Have you ever rushed to judgment? I tell you not to judge at all, but the worst judgments are made in haste. Even your court system allows the accused to speak freely in their own defense. No judgment is rendered prior to this. Are you willing to engage with those who sin in different ways than you do, to hear their stories firsthand before you offer judgment? If you still cannot refrain from judgment this will at least improve your understanding. Have you heard it said that you should seek to understand before you seek to be understood? If you can do that you can also seek to understand before you condemn. Everyone you meet has a story that will break your heart.

Have you ever gone along with a  program because you were assigned to do it even though you had some nagging reservations? Don’t ignore the prompting of your conscience. People have done great evil throughout history and when called to account for it said that they were only following orders. This may have been accepted as a mitigating factor in their defense, but it is still a bad answer. You have inherent liberty by which no one can make you do anything against your will. To do something you know is wrong, even under pressure, is to sin against your conscience. It is heroic to stand against opposition and still do what you know is right.

Do you understand that humor has a basis in reality? You are amused by familiar situations presented in an absurd way. In view of this, how do you use humor? It can be used graciously to diffuse tense situations. It can also be used in a mean-spirited way to present insults that would be rude and ungracious if spoken plainly. This is an attack against which there is no defense for the one making the joke can say that he was only kidding. But this does not excuse cruel words. Have you ever done this? Search your ways, and see how you can use humor for gracious affirmation rather than veiled criticism.

I set the planets in motion around the sun in their proper orbits. Consider the one you care most about. Were the earth closer to the sun it would burn up, and if further away it would freeze. Do you see any spiritual parallel? If you are out of your proper orbit and ‘too close to the sun’ you are subject to ego inflation, on the other hand you get depressed if too far away. Celestial bodies remain in their orbits with no effort. Do you? I have assigned you an orbit of your own, and invited you to abide in me. That is to say that if you remain in the Son, you will be able to remain at the proper distance from the sun.