“So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Acts 24:16).

A number of years ago, an ad appeared on television, the purpose of which was to promote higher education. There was a line in the ad that got right to the point. At a strategic moment the voice said, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” The point being made was that access to higher education should be available for all who choose to pursue it.

Well, the passage cited above makes us aware of something else that’s a terrible thing to waste, a clear conscience. Let me explain. The conscience is God’s gift to his children. He placed it there to serve as an inner voice, a mechanism whereby the Holy Spirit speaks to us at the deepest level. Although there may be times we wish it were not so vocal, we should never despise or demean its importance. That’s where the words cited above speak to each of us.

You see, in his speech before King Agrippa, Saul sought to demonstrate his integrity, as well as the truthfulness of his relationship with Christ, by telling the king that his conscience was clear. I wonder how many of us can attest to a clear conscience as did Saul.

But there is more. Not only did Saul speak of his clear conscience before God and man, he also said that he takes “pains” to keep it clear. That speaks to me simply because I can’t always say the same thing about myself. My guess is that if we are to be honest, there are times each of us cannot claim to take pains to maintain a clear conscience. That observation raises the question; “How do we keep a clear conscience?”

There are two things that come to mind in that regard. First, taking pains to keep a clear conscience begins with the pursuit of personal holiness. Every part of our lives should be oriented toward doing what Paul told Timothy; “Set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” In that light, can you see that a mandatory component of a clear conscience is the pursuit of personal holiness?

The second component of a clear conscience is a readiness to admit our sin and seek forgiveness as soon as our conscience makes us aware of it. If we fail to do that, we increase the risk of deadening our conscience. That’s bad! Thus, when our inner voice alerts us to the presence of sin, we should confess it immediately and ask God to enable us to flee from it.

Life is indeed sweeter when the conscience is clear. We are better able to enjoy our relationship with God and with others when we possess and take pains to maintain a clear conscience. Let your conscience speak to you at this very moment. Is your conscience clear and are you taking pains to keep it so? I trust you are.