Which is better? To be driven by guilt or to be driven by conviction?

Recently, a very good friend of mine exclaimed to me, “I was doing so good on my bible study, but then I just quit. I feel so guilty.”  I challenged her to channel her “guilt” in a different direction. Perhaps as believers, we should acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s nudging in our lives: His counsel John 14:26; His conviction John 16:8; His discernment John 15:26; and His teaching John 14:26. Just as I suggested to my friend, I would humbly submit to you that guilt paralyzes us while conviction compels us.  Guilt all too often renders self-deprecation, apathy, and passiveness; a “no can do” spirit.  On the other hand, spiritual conviction renders repentance, a love for Christ, and in essence, spiritual conviction renders purpose and meaning.  Paul said in 1 Timothy 1 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst…”  But he did not leave it there. He did not wallow in the very guilt from which he had been saved.  No indeed, in verse 16 he says “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”  In fact in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul wrote “And Christ’s love compels us…..”  Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) He loves to get a stronghold in our lives and render us ineffective for Christ. And what better way to do this than by guilt?  But wait, what is the good news anyway?  The Good News is that we were found guilty, but Jesus rendered that verdict innocent by His death on the cross.  So the next time you feel guilty, read this scripture that you have posted on your bathroom mirror (Colossians 2:13-15) and understand that as believers, we have this confidence that God has taken away our guilt “once for all.” Therefore, if we allow guilt to be our guide, then we are abdicating the gift that God gave us through the sacrifice of His son. Moreover, it is the love of Christ that should “compel” us, not guilt.  If we falter or sin or fall short on some of our responsibilities as Christians, than let’s acknowledge the conviction and counsel of the Holy Spirit in our life when we feel sorrowful for that and so repent, and so be renewed with passion and purpose.  In other words, move on and do the “next right thing.”  But don’t allow guilt to be the one that prevails.  Don’t give Satan such a stronghold. Colossians 2:13-15 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
——————–

 “Dead Giveaways”

In Germany, you can often spot an American in an instant.  Here are a few “dead giveaways” that you are an American.   
1 You are standing at the check out counter waiting for someone to bag your groceries.
2 You are studying the chained grocery carts trying to find where to put your euro to release one of them.
3 You have your American dollars mixed in with your Euro dollars and your American coins mixed in with your Euro coins.
4 You don’t drive your bike. You ride it. And you don’t ride it everywhere. Mostly you take the car. 
5 You drive a Honda Odyssey Mini Van.
6 You drive a Honda Odyssey Mini Van with an OU Sooner sticker on the window. (My husband says I am an easy target.)
7    You leave a big tip.
8    You use your turn single to enter a roundabout, but fail to use them when exiting the roundabouts.
9   You have on average, 8 yellow bags of trash for pick-up on yellow bag day, and your German neighbors have only 2 or 3.  
10  You open your mouth and speak.

I didn’t even get into how we dress, drive, or shop. I love the humor in this. I have mostly enjoyed this clashing of cultures. It has taught me much and stretched me spiritually and mentally. But as I thought about this, I wondered am I a dead give away for a Christian?  What would that list look like?   Here are a few thoughts.  Servant, generous, thoughtful, shows interest in others, giving of your time, a picture of peace in chaos, friendly driver, not a gossip, mostly optimistic, Godly speech, a sense of Godly priorities, conviction and passion for God and His Word, repentant, humble, able to say “I’m sorry,”  trusting of God.  
Galations 5 outlines for us the “fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  These are DEAD GIVEAWAYS for spotting a Christian. “Dead Giveaway Christians” are always pointing people to Christ whether they say it out loud or not. Their lifestyle and habits will preempt any words from their mouth. If this is true, then it only follows that our lifestyle and habits can also negate our words or affirm them. 

I was especially convicted in two areas during the series “The Vow,”  (Lifechurch.tv)  1 For true intimacy to happen between me and my husband, I must trust God to trust him (Paul) with secrets, hopes, fears, anger, joy, everything!  In the same way for us to have intimate friendships, we must trust God to enable us to trust others.  The second thing I was convicted of during this series, was “act like a Christian.”  These days, it is often the case that the word Christian conjures up so many negative thoughts, stereotypes, and preexisting secular images and ideas, and not all very appealing or complimentary.  But the truth is “Christian” is a very scriptural word first used at Antioch. (Acts 11:25-27) Personally, when I think of “Christian,” I think of “Christ like.”  Maybe it is time, we started showing the world the true definition of Christian. Are you and I a “dead giveaway?”