Discernment

I've spoken a lot lately on the notion of judging others and how only the Righteous Judge--our Lord--is qualified for that role. But what about making value judgments? Is Matthew 7 telling us not to judge when we have an important decision to make? Should we not consider character when we choose to place a certain trust in an individual? What about those of us who earn a living in the marketplace by making decisions?

As God's men, what we need is discernment. By definition, discernment is the ability to distinguish or differentiate between two or more courses of action to make the right decision. Paul makes it very clear in Hebrews 5:14 how important this is when he talks about spiritual maturity: But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. The solid food that Paul referred to--the diet that brings us discernment and spiritual strength--is the Word of God. Spiritual immaturity, or lack of discernment, is caused by not listening to biblical truth (v.11), not understanding the basic principles of Scripture (v.12) and being unskilled in the practical life application of His Word (v.13).

When Paul prayed for the church in Philippi, he prayed that the believers' love would abound with knowledge and discernment (v. 1:9). When Solomon prayed for wisdom in leading the nation of Israel, God gave him both wisdom and understanding (1 Kings 4:29). James 1:5 is our promise that if we lack wisdom, God will generously provide it to us without finding fault. Bottom line: God expects us to use our brains to make wise decisions--decisions that are passed through the filter of His truth. Time to feast!