Lesson Two: Discernment
Devotion #1: Honoring God
Pastor Caleb Combs
It has rightly been said, “A smart person knows what to say, but a wise person knows whether or not to say it.” Knowing whether to speak about a situation or someone’s life is extremely difficult. Whether you enjoy dabbling in others’ affairs or like staying in your own lane, using discernment is extremely important and God-honoring. Webster defines the word discernment as the ability to judge well. I enjoyed Wikipedia’s definition of discernment as it reads, “The ability to perceive, understand, and judge things clearly, especially those that are not obvious or straightforward.”
In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus is preaching in the closing moments of the greatest sermon ever spoken, the Sermon on the Mount. He magnificently teaches the spiritual as well as practical aspects of how we are to live. In Matthew 7:6, He says, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”First of all, for all the dog lovers, Jesus is not attacking dogs here. Instead, He is directly addressing this concept of discernment, specifically dealing with when to speak the Gospel or the things of God. Having the ability to assess a situation, knowing when and what to say, and not wasting words, is an important skill to learn.
Christians have oftentimes earned a bad rap for this. A few years ago, my son and I were in San Diego for a few days. I had just finished speaking at a camp, and we decided we would spend a few days in the city exploring and taking in the sites. This was both a great and terrible decision as I did not look into what was happening in the city. Every year, Comic Con invades the city of San Diego, and millions of people from around the world come to explore the exhibits, presentations, and movie previews. We were smack dab in the center of this craziness for a few days. I wish I could show you pictures of some of the costumes! As my son and I explored the city and traversed through this mass of people, we came across a mob of people yelling at one another. My instincts were to draw closer to see what was going on (which was probably bad discernment, now that I think about it). To my amazement, many of this group were “Christians” with signs yelling and screaming at attendees of the event. Their signs had verses and different biblical slogans printed or written on them, but their delivery was awful. I began to see them attack people in the crowd verbally, and the crowd responded. Back and forth they went, and the message they were attempting to communicate was lost. I remember telling my son that I think they would have had more success if they had set up a food stand for free. It is the classic phrase, “You catch more bees with honey than vinegar.”
While I am all for truth and standing on it, Jesus directly speaks to this topic in Matthew 7:6 when He encourages believers to think before speaking into a situation. Do not waste words by speaking them to someone who is against you when it will only exacerbate the situation or person. Now, I know for many of us, discernment with when to speak and not to speak is a struggle. Trust me, my hand is up, and I get myself in more trouble than I would like with my mouth. James 1:5 tells us to go to God and ask him for wisdom. It says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
So, whether you are dealing with a coworker, friend, sibling, or neighbor, think to yourself, “How am I saying this? How are they hearing this? How is my heart when communicating this message.” Most importantly, we need to ask, “Does this honor God and advance the message of the Gospel?” In all situations, seek God before speaking and ask Him to give you the correct words to speak or not speak. Paul’s prayer for the church of Philippi is so relevant to the church today, and we would do well to keep it fresh in our minds!
Philippians 1:9-11 says, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so 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.”