October 3—A Pearl for Today
“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16 KJV).
GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY?
My daughter Donna and I were shopping at the mall in our hometown of Tyler, Texas. Donna found a dress she wanted and, after she had paid for it, we started out of the store. Suddenly a loud buzzer sounded. People turned to stare. A saleslady and security guard converged on us at the same time. Several shoppers stopped to see what the commotion was about. “I paid for this, I paid for this,” Donna kept repeating as she held the sack out as far as possible for the security guard to inspect. He checked the receipt and found she really had paid for the dress. Then he began examining the dress. The cashier had removed the gadget that trips the alarm, but evidently some shoplifter had also figured out how to unclip these devices and had slipped three of them into the pocket of the dress we had purchased.
The security guard explained what happened. Still embarrassed, we were just happy to get out of the store. Perhaps this is what Acts 24:16 means. As we stood before our retail accusers, we felt a bit like we were considered guilty till proven innocent. Even so, we had something stronger than a feeling to depend on. We knew for a fact that our “conscience was void of offense.”
There are many reasons for guilt. Sin evokes a guilt that is healthy for us spiritually because it prompts repentance. Satan also causes guilt by sometimes encouraging us to set self-imposed, artificial standards. When we break such a standard, he makes us feel guilty and defeated. Another one of Satan’s tools is to cause false guilt over some sin God has already forgiven.
If you feel guilty, ask the Holy Spirit if there is sin that needs to be confessed. If you still feel guilty, read the following promises from scripture about what God has done with your forgiven sins: 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 38:17, Micah 7:19, Isaiah 43:25, Isaiah 1:18, and Psalm 103:12. Spend time in prayer and thank God for these precious promises. Thank God that He has cast your sins into the depths of the sea, as Micah 7:19 reveals.
As Corrie ten Boom once commented, “He cast our sins in the sea and posted a no fishing sign.” Have you been fishing lately? Why?
