Mon., 8/6/18 Devotion (Acts 24:16)

Today's encouragement comes from Paul's words, found in Acts 24:16:

"This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men."

God's people ought to do everything in their power to faithfully please the Lord; and, in so doing, to not unduly offend people either. Sometimes this is impossible. Doing what God commands *will*, in some cases, offend sinners. In those cases, it is always best to honor God, and let everyone else be upset about it.

The rule for the church to go by is this: faithfulness to Christ is *always* in *every* human beings' best interest, (even though the unregenerate do not realize, nor accept this). Let us Christian churchmen seek to keep our con-sciences clean, by walking by faith in Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Truth is truth, and error, error, and that which is un-lawful is unlawful, whether men think so or not.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]