For conscience sake, love with Jesus.

Romans 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. Since the purpose of governing authorities is to bring wrath on evil doers, and since God has appointed governing authorities, it is necessary for believers to put ourselves into a place where we can love and support them. We know we are on this planet to love in His name, therefore our consciences can only be clear if we are in subjection to them as Paul has taught in the previous verses. This highlights an important aspect of living to love with Jesus. Why is loving with Him so important as to be our purpose in life? It’s for conscience’s sake. God is love. He commanded us to love. His abundant daily mercies make loving our reasonable service of worship. In short, our consciences testify to us daily that in all our relationships, we are to love—love God by loving others. When we don’t love, our consciences record it and convict us. The only way for our consciences to be unstained when we give an account for what we have done in our lives is for us to agree with God’s Word, which informed our consciences, and repent for when we haven’t loved—whether that’s in relationship to others or to institutions like government. Our consciences tell us that when we come to stand before Him who is the eternal expression, embodiment, and judge of love, we won’t regret having loved. That’s why Paul taught that we should submit to governing authorities and love the saints and our enemies—for conscience sake. What does your conscience tell you today about all of the days of your life? Has God’s love been the guiding principle and power in your relationships? I hope you’ll start off this new year with a clear conscience toward God and others by agreeing with your conscience where you have have not loved, and purposing to submit yourself to Christ to be His agent of love in this world. I also hope you’ll strive to live with a good conscience this year, confessing sin, correcting unloving patterns and attitudes, and returning to the way of love with Jesus. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com