Soul... "Smug, complacent, and judgmental"

The last thing in the world I want to be is smug, complacent, or judgmental. How can I be any one of those things and not be dishonorable before God? (Notice I did NOT say dishonorable TO God, for God can not and will not be dishonored, despite the best efforts of demons and men.)

Yet those of us who hunger and thirst after God, and so seek to be firmly-grounded, God-focused, and holy are often accused of these very things. It is therefore worthwile to examine each of these accusations in turn.

As is always the case in doctrinal discussions, we must begin by thrusting aside the emotional psycho-babble that permeates society, and look at these things in the clear light of scripture. We must always be on guard as well not to become stodgy, sour-faced Christians, for we have been blessed with true hope and true joy. However, this too will sometimes be misunderstood by the world, for we are admonished to be sober and purposeful (God is not glorified by foolishness!). As A.W. Tozer wrote in Pursuit of God, ours is the triumphant joy of the gulag (Communist prison), not the giddiness of an ignorant fool.

(to be continued...)