As described in “The American Dictionary of the English Language’; Noah Webster 1828, conviction is described as “The act of convincing or compelling one to admit the charge of the truth.” One of the terminologies I have used to express conviction when speaking to others who claim Jesus Christ as Savior is the word convicted. If a jury of your acquaintances, people perhaps you have known for quite some time, but do not have a close, personal relationship with, were put together in a room to judge you, as it were, would you be convicted by them of being a Christian. Would they be able to come up with at least a few instances when you had said something about how much Christ means to you, could they easily tell that you are not the same person now that you used to be before He called you, because they have actually heard you say that because He lives, your life now has meaning, because you have glorified His name in their presence. At your funeral when, hopefully, the pastor speaks of how good of a Christian you were, will there be some that remark, under their breath of course, “I didn’t know he was a Christian.”
Do you do more than utter an occasional “Praise God” or “That’s a blessing”, and then only in a hushed voice, concerned that someone might hear you and you might have to answer for your faith. Are you a Christian in word and deed at your local place of worship, yet, even to those who have known you for some time, much less those you have just met, do you neglect to bring up the name of Jesus, or listen closely to the conversations at hand, waiting for the opportunity to interject a Scripture verse that would be relevant to the dialogue.
Whether or not you admire what a lot of the people who have reached the ‘top of the ladder’ have accomplished in this life, either in the world or in the spiritual, one thing all of them will confess, that it took a large amount of dedication and conviction to the path that they have chosen. For some, the trade they followed was easy, coming naturally to them, yet for others much hard work and studying was required, and when they have reached their goal, they do not rest but continue to expand their horizons, and for the believer in Christ, “to press toward the mark.” (Phil. 3:14)
O, that every man and woman of God would do the same, that we all would have a continuous daily passion to seek the Face of God, to know the Mind of Christ, to seek daily the “knowledge of the will of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” (Col. 1:9) All of the accomplishments of this world, every single thing that every single person has ever done in this world and for the worlds sake only, will fade, and be as trash, burned up as useless, and only those efforts that were meant to glorify God will have eternal meaning.
I once was, but by God’s mercies am becoming less, one of these individuals. The accolades, the accomplishments and certificates of learning, the framed achievements that hung on my walls were all that I ever searched for, and the praise of men that came with them, and yes, I even enjoyed the envy and jealousy from those around me that came with these accomplishments. Many of these people I would mock, both to their face and behind their backs, for they just did not understand the hard work and dedication required to attain the positions I had attained to. Pride was my friend, my delights were the things of this world, my ego could only be filled with arrogance and vanity.
By the great mercies of our Lord I was shown the truth, though not in an instant like Paul on the road to Damascus, but over time, and I am humbled and thankful that all of the plaques and framed accolades have long ago been thrown into the trash bin, and very rarely do these accomplishments come to mind, though at times I still fall to the sin of pride in this area. A truth was shown to me through the Word of God one day and on that day He changed my pursuits, for I was shown that there are only two things that will last for eternity in the creation of God, the Word of God and people.
Outside of the spiritual realm, living only in and for the temporal, will gain no favor from God to anyone, for God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) The word of God is what transforms people, reshapes a child of God into a servant of our Lord, for in the Word of God we will find the will of God, and when we serve people, and they know we are doing it for the Glory of God, then we are fulfilling the Law of Love, (Rom. 13:8-14)
Conviction requires time, and with God there are no excuses in this area, for the Lord knows the reasons behind our heart’s actions. “I have to get up early to get to work on time and I don’t have time to study His word”; get up earlier. “The children require so much effort”; teach them the words, no, not right now. “My job requires much responsibility”; drop some of them. “I just don’t feel like studying the Bible that much”; force yourself. God does not do excuses, and through personal experience I have found that if you don’t come back to the path, He will drag you back, for when you accepted Him as Lord, He became just that, Lord and Master of your life.
How can anyone grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord by just attending a once a week sermon, or a mid-week bible study that is basically the same as a Sunday service with no open discussion. Many individuals do not even take their Bibles to church anymore, much less read them at home, and a daily devotion is pretty much a thing of the past. Many prayers seem to revolve around ‘Heal me’ or Help me,” not ‘Lead me in your will’ or ‘teach me to serve.’
“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22) It is sad to say, but it seems to be truth in our day, that many believers think that all they have to do, and please understand how I am phrasing this, is repeat what someone is saying, and they will saved, and can then just go about their lives as they had before their “conversion,” treating the acknowledging of Our Lord Jesus Christ as water baptism, which is commanded, but has no saving power for anyone to enter into the Kingdom of God, it is simply an outward sign of an inward faith. Others believe that they should exhibit the character traits of a Christian only within the church walls, believing it is the pastor, and perhaps the elders responsibility to reach the lost, and it is sad to say that many in the congregation are taught this by the hierarchy of the church they attend, telling those that sit in the pews to ‘just bring them to church.’
How many believers could be motivated by, let’s say, just a simple sign at the exit of the building that reads ‘prepare to enter the mission field,’ how many sermons or Bible studies revolve around discipleship or evangelism training, on how to reach the lost, or is it true what I recently read, that many churches in the “civilized” world see themselves as hospitals, tending to the ever growing self-centered concerns of a flock who will not even read their Bibles, much less study them.
Your one main purpose in this life is to glorify God, your second to encourage and build up fellow believers, your third to reach the lost, and these three are so closely knit together, so intertwined as to be one. The branch must abide in the vine, (John 15:4) with conviction to these truths, nothing else in this world or what it has to offer can take precedence. “Study to show yourself approved…” (2nd Tim. 2:15) everyday “Keep every thought captive for Christ” (2nd Cor. 10:5) all the time strive to have a contrite and humble heart, walk with our Lord every moment. Have a conviction within your very heart to know the will of God, to step into the gap if necessary.
Fall to your knees and beg for the mercies of Almighty God to convict you to become a profitable servant, filled with love for Him and all that you meet, speaking boldly His love in firm truth, unashamedly and with confidence. Become convicted for Him.