One of my classes requires me to practice biblical counseling by applying the Bible to one of my own sin issues. A judgmental and critical spirit is my target. The following posts are the weekly journal entries for this "project."
Saturday, September13, 2008
This morning I read Psalm 73. O, how closely the psalmist’s heart mirrors my own! “When my soul was embittered, / when I was pricked in heart, / I was brutish and ignorant; / I was like a beast toward you”. Asaph speaks of the sinfulness of the wicked. Pondering their iniquitous ways also “seemed to me a wearisome task.” But then comes the key: “until I went into the sanctuary of God; / then I discerned their end.” Here lies the beginning of a compassionate, merciful heart towards unbelievers. They are perishing! The Lord God is preparing His arsenal for those who do not repent! And were it not for Christ Jesus, who brought peace between the Lord and me, His enemy, that arsenal would be made ready for me.
So I realize one of the primary root issues of my judgmental, critical spirit is my failure to see the world and the Church as God does. Yet even with the powerful case above, I must admit the compassion is not welling up in my heart. That knowledge remains purely cognitive, not “cardiac.” How does one despise sin as an offensive act toward her God and also mourn the destiny of the sinner? And how does she monitor her judgment of the offensive, striving for an honorable heartset? There is no doubt I have planks. But I do not think that should debilitate me from exhorting my brothers and sisters. So what’s the balance?
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