Why we need discernmentDiscernment, having 'good judgement', comes from wisdom, which in turn comes from spending time with God. So many people today say one thing and mean something totally different. This is when discernment is required.
We need to pray and seek discernment - ask God to show us what's in a person's heart. Jesus pointed out that an apple tree will not produce oranges, nor a fig tree, grapes. "You shall know them by their fruit." He said.
We need to trust people. But we also need to be wise and discerning, because a bad deal can ruin a farmer forever and a bad accusation can destroy a marriage.
Perception is not necessarily truth. When we perceive that a person has done something wrong, for example, we have no right to accuse him or her until we've found out the truth. Perception is what we THINK the truth is, and often we find ourselves being VERY WRONG. We should rather see the fruit before we make a judgement! The Lord Himself said, "Not all who say 'Lord, Lord' will enter into the Kingdom of God, but those who do the will of my Father."
Discernment comes from God and also from experience. When I was a young man doing my agricultural training in Scotland, I loved to sit with the old farmers. In those days there were no computerised weather forecasts (I don't know if they're at all accurate even now), but because of their experience, those farmers would be able to tell what the coming season was going to be like.
Jesus said that when we see the fig tree producing new leaves, we know that spring is on its way, and similarly, when we see these signs in the world we'll know that the coming of the Lord is at hand.
We need to discern the times in which we live in order to be prepared spiritually and practically.
No comments:
Post a Comment