I have just attended a seminar on pastoral counselling conducted by a brother from the West. Those who attended, presumably, do care for those they meet within their social circles. Our overseas brethren are kind to clarify to us the differences between secular and biblical counselling. However, come to think of it, this concept may not apply wholesale to Asian seekers of the truth. Why is this so?

For most Asians, the difference is not between what is secular and what is biblical, BUT what is biblical and non-biblical. Malaysia, for example, is not secular at all, in the depth of her being. Most people accept the existence of a deity or deities. Our Muslim friends believe in Allah, our Hindu friends are pantheists, and our Buddhist friends believe in living the right way in order to escape evil and repeated suffering. Therefore, the people that we hope to counsel come from a wide range of presuppositions, not just from a background of creation versus evolution that was a result of the Age of Enlightenment in the Western world.

O Master, please grant us wisdom to discern our counsellees' background and help them see Your answers through their eyes. Help them to find the truth about God, man and everything that You have made, I pray.

For Meditation and Prayer:
Joshua 24:14-27; James 1:5-6; Ezekiel 34:27