The Stones in David's Bag

I was listening to the former Rich Mullins sing this song how Jesus had no stones in his bag to throw at others. When it came to throwing stones, it seems the only stones Jesus threw were back at the Pharisees who were throwing their own stones.

David chose five smooth stones. His stones were for the evil giants. Those stones had been weathered over time to get off the raw edges. At times there are character flaws that need to be polished off of our life. Picking up five stones was rather prophetic in killing five other giants of Gath in David's life.(1 Samuel 21:18 -22) It's sort of neat to think of our self as as stone that God can use to throw at a giant (not at good people).

I was listening on the radio how pastors have been sued for giving bad advise. It's because some don't have a counseling degree. Most of the advise I've had was good from a pastor, but there have been times it was not good. Fortunately, when my husband and I went to our pastor for blended family advise, he told us with having only one child, he had no clue how to counsel us. He suggested we go to a professional Christian counseling so we did for one year.

Same thing happened to me when I was in an evangelistic ministry with my spouse in my 20's, I told several people I had no idea how to counsel anyone who is divorced since I was not divorced or who had the loss of a child or spouse to death, because I had not been through that battle. I could pray for them. Our advise is very limited. Some people can counsel out of their spirit, not out of the spirit of God. I don't personally like giving advise.

People come to me, including my daughters and roommate for advise on relationships, and I find it's hard to give good advise. Even though I was in a successful Christian marriage for 14 years, I don't see how I'm qualified to dish out advise. I would rather give a person a couple of "words of wisdom" or scriptures, but I'm not a licensed counselor.

My mother-in-law and mother were married over 50 years, but I found it difficult to go to them for advise, although at times I did. I found that they did not have many solutions to the problem and they were too "close" to the problem in that was her son and I was my mother's daughter. They at times side in with the party they favor.

I've gone to older widows for advise some of them moved on 11 years after the death of their spouse and some did not move on as far as get remarried, but most of the time I seek the word and the spirit of God for his advise through prayer on the people I date.

If we are busy fighting people in church, fighting our mates or fighting our families, that does not leave much energy to fight the world, the flesh and the devil. David found in even fighting Saul that he had to turn that over to God, because Saul was much like a fallen away believer, he could not take matters into his own hands.

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Galatians 5:14-15

One of the "qualifications" of correcting a person is a spirit of humility and the character trait of an elder:

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Galatians 6:1

make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philip 2:2-4

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8

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