Proverbs 1:32-33

“For simpletons turn away from me – to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

Several years ago a pastor at the church we used to attend shouted out to me from across the parking lot as we both were getting ready to drive home. “It sure is nice to go to bed with a clear conscience” he said, emphatically. The statement had no immediate context…but I knew in that moment that the Lord was speaking directly to me.

Have you ever struggled to sleep at night because your conscience simply would not let you? Perhaps it was something you did earlier in the day. Perhaps it was some secret sin you indulged in…again. Maybe it was some gossip you took part in or a harsh word that you never should have spoken. Maybe it was something you know you should have done…but didn’t. Maybe you let the sun go down on your anger and that put a wedge between you and the spouse that is in bed next to you.

The word simpleton is just another word for fool, and it is a central theme throughout the Proverbs. God’s ways are not complicated and His wisdom is not hard to discern. He makes them abundantly clear in Scripture and if you have been a Christian for a while, you have been exposed to them time and time again. To not know makes you ignorant. To know and then choose not to act accordingly makes you a fool.

Are you ready for a good night’s sleep? Are you ready to climb under the covers with a clear conscience? Then listen to what the Lord has taught you and obey! He has promised that you will then “live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”