A 19-year-old girl was working in the city of Bangalore as a student counselor. Along with her boyfriend, she checked into a service apartment. Three days later she was found dead with severe stab injuries, and her body decomposed. The boyfriend had premeditated the murder and executed it. (Times of India, 26 November 2024) It is a pity to notice her untimely death. “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:20-21) Sadly, the counselor herself did not follow Godly counsel and her permissive lifestyle led her to death.
Listen:
Before giving counsel, a person must listen. Not just listen to anything and everything, but the counsel of the Lord, the Word of God. A Blessed person rejects the counsel of the wicked but meditates the Law, day and night. (Psalms 1:1-3)
Accept:
It is not enough to listen, perhaps even analyze and understand. Accepting the instruction from God as the revealed and ultimate truth is essential. Without internalizing the truth, proclaiming the truth or counseling people about the truth is not possible. This girl perhaps neither listened nor accepted the truth. Her performance in her profession was just empty words.
Purpose of God:
Counsellors are guides for people to understand the purpose of God. Human purposes and ambitions are inadequate and sometimes dangerous. The young girl without knowing God’s purpose, pursued a relationship with a man, who had evil intentions.
Blind leaders:
If the blind, who do not know the truth, leads another blind, both will fall into a pit. (Matthew 15:14) Sadly, she fell into the pit of death, which was gruesome. What will happen to her followers of her counsel and vlogs?
Godly counselors:
All disciples are called to be Godly counselors in their own context: family, neighborhood, workplace, church, community…etc. With the knowledge of God, His Word, and the truth, disciples are designed to be counselors to the world.
Am I a counselor teaching the Bible?