Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary Definitions
Discerning: Distinguishing; seeing; discovering; knowing; judging. 2. a Having power to discern; capable of seeing, discriminating, knowing and judging; sharp-sighted; penetrating; acute; as a discerning man or mind.
Discernment, n. The act of discerning; also, the power or faculty of the mind, by which it distinguishes one thing from another, as truth from falsehood, virtue from vice; acuteness of judgement; or ideas, and their relations and tendencies. Sentence: The errors of youth often proceed from the want of discernment.
Job 34:2 –4
“Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning. For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food. Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.
Philippians 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Proverbs 9:11-12
For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
Learning to discern and make good decisions is vital to human beings. We must learn how to avoid what will harm us and make good use of what will benefit us. God has sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in us and one of the Holy Spirit’s roles is to guide us in discernment. Incorrect choices can be the unmaking of any person who is unwilling to use the discernment that is available to us through the word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Poor discernment in relationships, finances, educational choices, and a myriad of other choices we make have the power to destroy us if we are unwise. It is possible to pay a price for decades, or even to our death, if we make bad enough choices. A young person with no discernment will have great difficulty in choosing the right spouse. A family without wisdom in finances will make impulsive decisions without considering the consequences. Youths seeking to decide on a future career should employ all discernment and wisdom to determine if the career they are pursuing is going to be marketable and have sufficient longevity to make it worth their time and money.
There are just a few of the great milestones in our lives that should be approached with a sincere heart to seek out God’s will, however; once discerned, we must obey His guidance. This is discernment in action. Discernment will spare us intense grief and hardship. It’s valuable to pause and seek God’s guidance. In the Job verses above it says, “Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.” Our world is heavily influenced by social media. These verses say discern for yourself what is right and learn together what is good. Social media has become a huge influencer in many people’s lives. People are not discerning for themselves what is right. You can find someone’s answer to your problem just by checking in with your phone. But that is precisely what the bible is warning against. Quick answers are deceptive, but discernment takes time. Seek God’s wisdom by reading His word. What if we spent a small portion of the time we spend on social media, reading the Word instead?
When Paul wrote the book of Philippians he said: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Paul was praying that his friends would grow in knowledge and depth of insight, so that they could discern what is best and therefore be holy when Christ returned. He is putting a high priority on his growing church family to seek wisdom and discernment. It should always be our high priority when making decisions to pray for discernment and be willing to hear what God is saying to us. It is one thing to gain the discernment and another thing to enact the discernment. Little acts of obedience build upon each other so that we can obey more quickly as see start to see the benefits of faithful submission to our God. He is always going to lead us in the direction that is best not only for us but also for others.
Proverbs 9 says: For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. I love the straightforwardness of the Proverbs. There is very little here to get confused over. We are promised extra years to our lives if we are wise. If we are a mocker, on the other hand, there is also a promise that we will suffer alone. One way to define aa mocker is someone who has heard the word but has turned back from it to their own ways.
Following Jesus is always best for us, our friends and family. There is always a temptation to do things our own way. We can do things that seem obviously right to us at the time. But there is a slower, more thoughtful way of living. That is to take time to find wisdom in the scriptures, pray, and seek counsel from other mature believers. Seeking advice from friends who are no wiser than we are is going to provide poor results. Although, this advise is generally written to younger audiences, I know that many older people are still struggling to learn discernment. Acting impulsively, before we discern will cause us harm and generally that will cause harm and pain to the people around us as well. Becoming a person with a discerning mind is the goal. Let’s use our God-given mind, the Word and the wise people around us to learn together what is good!
Father God, entire books have been written on the topic of mastering discernment. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we can discern our days. Let us practice slowing down at life’s crossroads. Let us learn to seek your Word, your face, and the counsel of others who are wiser than us. Father, we do not wish to be a mocker who discerns your word and still pursues our own course. Let us cheerfully remember that you always have our best interests at heart and all you do is for our good. We can trust you with whatever answer the Holy Spirit has led us to. Let us not be just hearers, but also doers of your word. Help us to discern and follow you, today.
In Jesus’s Holy name we pray,
Amen
