To Keep the Conscience Clean

            Years ago, a columnist for the Dallas Morning News wrote a column featuring some of the most popular cleaning agents of the era. It was a gag about the importance of attending church, and it generated a not of reader response. I am warning you, the following is very punny:

            Are you soft soaping God about your Texsize problem? Duz you drift along with the Tide?  Though you can Cheer up and a have real Joy, the Dove of peace is sending an SOS to all. 

            The trend is to Breeze to church regularly on Sunday morning. But too many Woodbury their heads in a pillow. 

            Or work in the yard like Handy Andy.  Forgetting that the Lord's Day was made for Lesstoil.  Don't trust your Lux.  Or wait for us to Dial you up. To remind you of those Ivory palaces.

            This is not just idle Babble. Worship will add to your Lifeboy.  So Wisk yourself out of bed, Sunday. Dress up Spic and Span. Dash like a Comet to God's house.  You'll feel as Fantastic as Irish Spring and you'll have new Zest and Pride of conscious.  If you'll keep this Pledge, you too can be Mr. Clean.

            I’m all for attending church, but as a response of gratitude to the saving work of Jesus. That is the secret to a clean conscience.

Hebrews 9:14--How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

       

            

Conscience

Can one person make a difference? Biblical commentator, James Boice, wrote of one who did.

In 1983, Jack Eckerd, owner of the ECKERD drugstore chain, offered his life to Christ. As a result, he became convicted that his drugstores' offering PLAYBOY and PENHOUSE magazines for sale brought God no glory.

Eckerd phoned his company’s president and informed him he desired to remove any pornographic magazines from the more than seventeen hundred Eckerd drugstores.

This information did not set well with the president. ECKERD drugstores made millions of dollars off of the sales of these magazines. However, since Eckerd owned the stores, he held the ultimate authority.

Interestingly enough, Jack Eckerd’s decision was like a stone thrown into a calm pond—it created ripples. Many other stores followed ECKERD’s lead, culminating with mighty 7-Eleven, who in1986 finally removed pornography from all 4500 of its stores.

This titanic impact was made in our American culture without the passing of a single law. One man made a difference because his conscience spoke to him.