Conviction is a strong word. It is defined as a fixed or firm belief by dictionary.com. I believe it to mean much more than that. It's not so much a belief but rather an impression on the heart. An impression that can and should induce change in one's life. A heart without conviction is a heart without morality. It is important to understand, though, that conviction and guilt are two completely different things. They are too often mistaken for each other. Guilt is selfish. It looks to ourselves and beats us up. Whereas conviction leads us to change.

My misconstrued thoughts are leading somewhere. As of late I have felt the weight of conviction pulling on my heart. Conviction pointing towards certain hypocrisy in my life. I have taken for granted the truth of God's word by not including it in my everyday life; by not letting it breathe through my life. "Will painted gold enrich a man?" Thomas Watson speaks of hypocrisy in his book, The Godly Man's Picture. He also says, "He who has only a painted holiness shall have a painted happiness."

I find my life tainted with small compromises. By allowing my thoughts and language to not glorify and not uplift the One who died for me in many situations has painted a picture of hypocrisy to many of my non-Christian friends. While many of these friends have thoroughly expressed not caring whether I say one thing or another; I have not shown them God's love by doing so. The great gift of salvation is free, but the price tag on our lives is immense.

Luke 14 verse 27 and 33

27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

I have found lately that too often, my life is not completely given up to the Lord. All glory be to our great God for the blessing of conviction.

The cost of salvation is God's gift to us; who better to give our valued life to than Him.


Nathaniel Drew Kimmel