Let’s talk about discernment. It’s a pretty doggone big word… one of them “church words” that people use to sound smart. In a nutshell, it basically means having an ability to be of good judgement. It’s about a person’s ability to obtain spiritual direction and understanding.
I like to say discernment is about knowing and applying God’s wisdom and favor.
Wisdom and favor are blessings from God that are often misunderstood and/or neglected. We sometimes get caught up in moments or get so overwhelmed by the stresses of living that we forget to rely upon the wisdom, so we act irrational. We forget that we are living in God’s favor – that we already have it and it’s not going to leave us.
We need to pause, remember we have God’s favor and then ask, “what is the right Christian response to this situation?”
Seeking and receiving God’s wisdom and favor is our current topic in our Year of Listening Up. It’s an interesting one because wisdom and favor are two very different things, but they are very interrelated when it comes to discernment. To help further that wisdom and understanding of his favor, here are 7 posts from some other bloggers on the topic.
7 Posts About Discernemnt through God’s Wisdom and Favor
Augustine’s 7 Steps To Wisdom – Joel Muddamalle; Joel’s Travels. This may be the best post I have read all year. Of course, anything that discusses Augustine’s teachings is bound to be good. Still, as Muddamalle points out, “Augustine took great care to write about wisdom in a way that would be of use for those that God called to his care.” And he seeks to point us toward wisdom using context of the Gospel and scripture. He retraces the manner in which Augustine breaks down the seven steps of wisdom in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: First Series, Volume II St. Augustine: City of God, Christian Doctrine.
Empty in Ourselves – Traci Frees; Words of God’s Wisdom. Frees muses on A.w. Tozer about what it means to be a vessel of purpose for God by giving up the practice of trying to put God in a box or giving God our orders.
Finish Well – Crystal McDowell; Daughters of the Creator. In this post, McDowell uses James 1:5 to remind us that we are to seek God’s wisdom in our work. That proper understanding of what is at hand is what allows us to see our work through to the end. This should go for all tasks – big or small – to help us broaden our understanding of the bigger picture for which we are called.
Seeking God’s Wisdom and Favor in our Lives is this month’s Year of Listening Up Topic. It’s about discernment. God’s favor is already among us. His wisdom is heard and heeded in the nitty gritty of real life. It speaks in this very moment.
[W]isdom seeks to be heard and heeded in the nitty gritty of real life. Wisdom speaks in this very moment.
God’s Favor, Not Vengeance – Greg Boyd; ReKnew. In this magnificent post, Boyd explains that Christ ushered with him the “year of Jubilee.” It was a ministry to erase debts and begin anew. One without judgement. In it, we are all in His favor. There’s no distinction between rich and poor, free or slave. The able bodied are on even ground with the disabled beggars. “In this epoch, Jesus is revealing, God’s favor is toward everyone—even the enemies of those who consider themselves righteous. In this epoch, God’s reign is marked by acceptance, not rejection.”
God’s Favor – Janet Scott; Chocolate & God. In this encouraging short post, Scott uses the faithfulness of Joseph to show that even when it seems like we are not in God’s favor, we indeed are in God’s favor. She encourages us not to miss seeing how God shows His favor as we walk through trials and are faithful to Him. Don’t all circumstances to blind you.
Ignoring God’s Favor + Lovely Link Up – Rhiannon; Whatsoever is Lovely Living. Rhiannon asks an important question – why do we ignore God’s favor in our lives? She looks at the favor God displayed on the Israelite people after delivering them from Egypt. Despite blessings, they complained and “worshiped where they had been instead of where God was taking them.”