Do No Harm

 One rule of the medical profession is "Do No Harm". This is a guiding precept that ought to govern the diagnosis and the treatment of every patient a doctor treats. So what about emotional harm? Like, when you leave a doctor's office feeling down and depressed and hopeless? If you are dealing with a life threatening illness or are in end of life protocol you expect to get troubling news and no doubt you want them to be honest with you. But in routine care of "normal" illnesses you ought to be given not just attention, but encouragement.

I wonder if the same, or a similar rule would apply in church. Do no harm. Challenge us, exhort us, confront our sins, but in the end do no harm. Preaching does not have to be hard to be effective. It's amazing how much you can do to help people while making them smile or even laugh. If they think that you love them they will accept your hard words with a smile.

Could it be that the gospel, which is good news, also ought to do no harm? Just because Jesus called the Pharisees snakes does not mean that you get to call sinners snakes or worse. Do no harm while telling people the gospel.

A heart filled with love will bend over backwards to do no harm to anyone. Just saying.