“Then we will no longer be immature like children” (Ephesians 4:14)
I recently had a conversation with a friend about the subject of preference verses conviction. She commented that she thought a preference is something that is a personal choice, but conviction is an absolute no-matter-what issue. I agree. Our preferences (or choices) can change as easily and as often as our physical appetites change. As a child I did not like broccoli – now I do. However, when something is a conviction it becomes an absolute to us, an issue that nothing nor no one can alter. Therefore, each of us has a responsibility before God to decide what things are a preference to us, and what things are a conviction.
One of my favorite stories in the bible that illustrates living by conviction, is the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. Joseph was probably all of 11 or 12 when his brothers decided they did not want the little squirt around and sold him to the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites decided they were not too fond of him either, so they sold him to some Midianite traders, who in turn sold him as a slave in Egypt. Once in Egypt, Joseph spent three and a half years in prison. He was eventually purchased by Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh’s guards, to be a household slave in his home. There, Joseph’s handsome looks became a temptation to Potiphar’s lustful wife. (She obviously had preferences). Now, if anyone had a right to be angry and bitter for what life had handed him, it was Joey. He could have thrown up his arms, given into the temptation, and figured he deserved a little pleasure after all the suffering he had been through. But Joseph did not do that. When faced with temptation from Mrs. P, Joseph’s response was, “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” More than betraying his boss, Joseph was concerned about betraying his God.
To me, THAT is an absolute. Something that comes from a deep conviction. An undivided, unshakable commitment to God. Joseph was going to do things God’s way, and nothing or no one was going to deter him from his devotion – no matter how seductive Mrs. P was.
Is there anything in our lives that can seduce us away from our convictions? Do our convictions align with God’s word? Are we committed to upholding the word of God in our lives, regardless of how the world tugs at our heartstrings? Are we firm in our morals and standards, no matter what the world is telling us is acceptable now? Is there anyone – family member, friend, cause, or issue that has the potential to sway our beliefs?
Paul added to his words, “then we will no longer be immature like children” in Ephesians 4 by writing, “tossed about by the waves and carried around by every whim of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.” If you have ever been out on the lake in a boat, you are keenly aware that the winds and waves can quickly take you off course. Making God’s word a preference rather than a conviction does the same thing in our spiritual life. The winds and waves of the world can drift us off our spiritual course and on to a secular profane way of thinking. I encourage each of us to make obedience to God an absolute conviction in our lives.
Darlene