I recently had a conversation with a man who was trying to sell his car. He had all sorts of problems with it and had spent many hundreds of dollars on repairs. He figured the best he could do was fix all the known problems and sell it before something else broke.

Sure enough, a few hours before a potential buyer was to arrive, he found yet another major problem. He probably could have sold the car, but he said that he “just wouldn’t feel right about it”. So, he made the repair.

All of this sparked my curiosity. I asked him how he would respond if a potential buyer asked why he was selling the car. His answer surprised me. He told me that he would probably answer that his lifestyle was changing and he didn’t need a second car anymore. In actuality, he was already shopping for a more reliable second car!

What shocked me was how easily this other man could lie about his reasons for selling the car, yet feel guilty about not making a necessary repair. Before I could get upset with him, the Lord started showing me areas where I had bent the truth. I hadn’t done anything major, just a few omitted facts or altered implications. The result, however, was the same. This all hit home to me…just how fickle my conscience is. The only thing I’ve found that works is a commitment to the whole truth, backed up by the Holy Spirit. This way, I have a scriptural and spiritual basis for how I “feel” about something.

Of course, if I could always do that, I would probably have been whisked off to Heaven some time ago. What I can do, however, is constantly guard against compromise and let God be my conscience.

You may respond to Mark’s piece by going to the “Contact Us” tab in the top of the page. I’ll pass your good comments on to him.

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