The Overwhelming Importance of Discernment in a Believer’s Life!

29 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Philippians 1:9.        And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment);

Ah friends, sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella went to bed pretty late this morning and the lulling qualities of the early morning rain kept him abed longer than expected. (smile) Yes, at long last we’ve been blessed with some rain! The sun’s not shining, apparently it’s gone on vacation after such a long spell with us, leaving the day cloudy and dark, as the trees finally grasp that autumn’s truly here and quickly begin shedding their leaves, in preparation for a long, cold, lonely winter. 

And I guess we humans should also start preparing for that eventual season. (smile) But today, we won’t worry about winter, for we have the goodness and mercy of God to see us through anything. However, we want to share an interesting prayer from a Pamphlet put out by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, called ‘Prayers through the Ages,’ highlighting prayers that our ancestors have offered up during the earlier days of Christianity. Today’s prayer comes from the medieval era, from German-Dutch Catholic canon Thomas à Kempis, (1380-1471). 

So please pray with me: ‘Grant to me, O Lord, to know what is worth knowing, to LOVE what is worth LOVING, To praise what delights you most, To value what is precious to you, And to reject whatever is evil in your eyes. Give me true discernment, so that I may judge rightly between things that differ. Above all, may I search out and do what is pleasing to you; Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.’ Now, that’s a simple, but very thoughtful prayer, seeking to know and do what pleases our God; in other words, seeking that most important lesson of discernment, which so many of us so badly need but sadly lack in these turbulent and ungodly times. 

Yes my fellow believers, with all the mind boggling information floating around today, it’s difficult to know what is true and what’s not, as well as what is right and what’s wrong, and the only place to find that discernment is through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, who keeps reminding us that ‘I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) That means to ever access the things of heaven here on earth, and heaven itself eventually, one must go through Jesus Christ. 

And this quote from Thomas à Kempis puts those words of Jesus in a most interesting light. He says: ‘Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.’ And that’s the awesome truth! If you don’t know the way to go, you cannot go. Likewise, if you don’t know the truth, you don’t really know anything; and if there’s no life, then obviously there cannot be any living! And that’s why discernment is so very important in this evil and topsy-turvy world. 

And what’s discernment, you ask? In it’s most basic form, discernment, in Biblical parlance, is the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, and to make wise and spiritually sound decisions. And there are many scriptures which deal with this most important subject, that’s possibly a blend between wisdom and understanding. But before we get into some scriptures on the subject of discernment, here is some interesting info on wisdom and understanding that I have written down, gotten from where I don’t remember, (smile) but which does enlighten us on those two important topics. 

It says: ‘Understanding is based on the acquisition of knowledge. Wisdom is an applying process. Understanding tells us what’s happening. Wisdom tells us why it’s happening. Understanding gives us the facts. Wisdom tells us what to do with those facts, what solution is best to pursue.’  And though that sounds somewhat confusing, if you spend a few moments and think about it, you’ll find that it’s all absolutely true; wisdom and understanding allows us to collect the facts of a situation, then make the wisest decision based on those facts. 

Now let’s look a few scriptures that preach or teach discernment. And I guess the best one comes from Cousin Sol’s famous words in Proverbs, that we all know, but don’t always put into practice. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.’ (Prov. 3:5-7) That’s the best way to get discernment my people! Totally trusting God and turning to Him in every matter, on every occasion, is the surest way to know what decisions to make.  

Then in 1 Corinthians, Bruh Paul writes: ‘But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.’ (1 Cor. 2:14-16) In other words, the Holy Spirit, which indwells all believers, is the One who gives believers the ability to discern spiritual truths, whereby we can know truth from lies and right from wrong. However, the unbeliever cannot discern spiritual things, because they don’t have the Holy Spirit indwelling them. 

Meanwhile, to the Philippians, Bruh Paul writes it thus: ‘And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment); That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil. 1:9-11) And as the scholars explain, that basically means Bruh Paul ‘hopes that as the Philippians LOVE increases in knowledge and discernment (vs. 9) they will be able to accurately distinguish the vital and worthwhile things in life from those that are not.’ 

Another commentary explains: ‘Here, discernment is linked to LOVE, knowledge, and pursuing what is morally excellent.’ And that’s exactly what Jesus expects from all of His followers. And we’ll close with this last quote from Christ Himself on the travails of discipleship. ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore as wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent ) as doves.’ (Matt. 10:16) The scholars tell us, that means ‘a cautious wisdom was necessary in order to deal with the fierce opposition that the disciples would face.’ 

And the truth is that we’re still facing fierce opposition as we work for Christ, but we do have the tools to handle it, if we pick them up and use it. That’s where our problem lies; not using the tools we have. Anyway, let’s hope that what we’ve said to day will give us a wake up call and get us going in the right direction, with diligence and steadfast faith. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now, we are duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…without discernment from the Holy Spirit…one cannot live a successful Christian life…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 July 2020 Philippians 1:10.

04 Jul 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Philippians 1:10.     ​That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. 
 

Another glorious summer’s day has dawned in my area as we wish a Happy 4th of July to the U.S. of A! Let’s hope and pray that they will celebrate it in a safe and responsible manner and not foolishly increase the problems they are already experiencing. But as they say, a people without proper direction is doomed from the start, and furthermore, you get the kind of government you deserve. 

Nuff said. It’s Saturday, so let’s turn to those quotes of our friend Anselm which so many of you anxiously wait for all week. (smile) Let’s see what words of wisdom he has imparted this week as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And I think this first one is boss: ‘If you define the problem correctly, you almost have the solution.’ Although I wouldn’t go as far as to say that you have the solution, but you are definitely on the right track, for how can you solve a problem if you don’t know what it really is eh? 

And sadly, that’s where so many of us go wrong in these dangerous times; we set out to solve the problem without first considering its true aspects. Contrary to popular opinion, problems are like pains, they might seem to be coming from one spot, but are actually being caused by something in an entirely different spot. So please, let’s analyze our problems fully before we begin to solve them nuh. That’s wisdom for all the ages! 

Then there’s this: ‘Before you say you can’t do something…TRY IT.’ Now that’s also a useful behaviour. In these times of much laziness and entitlement, we’re quick to say we can’t do things without even considering them properly. And ofttimes all we need to do is apply a li’l elbow grease, or even some blood, sweat and tears. But who knows, or even cares about those nowadays eh? Not a whole lot of us! And it looks so bad on us believers when we just wave away actions because they seem difficult, especially when we like to spout about how we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! 

Hn! With Christ in the picture, everything is possible, so we ought to shy away from stuff until we at least try them! That means this next quote is also important. ‘A relentless barrage of “why’s” is the best way to prepare your mind to pierce the clouded veil of thinking caused by the status quo. Use it often.’ I don’t know about ‘a relentless barrage,’ but we must always ask ‘why’ and ‘why not?’ Because that’s the easiest and best way to find out answers to our questions. 

The human mind must always be searching, always be reaching for higher levels, that’s how we advance our civilization. And a mind that is not constantly searching and growing, regardless of the body’s age, is one that is figuratively dead and dying, since it’s not being challenged. 

Yes, from the days of Adam and Eve, the status quo has been challenged by those small but rather powerful words, ‘why’ and ‘why not.’ That’s what Eve asked: ‘Why can’t we eat from the tree of life?’ And you know what happened after; the bottom fell out of the basket. That’s why it’s also important to consider who we ask those questions of, and seriously consider their answers, because we can easily get into a whole heap of trouble otherwise, just like Eve did. (smile) 

Now I don’t know what our friend Anselm is trying to do to me with this next quote nuh. ‘The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they’re mutually reinforcing.’ It might just be a bit too cerebral and philosophical for me. (smile) 

So let’s see. What I believe he’s saying is that one needs a strategic direction in one’s life, or whatever one is doing. That’s knowing where you’re going, or want to go, on a particular project, or over the long haul, but then as you grow and move in that strategic direction, you must also improve on how you do things. 

As we were saying above, the human mind must always be in a challenged mode for it to improve. And contrary to what some might believe, having a strategic direction and improving as you go along are not inconsistent desires, but actually complement each other. And that’s certainly true! It’s all about making good plans whether it be for a single project or for our lives, and improving them as we go along. You have to know where you want to go, and how you’re going to get there, before you embark on your journey. 

And that brings us to this last and most important quote: ‘Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.’ Oh my people, how I wish that that quote could enter the minds of our entire world today, because quality, in almost everything, has taken a marked decline down through the years. 

At one point things were built to last, but today they’re built to fall apart quickly so you need to buy a new one in a relatively short space of time. And even the more expensive stuff that’s supposed to be of better quality doesn’t always hold true to Confucius’ maxim: ‘cheap thing no good, and good thing no cheap.’ (smile) 

But friends, as true believers in Christ Jesus, that’s exactly what’s expected of us’ sincere efforts along with diligence and excellence of product, whatever it may be. Christ doesn’t do cheap and shoddy stuff! And Bruh Paul said it in so many words to the Philippian church. ‘And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil. 1:9-11) 

Yes friends, as believers we must think of things that really matter and do things in an excellent manner, for that is Jesus’ desire for His followers. And later on in his letter to the church at Philippi, Bruh Paul qualified it with these awesome words. ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things.’ (Phil.4:8) 

I could not put it any better my people. So in these dangerous and uncertain times let’s get to practicing that kind of stuff nuh, it’s what is expected of us. Much LOVE!

…to follow Jesus…diligence and excellence…must be at the top of your list…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 November 2015 2 Peter 1:8‏

06 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Peter 1:8. For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Aye Friends, as I was walking down the street just now, on this wet and windy November morn, this is the chorus I heard emanating from within the confines of a small business place on the corner. 

‘Thank God is Friday… We going out and party tonight! Thank God is Friday… We going to have a good time! Thank God is Friday… We not going home till morning come…Thank God is Friday… We going to sleep out the whole of Saturday… Thank God is Friday yes!’  

Hn, hn! Don’t laugh Friends, because that’s what a lot of us do. We party on Friday, then sleep away Saturday, or party on Saturday then sleep away Sunday. Some of us even party all weekend then can’t get up to go to work on Monday and complain about how the job is interfering with our lives, when the problem is that we overdid it. 

Anyway, there’s no explaining human nature, so let’s just chant our Friday Chant and try to get a better perspective on it all. Chanting: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

Yes my people, that is a much better way to handle the short two days off from our jobs. It calls for a balanced schedule of fun, relaxation, worship and fellowship. Bringing balance to our lives is the only way that we can successfully live this earthly pilgrimage. 

But Lucifer and his evil cohorts do their best to make us lose that sense of balance, because they know that then we are particularly vulnerable to their wiles and lies. So having balance is not only a sensible physical thing, but also a spiritual necessity. 

Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 

Ah mih people, we saw yesterday from Aristotle’s quote, that excellence is a habit, and if it’s one thing Jesus desires from ALL of His followers is excellence. And as Peter told us yesterday we have already been filled with all the things we need to be excellent followers of Jesus, we just have to work diligently at it. 

We need to diligently combine our faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance (self-control), patience (perseverance), godliness, brotherly kindness and charity (LOVE) into one effective whole. For as our Bit tells us, if those things abound in us, then we won’t be useless or unfruitful. 

Remember Jesus said by our fruits we shall be known. (Mat.7:16) And we can only bring forth good fruits if we have good things within us, and we work diligently at them. 

Now let’s look at a few scriptures that deal with excellence. First up is that well known passage from Psalm 36 – The steadfast LOVE of God – where Bruh David proudly proclaims: ‘How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.’ (Ps.36:7)  

Then Cousin Sol tells us in Proverbs 17: ‘Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.’ (Prov.17:7) And remember Friends, as believers, we are of the royal household of Christ, which means we are all princes and princesses, thus only excellence becomes us. 

And the prophet Isaiah when talking about Jerusalem being warned, boldly declares: ‘This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working (guidance).’ 

Yes my brethren, if we truly study our wonderful and omnipotent God, we’ll discover that ALL He does or says is excellent. Excellence is His middle name! 

And Bruh Paul, when talking to the Philippians about thanksgiving and prayer, says it thus: ‘And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment); That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil.1:9-11). 

And we’ll end with explanations of those two last verses from the scholars. ‘1:10. Things that are excellent means “things that really matter.” This refers to important issues. As the Philippians LOVE increases in knowledge and discernment (v.9), they will be able to accurately distinguish the vital and worthwhile things in life from those that are not. 

Contextually, the readers’ LOVE for Paul vexes them as they are anxious over his imprisonment. He wants them to perceive his imprisonment as being among those “things that really matter” because of the good that God will bring out of it. The purpose for such discrimination is that ye may be sincere (or, morally pure) and without offense till the day of Christ.’ 

‘1:11. This verse could be translated, “filled with the fruit that is righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ for the purpose of glorifying and praising God.” The believer who is pure and without offense before God (v.10) has divinely developed in him a practical “righteousness” or daily moral life that measures up to God’s standards in character and conduct. The ultimate purpose for this “righteousness” is to glorify God.’ 

So my fellow believers, let’s try and put all that we have heard into practice today nuh, obviously with God’s help, so that we truly be worthy of the name, ‘children of God.’ Much LOVE!

…the three most important words in Christianity…excellence…excellence…excellence… (smile)