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ISBN: 978-0-9905430-2-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-0-9905430-3-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014919292

Printed in the United States of America

Bible quotations are taken from the following versions of the Bible.

All Scriptures quoted are noted as bold and italicized.

Edited by Deborah Roberts.

Cover by Bookbaby Design.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all those who seek to reflect their life in Christ.

May you look in the Mirror of life each day and see God’s reflection looking back at you as His son or daughter.

CONTENTS

Introduction

PART ONE – IS THERE A BEGINNING AND AN END TO WHAT WE REFLECT?

Chapter 1 – Your Inner Voice

Chapter 2 – Who is in Your Mirror’s Reflection?

Chapter 3 – There is Always a Beginning

Chapter 4 – Medicinal Remedies

Chapter 5 – The Blessing of Forgiveness

PART TWO – PERSONAL CHOICES THAT AFFECT OUR RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE GOOD OR BAD

Chapter 6 – Are We Fooled by Simple Things?

Chapter 7 – Black or White?

Chapter 8 – Ulterior Motives

Chapter 9 – What do We Hide?

PART THREE – HOW DO WE RELATE TO THE SOCIAL SCENES AROUND US?

Chapter 10 – Culture Shock

Chapter 11 – Getting Our Own Way

Chapter 12 – Who Cares about a Name?

Chapter 13 – How Far are You Prepared to Go?

PART FOUR – OUR MORAL AND SPIRITUAL FIGHT FOR GOOD OR EVIL

Chapter 14 – Play for Keeps

Chapter 15 – Do You Know Who You are Calling?

Chapter 16 – The Dangers of Words and Actions

Chapter 17 – One Thing Leads to Another

Chapter 18 – Unnatural Purposes

Chapter 19 – Reflections of the Fruit of the Spirit

A Simple Prayer

Bibliography

Simplified Chapter References to Key Topics

Introduction

The nucleus of this book came about from a conversation with a family member who, for me at least, I believed was mocking God. My first thought was that I needed to put them straight. But I confess, I’m not the most tactful person when it comes to speaking to a family member, which I’m sure many can relate to. Many of us can have an attitude when speaking to a family member that we are free to speak to them in whatever way we wish, especially if we think it is for their own good. That is wrong, which is something I can personally testify to. For me, I assumed quite incorrectly that what I said, even though it was out of love and concern for my family member’s welfare and, more importantly, their eternal life, I had hoped it would be looked upon as loving advice. Sadly, it was not. A few days later, my family member told me that they had decided they wanted nothing more to do with me and launched into a verbal campaign of telling me what a hypocrite I was and that I could never change (referring to past life experiences).

I analyzed what they said and questioned whether I was to blame for making this family member feel the way they did. Some of the things they said to me deeply hurt and upset me. Their words cut me to the core like fresh salt placed in an open wound. But I was sure by the nature of what caused the initial conversation in the first place, it was right for me to speak up. Not only that, the culmination of their decision to have nothing more to do with me reflected past hurts rather than present statements.

This taught me a huge lesson of humility, forgiveness, respect, and above all the free gift of Grace from God. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was He replied that it was to “love your God” and He quickly followed up with the second one, “to love your neighbor”. The Apostle John further enforced this when he was asked to speak to those wanting to know what was important and simply said, “love one another”. This then, like a perfectly machined piece of a jigsaw puzzle, fits ‘like a glove’ into what is another command from God. To forgive one another.

In our imperfect world and, indeed, our own individual imperfection, forgiveness can be something that is not easily achieved. The bridge is so easy to cross for two people to resolve their differences, but all too often one of them sets the middle of the bridge on fire and the bridge collapses. All too often the offended party, instead of throwing a rope as in a lifeline to the other person, chooses to throw gasoline on the fire so that the bridge burns quickly and is eventually destroyed with both parties looking at each other from the divide. This situation, although an illustrative one, plays out in real family life situations every day.

I can personally testify to this. I am not proud and I am indeed ashamed of much of my past life. I was guilty of not forgiving, of all people, my mother. Sadly, the bridge I burnt was never erected again and for the last 10 years of my mother’s life we did not speak to each other.

This does not affect only family members. Friendships, some that have lasted lifetimes, are also easy game for the one who is behind the cause of these divisions.

One thing a person cannot do is reverse the past. They cannot change a situation that has already occurred.

They cannot take back a wrong word they said. But if there is no way to alter a wrong that one may have done to another, how can one be able to move forward with a clear conscience? All too often one, if not both, parties who may feel wronged choose to reveal the wrong with other family members or their sphere of friends. Why? Is it not simply to gain someone on our side so as to feel justified that we are the one who has been wronged? All too often we try to legitimize our part of the story that we tell others about. We may even be guilty at times of fabricating more than what actually happened in order to incur sympathetic glances.

Can you imagine if our Creator, Almighty God acted in such a way?

Fortunately for us He cannot and will not. It is not in His nature to act in such a manner.

Would He be justified if He could, or did, act in a way we as humans think is appropriate?

When one considers what man has done by means of acting out their humanistic tantrums created by the devil, God would most certainly be justified to say to each and every person who has ever lived that they are not deserving of Him and He wants nothing to do with them.

Thankfully, true Christians serve a God who is nothing like what was just described. He is a God of love, desiring all that want to be in union (a relationship) with Him to seek Him while He can be found. Unlike some hidden treasure that, unless you have a map and the means to find it, God is right with you, right now. His road map, the Bible, isn’t some mystical enchanted fictional story book. It is the inspired word of God which “He breathed,” so as to give us the information that each and every one of us can attain. Not only that, if you are reading this and you are not currently serving God, He wants to give you a free gift. You cannot buy it, trade for it, barter for it, sell it, or obtain it other than by God freely giving it to you.

What’s the catch you may be thinking?

There isn’t one.

God gives you a free choice. He wants to give you His free gift of Grace as long as you are willing, by free will, to accept His son Jesus Christ as your Savior.

This book is more than a single event that happened in my life with my family member. It’s a book to help the person who may still be searching for God. It’s a book that hopefully you or someone else can identify with and, if that be the case, to put into action how to draw oneself into a relationship with God now. I would also suggest that some of those searching for God do not even know they are searching for Him right now. But their lives, or rather the way they conduct their life, may not be what they want it to be. Maybe the person who this book appeals to or helps is one who is enslaved to drug addiction, or alcoholism. Perhaps sexual immorality may be something a person is struggling with and may not even know it or recognize it as such. Many other things which can enslave a person are much more subtle and deceiving to the point that they are not even seen as being wrong. Through the chapters of this book we will detail all of them and show by Scripture, God’s law and what He demands of each and every one of us to be acceptable toward Him.

You may be thinking that this is not free will or that you have to do something to get something. But that is not the case. Free will is, by definition, a choice of doing something. For example, take the protection that a zoo provides to ensure the safety of its visitors from the wild animals they have there. Obviously, seeing wild animals outside of their natural habitat is perhaps the only way to see these beautiful creatures up close, or as close as one is allowed to be. All manner of barriers and protection is installed for the safety of the zoo’s visitors. But what if a person chooses to ignore such a barrier, thinking they somehow can ignore it and remain safe? We can all cite examples (thankfully rare occurrences) of this happening with the tragic events that follow the person ignoring such warnings being seriously injured or dying as a result of their disobedience. The victim, by his or her free will, chooses to ignore the warnings [commands] the zoo places and their own actions [disobedience] result in their serious injury or death.

This is no different to God’s warnings or commands and the results that occur by disobeying them. He doesn’t post the signs nor place the barriers to prevent you from enjoying everything in life. Rather, He does all of this for a person’s protection.

All too often we hear of people saying it is too hard to serve God. That you have to be a “goody two shoes”. That, in itself, is a myth. No one can be a “goody two shoes” in the truest sense of the word. Romans 3:23 bears this fact out when it states, “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.” (CEB) In other words, as sinful, imperfect creatures we cannot help ourselves. Our imperfect human body is incapable of not sinning.

But what if you learned of someone or something that helped you to stop sinning? Or, better yet, enabled you to resist sin so that you no longer wanted to sin?

There is someone or something that can do that and this book will detail that too. It will help launch you onto a journey of fulfillment if you are willing to have an open mind and a desire to learn. You see, society has made the right course of action to be frowned upon. Some people are looked down upon and made to look as though they are weird or crazy. The day and age we live, with all our technological advances cannot, and will not, save mankind. We are incapable. When you look at a science program today they talk about how long we have left before man kills each other, or a giant meteor colliding with the earth to end life as we know it. So much for their theories of survival of the fittest. If that were true, we would have learned by now how to eradicate such dangers and advance our species to greater heights. We cannot even control the weather, so how can we control ourselves?

No, mankind’s only hope is through a superior force being able to rescue us. That force is God Himself. One day we are all going to face the decisions we make now, which will determine where we spend eternity. If you have an open mind and the desire to learn, I challenge you to check things out for yourself. Besides, what do you have to lose? But more importantly, by Scriptural reference within this book, what do you have to gain?

Only you can decide if you want to learn about these truths further. I leave you to ponder this question.

What if, by learning about God, it can save your life and that of your loved ones if they look to you as their example?

The answer to that tantalizing question you will find by reading further. It is your free will choice to do so.

Martin Roberts - 2014

Quotes on Reflections

“We see that in the organic world, to the same degree that reflection gets darker and weaker, grace grows ever more radiant and dominant. But just as two lines intersect on one side of a point, and after passing through infinity, suddenly come together again on the other side; or the image in a concave mirror suddenly reappears before us after drawing away into the infinite distance, so too, does grace return once perception, as it were, has traversed the infinite - such that it simultaneously appears the purest in human bodily structures that are either devoid of consciousness or which possess an infinite consciousness…”

Heinrich von Kleist [1777-1811]

“Reflect upon your present blessings - of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

Charles Dickens [1812-1870]

“There is, I believe, no person, however insignificant in the world, but, if an account of his life and adventures were committed to paper, would be entertaining in some degree: the follies of our own life, and those we are liable to be drawn into by others, will constantly afford matter for serious reflection.”

Henry Spencer Ashbee [1824-1900]

“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.”

Proverbs 27:19 (New Living Translation)

PART ONE

IS THERE A BEGINNING AND AN END TO WHAT WE REFLECT?

PART TWO

PERSONAL CHOICES THAT AFFECT OUR RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE GOOD OR BAD

PART THREE

HOW DO WE RELATE TO THE SOCIAL SCENES AROUND US?

PART FOUR

OUR MORAL AND SPIRITUAL FIGHT FOR GOOD OR EVIL.

Chapter 1

Your Inner Voice

Throughout the history of mankind, we have always been guided by the inner voice we all possess which, of course, is better known as our conscience.

Sadly, today more than ever we face the breakdown of our society like never before, accepting cultures that a few years ago would have raised more than an eyebrow. Today’s society and culture are constantly drunk in their addiction to stoop to even lower levels of degraded acceptability that eventually desensitizes even those who once would raise a voice to such injustices.

The definition of conscience is:

The part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong – Merriam-Webster. The awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one’s conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong – The Free English Dictionary.

We see, therefore, that when dealing with our conscience, we have a choice as to whether we accept and agree, or reject and ignore it. You could say our conscience is our invisible police officer as to our conduct, reactions, decisions, beliefs and choices we make when faced with a situation that automatically causes our conscience to come into play. Unlike a police officer arresting us for doing something wrong there is no court room to attend to defend oneself. But I would submit to you that there is a Judge. Otherwise, why would you feel so good or rather, so bad, with the decision you make when your conscience [Judge] speaks up?

Many interpret the conscience speaking up when we do something wrong as guilt. Society today has no regard for guilt in the mainstream of life. “Do unto others” has been replaced with “I’ll do unto someone before they do something to me and I won’t regret it one bit.”

Just as if one took a glass of pure water and placed a water born pathogenic micro-organism into it, so too the society in which we live is polluted. Much of the time we either don’t recognize it or don’t acknowledge it.

Our conscience, like the water, can be polluted too.

But our conscience is more than just a police officer. It is the gatekeeper that does not tell you what to do, but it does give you the reasoning as to your future actions being correct or incorrect.

Unlike the naysayers who don’t believe in God, we see in Scripture that God created mankind. At the time of creation He graciously provided us with a conscience to allow us free will which, in turn, helps us to successfully battle against sin. Our success over sin isn’t by our means, but through Jesus Christ, who redeemed all mankind from sin and death. The book of Hebrews actually tells us that Christ purifies our conscience. Hebrews 9:14 reads, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (ESV)

We will discuss the things referred to as “dead works” throughout this book, as well as the remedial action one can do in order to be acceptable before God.

Many of the things we will discuss in this book will challenge the greater majority, if not all of us [both Christian and unbeliever]. It’s important to understand that our conscience isn’t something that we can simply ignore. It truly is our police officer, gatekeeper and measuring line as to how we follow our life course. Ultimately, this book refers to what we do with our life course, while we are here on earth. But what many do not know, believe or accept, is the fact that what we do and how we conduct our lives now, will determine our eternal future. And make no mistake, we all have one. Before you get excited as to that prospect you may want to learn that there are clear differences as to our destinations in eternity.

In order for us to appreciate our conscience fully let us see what the Bible says about it.

Psalm 16:7 says, “I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.” (NASB) Here the Psalmist acknowledges that our conscience is from God. Proverbs 20:27 corroborates this, saying, “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.” (NIV) The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 2:14-15, “When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God’s yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences.” (MSG)

Here Paul clearly points out that our conscience isn’t some alien force within us, but is part of our created being given by God. Notice Paul’s words, “that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong.” We are left under no illusion that what our conscience differentiates as to what is right and what is wrong is what God accepts as right or wrong. There is no middle ground. No excuse.

So what choices do we have?

There really is only one choice. That choice is whether we choose to obey our conscience or not.

Job 27:6 says, “I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.” (NIV)

Hebrews 13:18 reads, “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.” (NASB)

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:12, “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.” (NASB)

Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1:5, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (NIV)

In contrast to a correct conscience let us look at the results of a guilty conscience.

Titus 1:15 says, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.” (ESV)

King David announced in Psalm 40:12, “When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear.

More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.” (MSG)

Again, Paul helps us with clear speaking in Romans 1:18-19, “For God’s [holy] wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them.” (AMP)

The previous two sections of Scripture clearly define for us that we have a conscience and we can either have a clear, healthy conscience or a conscience that convicts us of guilt.

The question we need to ask is this. If we sin by nature and our conscience convicts us of such, can we become immune or desensitized by constantly ignoring or rejecting our conscience? In other words, can we become dull and ignorant to our conscience?

Clearly, the answer is yes. Let us again refer to Scripture for proof.

Reading further in Romans 1:21 we read, “Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened.” (AMP)

Paul writes in stronger terms in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 saying, “And all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (NIV) If one reads verse nine of this passage of Scripture we see it refers to Satan, who is involved in the activity of wickedness and deceit.

When Paul wrote to Timothy he warned that it isn’t just unbelievers who can and are deceived. We read in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.” (NASB)

I find Paul’s words to Timothy regarding a person searing their own conscience interesting and very informative to this discussion. It reminds me of when a person orders a steak at a restaurant. Depending upon one’s own taste you may ask for the steak to be “seared”. The definition of seared is to char or scorch the surface. Other definitions are to cause the outside of a surface to dry up or wither. We often think of the chef at the restaurant searing the steak to seal in the juices of the meat. What we actually see in the illustration of the steak is the outside surface charred and dead, leaving the inside of the meat trapped in the blackened skin.

We could liken our conscience, as Paul said, to being seared [dried up, withered] leaving us with no conscience and dead to any feelings of decency.

All too often today we hear many speak of what “the good old days” were like. It seems like a day never goes by without the mention or news report that shocks us into almost disbelief of yet something else being done by man. Can we hope for things to get better?

Things will get better when Jesus Christ returns. But before that happens, sadly, things will get much worse. Let us go to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-7 where we read, “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.” (NASB)

Several points come out of this Scripture. First, those who believe and have faith in God can look to the future with confidence that soon Jesus will return. His return will result in the eradication of wickedness. But before that happens there is going to be deceit, apostasy etc. in order for the man of lawlessness to be revealed. At the moment, someone (the Holy Spirit) restrains this man of lawlessness until He (the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way.

For believers this last point is all good. When Jesus promised His disciples that He would send a Helper (the Holy Spirit) He also promised in Hebrews 13:5b that, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (NIV)

In order for Jesus’ promise to remain intact, if He takes the Holy Spirit out of the way, then His followers [the church] must be taken out of the way also, or how else would they always be with Jesus?

Sadly, for those who do not choose to follow Christ, the same promise is not afforded them. Think about it. We have already identified by a person’s deadened or seared conscience that they follow the enemy of God, so why would they expect to see God come to their rescue? We read previously that God has given them over to Satan the devil and their delusional thoughts and practices are contrary to God’s commands.

Let us take a few moments to look at actual examples of people who suffered guilty consciences and, in contrast, see how God provides every one of us an opportunity to remove ourselves from such a guilt riddled position.

It is likely whether we are a believer in God or not we have all heard the story in Genesis of the fall of Adam and Eve. But did you know that Adam and Eve had a guilty conscience because of that fall?

Genesis chapter three records the account for us. After eating of the fruit that God had told Adam and Eve not to eat their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. You may not see the guilt portion here, but clearly their conscience enacted a thought in their mind that it was wrong to be naked. If you need further proof, the Scripture goes on to say that the man and the woman hid themselves from God. Why would they do that?

Let us pick up the story in Genesis 3:10-13 and hear Adam’s reply to God calling him, “And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate”. Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (ESV) Clearly guilt was here with Adam and Eve, Adam blaming Eve while Eve blamed the serpent.

The Bible does not record Adam and Eve’s thoughts, but it is certainly evident that Eve’s conscience was working to tell her not to eat. If it wasn’t, then why would she have told the serpent that God commanded them not to eat of the tree?

The Bible tells us that Adam was with her. Evidently he blatantly ignored his conscience. Otherwise he would have been screaming from the roof tops for God to come and intervene. Instead, he also took of the fruit.

Here is one of the main points regarding everything we read in this book.

Although we are discussing conscience in this chapter, this account in Genesis identifies who the instigator of the deceit was (and is) and why that person purposely deceived Eve. Some may argue that Adam was never deceived. The account simply says Eve gave him some of the fruit. In order for it to be disobedience, Adam would have had to have been there. Otherwise, he could have eaten the fruit not knowing it was from the forbidden tree. Clearly, he knew it was and he ignored his conscience in preference to joining his wife Eve in their disobedience of God’s command. If you only understand this point you will learn why you must make a choice as to your life now in order to secure your eternal future. Only you can make the choice for yourself.

Your decision will be the deciding factor of where you spend eternity.

Many other examples of guilty consciences are recorded in the Bible. Joseph’s brothers were guilty when they sold their younger brother into slavery (Genesis 42:21). Pharaoh acknowledged his guilty conscience to Moses and Aaron in not obeying God and releasing the Israelites (Exodus 9:27).

King David’s conscience convicted him of cutting King Saul’s robe (1 Samuel 24:5-6).

In the second book of Samuel David was “conscience-stricken” in ordering a census of the people that God had not commanded (2 Samuel 24:10).

The prophet Ezra blushed as a result of his conscience shaming him (Ezra 9:6).

Daniel records for us that the conscience of King Belshazzar of Babylon changed his countenance as a result of his wickedness with devastating results (Daniel 5:6).

The Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times and his conscience reminded him of his denial (Matthew 26:75). Judas Iscariot had the joyful position at one point of being one of the twelve Apostles before allowing the same deceitful force that deceived Eve overtake him with the result that his conscience showed him he was condemned (Matthew 27:3-5).

And who cannot forget the Apostle Paul, who persecuted the followers of Jesus before his own conversion directly by Jesus, convicting his conscience of his wrongdoing (Acts 9:5).

What can we learn from all of these examples?

Is there a way in which we can alter our outlook and receive an opportunity to do what is right?

Thankfully, there is.

Although we have a free will choice, the choice given to respond to God is given freely by Him. It cannot be purchased, exchanged, sold, gifted or given away. It is, the free gift of God’s Grace for each and every one of us. If you recall, when we were reading Genesis when Adam and Eve had sinned, God was looking for them. As a Christian I am totally in awe of this fact, that despite man sinning against God, He approached us first to offer His Grace of reconciliation!

In just nine verses of the Bible, from Genesis chapter three verse six to verse fifteen, God provided a savior for mankind.

What did that mean for those who would accept God’s free gift of Grace?

Paul tells us in Romans 8:1-4 saying, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (NASB)

In Hebrews 9:14 we read, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (NIV)

In the very next chapter, Hebrews 10:22 says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (ESV)

OK, so now we have seen the result of ignoring our consciences and how we can obtain the free gift of God’s Grace that washes us clean of sin and eternal death.

The question now is, once we know what we should do by listening to our conscience, what is the result if we then choose to ignore it?

The Bible writers recognized that we, like them, would have a fight on our hands in this regard. Paul tells us in Romans 7: 22-23, “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (ESV) Paul recognized that as sinful creatures we are captive to sin, but if we delight in the law of God He will help us to resist. But make no mistake, we are in the fight of our lives and many will succumb to the challenge of their souls and will sadly lose out on God’s eternal prize.

Paul likened it to a shipwreck saying in 1 Timothy 1:18-20, “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (ESV)

It is clear from these and other Scriptures that we have a continual fight to resist the devil and his deceitful nature. By succumbing to his evil advances, after once knowing of God’s Grace, we violate our faith in God.

On the other hand, having a clear conscience before God gives us the conviction of His Almightiness and enables us to rise above temptation.

Proverbs 28:1 says, “The righteous are as bold as a lion.” (HCSB) Peter and John certainly had the conviction of faith when brought before the Sanhedrin and ordered to stop preaching about Jesus. They refused and said they could not stop (Acts 4:19-20).

Paul likewise told the council in Acts 23:1 that he lived in all good conscience before God.

If ever we need any reminding of what the object and purpose of our instruction from God is we read in 1 Timothy 5:1, “Whereas the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.” (AMP)

In conclusion, even if our conscience does not speak to us, we should always ensure that we are mindful of others. Paul explained this point in Romans 14:1-7 where he explained that while some things may seem OK to us, it may not appear that way to others and by default that could affect another person’s faith or conscience.

Paul further tells us in I Corinthians 8:9-13, “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.” (NASB)

Clearly, we all have a responsibility in ensuring that we have a clean conscience before God. Not only that, but we should be mindful of others, some of whom, if they are new in their faith in God, could easily be offended by something that we may not believe to be wrong.

I would submit also that many unbelievers are put off from Christianity when they see the hypocritical actions of so-called Christians.

Only by a careful study of God’s word can we navigate through this journey called life. God provided the map and the compass. It is up to us to faithfully follow the instructions he has laid out on His roadmap in order that we can present ourselves with a clear and pure conscience before Him when we arrive at our final destination.

Chapter 2

Who is in Your Mirror’s Reflection?

It’s easy to think of a mirror as reflecting what one sees of oneself, but does the mirror reflect what truly is the person standing in front of it, or is it just the outward self of a person that looks back at themselves?

It is true, when we view ourselves in a mirror, it is generally to see how well or presented we look. This is especially true if we are attending an event or visiting friends or family, or if we are ourselves the subject of say, a presentation or public speaking engagement, or perhaps a job interview. After all, we want to look our best. We want to appear or project ourselves in a good way.

But when we look into the mirror all we see is the outside of a person. What about the part of the person we don’t see? What we see on the outward, or the appearance of the person, is important for reasons mentioned earlier. But I submit to you what lies beneath the exterior of a person is what truly is reflected in life. The mirror in our bathroom or dressing room shows only the static appearance of the person at that moment, not the appearance of our lives. To be clear, it is not the outward appearance of the individual, but the ‘personality’ of that person that is questioned here. The personality is what makes up a person. This can be described as their thoughts, their desires, their morals, their decision making process etc.

All too often there is a propensity to view the outward appearance of an individual to be the most important reflection of a person when, in fact, it is in all probability the least factor for consideration. Our societies are awash with the promotion of well-known celebrities and movie stars in magazines with how great they look when, in fact, the art of the modern day air brush verses reality are poles apart. When pictures are taken of our everyday life, when we least expect it, the mirror of reality focuses into view.

Paul spoke of the true reflection of Jesus in his letter to the Colossians. He told them in Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (ESV)

The Amplified Bible says this of the same verse, “[Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation.” (AMP)

The Message Bible describes this verse another way saying, “We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created.” (MSG)

In contrast, the one who challenged God’s authority in the beginning as to who was best to take care of mankind has a reflection far removed from reality. The Apostle Paul warned those who could be misguided from the truth when he said of Satan in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “…. for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (ESV)

Here then lies a point of reference as to what this book will venture into, in explaining what we as humans reflect, not in our outward appearance, but in our personality and way of life. If it was merely a reflection, we could simply brush it aside, but it has far more implications than that which can result not only in our human physical well-being now on earth, but also in our spiritual life, and where we, in fact, will end up for all eternity. We see this position clearly defined in Scripture. In Matthew 25:46 the Apostle clearly wrote, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (ESV)

Who was the Scripture referring to as to those going away to eternal punishment?

And who was the Scripture referencing as to where they would reside forever?

A few verses earlier Matthew describes the return of Jesus Christ in all His glory along with all the angels. During this period Jesus will separate the people like a shepherd separates goats from sheep. So, who are we? Sheep or Goats? He mentions during the separation that the sheep will be placed on His right and the goats on His left. We will explain that in a moment.

Matthew 25:34-39 says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’.” (ESV)

Here Jesus is describing not just how He was treated while on earth, but also how those who follow Him have, or are, being treated. He gives assurance that those who are treated likewise, and those who offer comfort and treat those in faith, will also receive the promise of the kingdom of God where they will dwell for all eternity.

Now let us see what happens to the goats. Jesus explains their position in Matthew 25:41-45, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me’.” (ESV).

Here we see the totally opposite position the goats find themselves in. Their total rejection of Jesus and of His followers condemns them to eternal judgment along with the devil.

How does all this fit in with the reflection in the mirror? Remember, we are talking metaphorically, using the example of a mirror, not in the physical reflection, but the reflection of what is beneath the surface of the exterior. In other words, we could say this is the person’s personality and actions.

Why were the sheep placed on the right?

The right hand in ancient times was held in high regard. It signified favor and blessing for one who was invited to sit or stand to a ruler’s right hand side. Upon ascending to heaven, Jesus is spoken of as sitting on the throne at the right hand of His Father. Even today, many people taunt those who are left handed writers. I should know, I am one!

As we read further into the subsequent chapters and sections we will see more clearly how the Scriptures we have just read have application to our own lives. Before we can do that, we need to first investigate and discover what actions are acceptable to be considered a sheep and what actions could define us as goats. Remember (and we will continue to repeat this theme throughout the book) you have a free will choice to decide whether Jesus places you on His right or on His left. If you’re thinking or in any doubt that this will ever take place then, by default, you could guess to a certain degree of certainty what side you will be on. But, you will be on one of those sides, whether you believe this or not.

Let us assume for a moment that you’re prepared to accept that Jesus is going to return in all His glory with His angels and you recognize you have a choice to make. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 16:27 that He would return saying, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” (ESV)

If we fast forward from the book of Genesis to Jude 1:14-15 the writer tells us one of the reasons here why Christ is returning. Note the Scripture identifies the people talked about as early as the seventh generation from Adam. The Scripture says, “It was of these people, moreover, that Enoch in the seventh [generation] from Adam prophesied when he said, Behold, the Lord comes with His myriads of holy ones (ten thousands of His saints) To execute judgment upon all and to convict all the impious (unholy ones) of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed [in such an] ungodly [way], and of all the severe (abusive, jarring) things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (AMP)

We will speak later of a return of Jesus prior to this event that only believers will partake of. Likewise, when Christ removes the ones identified in Jude 1:14-15 we will also learn about what is in store for those who have faithfully kept God’s commandments.

For now, we reach the point of having to identify actions or works that will define our position when Jesus returns in all His glory. We can ask ourselves several questions to establish where we are or think we are, as it relates to our position and whether we are “righteous” or “unworthy”. To assume one or the other is not an acceptable position. In this scenario, or rather the very fight for our lives, we are forced to choose by our free will choice. We cannot blame anyone or anything if we mess up and end up on the left. But also I would caution, we cannot be “puffed up with pride” for being on the right. However, we can certainly thank God for His Grace and mercy for showing us the way.

So what are these actions or works that either condemn us to an eternity separated from God, or the actions that give us the blessings as heirs to the promise?

Oh, I forgot that bit. There are two promises. Well, actually there is only one true promise. The other promise, which is false, is a result of following a despot, devoid of any ability to see what is righteous and holy. Once he did, but the deformity of his transgressions has formed him into the most evil being, who seeks to steal, kill and destroy you. Most of those whom he will succeed in destroying don’t even realize he is the great mannequin of their evil desires. Although this is a false promise, it is a promise that Satan will destroy you, should you choose to follow him by your actions.

So, let us consult the Scriptures to identify these actions or works and by the process of elimination see first if we can identify with one or more of them in either of the categories. The two categories are essentially the dividing line as to the decision making process of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At this point, we are not trying to see if we are living a life [actions or works] of good or bad. We are merely at the stage of identification. Later we will determine what is required [or not] in choosing our positions.

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:19-21 that the works of the flesh are described as such, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (NKJV)

Here Paul identifies the actions and works that are not attributes that reflect that of a person following Jesus Christ. We will discuss each one [and more] in turn later. Now, let us see what Paul identifies as “fruit” not works, but actions that are attributed to those who do follow Jesus. He tells us in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (NKJV)