Conscience is
Life’s inner guide
That our pride
Too often sets aside.

Conscience guides those who follow it. Desire dictates those who don’t. Conscience and desire seldom lead in the same direction. Following self-focused desires may satisfy for awhile, but eventually leads to guilt, trouble, and trial.

People who disobey their conscience will disobey laws that get in their way, if they think they can get by with it. Society nowadays demands we silence our conscience (or at least keep quiet about it), even though crime comes from people ignoring their conscience. However, love doesn’t demand that you approve of people’s behavior when it goes against your conscience.

It takes tons of effort and energy to continually hide from your conscience. Conscience says, “Your desires and feelings are often deceptive.” Pride says, “If it feels good, want it and revel in it.” It’s hard to follow your conscience, especially in a culture that prides itself on following feelings and desires instead.

Self-seeking keeps you stuck in a very narrow perspective. A whole lot of truth lies beyond our self-interest. If we don’t humbly go beyond our own desires and feelings, we’ll overlook much truth.

A self-seeking, desire-driven lifestyle seldom brings satisfaction, but often brings guilt. A focus on compassion and service toward others frequently satisfies.

Jesus calls for repentance. But we can’t repent if we won’t honestly listen to and obey our conscience. The Bible calls us to obey our conscience, while speaking the truth in love to people who do things that violate our conscience.