  If we want truth and justice, we must seek Him in all things.

People don’t tell the whole story.  Typically, the part told is the one that makes them look best.  However, God doesn’t do half-truths.  His justice isn’t partial; it is full. We all fall under God’s scrutiny. He brings justice and hope to everyone.  No matter what position we hold, none of us escapes the watchful eye of God.

God’s justice applies to all.

One of our dear friends is a lawyer.  We were talking about life in the legal profession.  He told us a story about his mentor. When meeting with a new client, he asked the same question:  “How are they goin’ to lie on ya?”  Whatever that part of the story was, he knew it was closer to the whole truth. That technique is how he decided whether or not to take the case.  With a broader picture, we make better decisions.  God has the most comprehensive view of all.  God chooses who needs justice and who needs hope. He also decides when.

Nothing God does is ever on our timetable. Nor how we think.  Understanding God’s sovereignty means not having all of the answers.  Why some people appear to get justice, and others don’t is not an easy question.  Accepting the answer may not come this side of heaven is challenging.  Why do innocent people spend years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit?  Why is the sex slave trade so rampant in our world?  Where is the justice in people dying from an unseen virus?  I have no answers to these questions; only God does.

He brings justice and hope with Jesus.  When He climbed on the cross for our sins, justice happened.  All sins paid, once and for all.  When He rose again on the third day, He brought hope.  He gave us eternal life, so we know, this world isn’t all there is.  We have eternity to ask God the questions we can’t answer now.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” (Deut. 29:29 NIV)

God brings justice and hope to all through Jesus.  His timing is never late.

Question of the Day:

What do you want from God today, justice, or hope?

Further Reading:Jeremiah 22:1-23:20 NIV, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 NIV, Psalm 83 NIV, Proverbs 25:11-14 NIV

“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV)

Put faith, love, and hope on every day.

You already wear faith, whether you believe in God or not.  You have faith the sun will rise, the rain will fall, and the earth will rotate.  Scientists know the mechanics of each of those things, but they don’t control them.  Every breath you take is one of faith, believing air exists, allowing for you to live.  Faith is a part of everyone’s life, even if they don’t know it.

Love, however, is something we must work at each day. We have to choose to love, not hate.  Finding fault with people is easy; finding things to love, sometimes more challenging.  Putting on love means remembering what Jesus did for you.  Whoever is in your life that gets on your last nerve, remind yourself, Jesus died for them.  That thought helps us put on love every day.

Hope comes from faith and love.  As we have faith that God is working, obeying His commands to love, hope grows.  Each step taken, filling our hearts with anticipation of God’s good work in our lives, whether here on earth or in His Kingdom above. 

Primp with prayer.

Putting on the beautiful attire of faith, love, and hope starts best with prayer.  Just as we have routines for getting physically dressed, we can have one for our spiritual attire.  Primping with prayer doesn’t require a lot of time.  A simple, “God, renew Your Spirit within me,” packs a powerful punch.   Think of the simple mantra as dressing from within.  God’s spirit overflows from inside of us to the outside world.  Faith, love, and hope become standard attire.

In this time of COVID, my prayer for humanity is that people will seek Jesus in their time of distress.  When life knocks us flat on our back, it forces us to look up to heaven.   Focusing our eyes on things not of this world will give us the strength to stand:

“He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” (Psalm 40:2 NIV)

Life comes in waves sometimes.  Things we never thought happen, changing our lives forever.  When my nephew died, that was one of those moments for me.  Life knocked me down; I didn’t have the strength to get up.  God picked me up in my darkest hour and put me back on solid ground.  He does the same thing for me every day.  He’ll do the same for you.

Primp with prayer.  Ask God to renew His Spirit within you.  Make faith, love, and hope standard attire in your life.

Question of the Day:

How can you make primping with prayer a regular part of your life?

Further Reading: Jeremiah 19-21 NIV, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28 NIV, Psalm 82:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 25:9-10 NIV

“and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV)

A quiet life is a good life.

Paul’s topic in this passage is living to please God.  We are to love one another as we go about our lives quietly.  Day in, day out, seeking God, putting our hands to whatever task He has for us.  Jesus sets the example for us. He led a quiet life.

Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3 NIV).  Carpentry during Jesus time was different than now.  You couldn’t buy wood at Lowe’s. Carpenters went to the woods themselves, picked out the type, and cut it down.  Not with chainsaws, manually:

“The carpenter stretches a line, he marks it out with a pencil; he fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he shapes it … He cuts down cedars; or he chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it” (Isaiah 44:13-15 NIV).

Inch by inch, life’s a cinch, yard by yard, life’s hard.

Carpenter’s live their lives inch by inch.  Jesus learned his trade from his earthly father, Joseph, who taught him to build roofs and furniture.  Each log needing cut, shaped, sanded, and sealed.   Carpentry is a chain of small, monotonous acts that leads to a beautiful product.

Life is the same as carpentry.  Each day we complete another inch as we go about our daily routines.  Just as a carpenter uses sandpaper to smooth the rough wood, God uses the circumstances in our lives to refine us.  Not overnight, day by day, quietly.  The amount of time needed to cut a tree down, drag, cut, and reshape it into a table, isn’t quick.  

When my husband and I were first married, we bought an unfinished wood table.  Needing chairs, we purchased six from Craig’s list.  Each chair required sanding and staining.  The entire project took me weeks, and I didn’t have to build it.  Using an electric sander on the chairs for the work was monotonous, time-consuming, and challenging.  My body was sore after all the contorting needed to reach the tight spaces.  But I found the time prime for praying and connecting with God.  As I created new from old, I communed with my Creator.  

As we live our quiet lives, God transforms us.  Each day, He is sanding away the rough edges, polishing the finish, creating new life from the old.  Not in an instant, but inch by inch.  

Question of the Day:

How is God refining you today?

Further Reading: Jeremiah 16:16-18:23 NIV, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3 NIV, Psalm 81  NIV, Proverbs 25:6-8 NIV

“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” (1 Thess. 2:11-12 NIV)

Perspective helps you love well.

Paul is writing to the Thessalonians in today’s verse.  He’s reminding them of what they witnessed when he was with them.  He worked hard so as not to burden anyone while spreading the message of Jesus.  His love for them is that of a good father for his children.  Paul understands he is a child of God.   Number one, Father of the Year, always goes to God.  He has no competition when the topic is loving His children perfectly.  As Paul mimics Christ, he understands this more and more.  As a result, he begins to view people as God’s children, his brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul’s perspective changed; when it did, he loved best.

Perspective propels us to love.

When we start viewing the world through the eyes of Jesus, perspective changes.  We notice the beggar on the street, as well as the rich man in the car.  Understanding the depth of God’s love for each of us helps us understand His love for the world.  Everyone matters to God, no matter what color the skin.  He made us unique for a reason; we’re to embrace each other’s uniqueness.  As Jesus pours His love into our lives, we can’t help but let it overflow to those around us.

Jesus is the source of the best love.  Once perspective shifts, hearts soften.  Instead of seeing the outside, Jesus looks deeper.  As we look through His lens, we begin to see the heart as well.  We witness the sadness that overwhelms people amid suffering.  We watch the celebration when life change occurs in people from within.  Intention is more important than action.  People bumble all the time when they try to love like Jesus.  The reason for this reality is simple; they aren’t Jesus.   

Part of loving people best is forgiving them most.  When people hurt you, sometimes the best act of love you can do is forgive.  At other times, tough love is best.  Loving others doesn’t have a formula that works with everyone.  People are different, love them accordingly.

“Five Love Languages” is a popular book about love.  Each of us receives love differently.  Discovering how individuals interpret love helps you to love them then well.  For instance, one of my husband’s love languages is physical touch.  He loves to hold my hand when we’re watching T.V.  One of my is quality time; when people spend time with me, I feel love.  We’re uniques creations, each receiving love differently.

To love best, love through the eyes of Jesus.

Question of the Day:

Who do you need to see through Jesus’s eyes today?

Further Reading: Jeremiah 14:11-16:15 NIV, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13 NIV, Psalm 80 NIV, Proverbs 25:1-5 NIV

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 1:3 NIV)

Jesus inspires our good works.

If it weren’t for Jesus, we wouldn’t forgive.  He teaches us what forgiveness is by His example.  Think about the person you are the most mad at right now.  Would you even try to forgive them if it wasn’t for Jesus?  I wouldn’t.  But because I believe in God, I work at forgiving those who hurt me.  As I work at forgiving, I discover what my role in the situation is.   Issues that need addressing from within me come out as I try to forgive others.  

For instance, jealousy; as I’ve worked through forgiving someone, I’ve seen my jealous nature.  I’m much more aware when I’m experiencing jealous feelings.  Also, I’ve recognized a lie I’ve believed about jealousy.  When I was little and having friend problems, I would talk to my mom.  Often, her summation of the situation was that they were jealous for whatever reason.  My ego developed around my mother’s words.  Recently, my husband pointed out to me; jealousy isn’t the answer for every issue.  My mother wasn’t wrong; she was probably right.  However, the way I processed her words weren’t how she meant me too.  In other words, the answer to every relationship issue isn’t jealousy.

Working to identify and deal with deep-seated issues isn’t easy. When bonds break, freedom comes.  If I didn’t follow Jesus, I wouldn’t do any good works.  Instead of forgiving, I’d stew in my anger and plot revenge.  I’d live my life based on unintentional lies that I believed.  But because of Jesus, I let go of the negative, striving for the positive.

Jesus is the motivation.

If we do what Jesus did, instead of arguing over what He meant, good works will abound. People debate and interpret God’s word regularly.  Perhaps one of the devil’s most fantastic tricks is getting believers to argue over God’s commands.  However, Jesus made our mission on earth very clear: Love God, Love Others (Mark 12:30-31 NIV).  

What Jesus simplified, people complicate.  Instead of doing what God wants, we argue over what He means.  As a result, nothing gets done.  But if we stop arguing and start doing, life change occurs for all.

“You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thess. 1:6 NIV) 

Become an imitator of Jesus. Imitating Him results in good works.

Question of the Day:

How can imitating Jesus inspire you today?

Further Reading:Jeremiah 12:1-14:10 NIV, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8 NIV, Psalm 79 NIV, Proverbs 24:30-34 NIV

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” (Psalm 78:72 NIV)

Integrity filled David’s heart.

Integrity, according to Webster’s, is:

“The entire, unimpaired state of anything, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings, transfers of property, and agencies for others.” 

When a ship’s walls are secure and robust, they have integrity.  However, if a hole punctures the boat, its integrity is breached.  Water pouring through the hole is hard to stop; within minutes, the bottom begins to fill with water.  How large the puncture is, determines how fast the boat sinks.  Think of the Titanic when it hit the iceberg.  Once touted as unsinkable, the ship didn’t take long to disappear underwater when the collision comprised the ship’s hull.

Just like the hull of a ship, once our integrity is compromised, it’s hard to fix.  If you get a reputation for lying, stealing, and cheating, gaining back integrity in your life is complicated.  When someone lies to me, I remember.  The next time I have interactions with them, I doubt what they say.  They are no longer a reliable source because you can’t believe them.  Once gone, integrity is hard to recover.

God and David’s heart are the same.

David’s integrity links directly to his relationship with God.  His devotion to the one true King paved the way for his pure heart.  Willingly, he served God, followed His decrees, and did His bidding.  As a result, he had a heart like God:

“I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22 NIV) 

If you want a heart filled with integrity, follow God’s commands.  Put into practice the things God tells us all to do.  Integrity comes when we don’t lie, steal, cheat, or kill.  In the face of opposition, we stand on the truth, trusting in its power.

Years ago, my husband and I played on a tennis team.  Our captain was not a woman of integrity.  Everything she said to get us to play on the team was not valid.  The captain recorded scores for matches that we never played.  We had no idea what we were getting into when we agreed to play.  Because she had no integrity, she compromised ours.  We left the team; I’ve never played for that league again. She destroyed our friendship over her lack of honesty.  Trust is key to any relationship; without it, the relationship can’t exist.  Just like a ship that sinks when the hull’s integrity is compromised, friendships fail without truth.

God knows our hearts.  He searches them for iniquities.  Through Him, integrity can fill our hearts.

Question of the Day:

Have you asked God to search your heart?

Further Reading: Jeremiah 10:1-11:23 NIV, Colossians 3:18-4:18 NIV, Psalm 78:56-72 NIV,

Proverbs 24:28-29

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2 NIV)

Think about God.

If we’re to set our minds on things above, we have to focus our thoughts on God.  We do that by engaging in His word, hanging with His people, and seeking a closer relationship with Him as a result.  One lie to debunk, you can’t control your thoughts.  Yes, you can.  Choose what you think about, stop stinking thinking.

After my father died, when I was a teenager, I struggled with bulimia.  In my sophomore year of college, I was in counseling for the emotional disorder about control.  Because I felt out of control with my father’s passing, I tried to gain control through eating.  As I came away from that period of life, I learned the power of choice.  We can control our brains; we can find healthy ways to deal with the hurts of life.  You can regulate what you think.

Control your thoughts.

What helps me focus my thoughts on God is starting my day with a quiet time.  Reading His word each morning brings Him to the forefront of my mind.  As the day progresses, inevitably, something happens that reminds me of what I read in the morning.   This practice helps me curb my thoughts and look to things, not of this world.  God’s word can help you, as well:

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)

Controlling our thoughts requires capturing the bad ones.  One visual I use is an airplane coming in for a landing.  As the plane approaches, it asks for permission to land from the Air Traffic Control Tower.  If denied, they must keep flying.  In the same way, thoughts pour into our heads, asking permission to land.  We can grant or deny their request; we have the choice.  If it’s decline, let the thought keep on going, right on out the other side.  Don’t let any ideas land you don’t want in your head.

When my mind starts going places it shouldn’t go, I seek God.  Usually, the prayer is something like, “Lord, take control of my mind,” or “God reveal your truth to me.”   My choice in controlling my thoughts begins with God.  He helps me manage the runway of my mind.  Allowing His word clearance for landing paves the way for victory over my mind.  As I learn more and more about His promises, it’s easier to control my thoughts.   When lies try to land, the truth sends them flying.

Use God’s promises to send negative thoughts flying.  When you give His word permission to land, your thought life will change.  Gain victory over your thoughts with God.

Question of the Day:

What thoughts are you letting land in your mind?

Further Reading: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26 NIV, Colossians 3:1-17 NIV, Psalm 78:32-55 NIV, Proverbs 24:27 NIV