2022_08_31 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- 2 Corinthians 1-2
Twenty years ago, the McCann-Erickson ad agency created a commercial for MasterCard that became a huge success. The original commercial showed a father taking his young son to his first professional baseball game and paying for everything with his Mastercard – building a memory with his son made the spending worth it. Dubbed the “priceless” campaign, the tagline was “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.”
There is something else that money can’t buy – a clear conscience. Knowing that you are being honest, truthful, and not hiding anything or pretending, is something that is also priceless. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul says, “We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.” 2 Corinthians 1:12-14
Living with a clear conscience requires being honest with God, others, and ourselves. It means owning our mistakes and clearing up any relational messes we make in a timely manner. A clear conscience requires humble honesty on our part. The result is freedom. Freedom from guilt and shame, as well as freedom from the fear of being found out as a liar or a fraud.
One of the great benefits that Followers of Jesus have is the access to a clear conscience through Jesus’ ongoing offer of forgiveness. 1 John 1:8–9 (NLT) says, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Today, if there is something you know you need to admit and ask God’s forgiveness, please don’t hesitate. As you do this, also think about if there is someone you have wronged, recent or in the past, and make a plan to ask for their forgiveness. [If you aren’t sure how or you are concerned that your approaching them could create more harm, then ask a wise Christian friend for advice.]
A clear conscience is priceless… and possible!
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor