Lamp Light 

“The goal of our instruction is love

from a pure heart, and a good conscience

and a sincere faith.”

1 Timothy 1:5

           Where does conscience come from?  Why do some seem completely lacking in conscience, feeling guilty for nothing, while others feel bad for even the smallest of infractions?

          For years the answer to that question was found in family.  Some parents sought to create moral values in their children and some did not.  But, society as a whole did much to influence the thinking of those who were in the process of forming their views of what was “right” and what is “wrong”. 

          In this passage to his protégé, Timothy, Paul sets love as his goal for all Christians.  Further, this love should flow love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.  The question every believer has struggled with from that time to this is, “how do I do that?”   There are so many distractions that bombard my life, from T.V. to magazines, to the Internet, to the conversation around the water cooler that erode a pure heart and good conscience.

          The only answer to that question is Jesus Christ.  Keep your eyes fixed upon him.  Let his life become your model, and then the distractions will lose their power.  The real thing is always better than the counterfeit.

Faith won’t guarantee purity, but it will keep you headed in the right direction.