Blessed Conviction

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn [us] we have confidence before God.... - 1 John 3:21

For all the criticism that one may hear against healthcare in America, it is decades (even a century) ahead of the basics we saw when we lived in Africa. Where this truth was most evident was among the mentally ill. For example, there was one man who walked the streets of our large city completely naked. He apparently survived on handouts and good will, but was totally oblivious to his condition. Sadly, he was just one of many.

Another sad reality across this world (and yours) is that so many walk through life unaware of their personal sin. In fact, one mark of personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the conviction of sin (not condemnation, but conviction). Only the unbelieving lack any sense of separation from the Father that results from disobedience, transgression, and wickedness. Only the unbelieving walk as if blind to their condition.

While we may not like the feeling that conviction of sin brings, if we do indeed feel it, we are indeed blessed.

Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man. It is the threshold of an understanding of God. - Oswald Chambers