Obedience might seem unnatural!

As hard to read as this Charnock fellow is, and as old as his book is (over 300 years), God can still use Him to hit issues that are right in my lap. I’ve a problem with a bitter person. What can I do to help this person see and resolve this deep and debilitating problem?

Charnock warns that we should not act in accordance with whatever is agreeable to our natural or moral selves. His examples include people who avoid excess in drink, not because God says they should, but because it is a blemish to their reputation and hard on their health. He says someone may be generous to the poor, not because God commands it, but because it feels noble. He says if we live like this, then when a command go against our natural inclinations, we will just as easily disobey it.

When I observe someone unhappy in life my natural inclination flows out of my teaching gift. Teachers want people to think correctly. We assume that if their theology is right and they are focused on truth, then they will not be messed up by the stuff that life throws at them. For teachers, the key to happiness is knowing and thinking biblically.

While this smacks of idealism, there is a reality there too. However, God gives His people other gifts — for good reason. The exercise of those gifts might be more suitable in some situations. A person gifted in showing compassion person wants others to feel right, or be in right relationships. An encourager wants them to think ahead, keep their eyes on the future. So when someone is struggling with bitterness, they may not need a lesson or discussion designed to correct their thinking, but a hug, a listening ear, or help with plans to move beyond their bitterness.

While my gift (apart from any leading of God to so use it) tends to try and talk people out of their negative thought patterns, I realize these efforts have not made a dent in this person’s bitterness. She continues to rage against supposed critics. This is one situation my “natural inclination” has not resolved.

Charnock urges me to obey God. So what does God tell me to do? Right now I'm not sure if He wants me to do anything, but if He does ask for action, Charnock says that I must obey Him — even if what He asks goes against what makes sense to me.