Love With Discernment

Most of the time I love my habits and routine behaviors. Knowing that things are in the right place and that certain things will invariably occur is comforting in many situations. Inevitably every day I am faced with making decisions and forced to rely on discernment rather than routine habits. It is at these times that I can get myself into trouble. You see, discernment is the ability to accurately evaluate good and bad, or right and wrong. Sometimes I wonder why I made the wrong choice. But looking back on this particular situation, I find that I have frequently made the wrong choice in similar situations. For good discernment to grow, we must practice making the right choices. Maturity and godliness comes from righteous discernment practiced over time.

Philippians 1:9-10 says, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent.” Discernment is the ability to distinguish right from wrong and good from bad. The ability to accurately discern people and situations increases with practice. Practice discerning good and bad on a daily basis and as you mature in godliness, you will reap the benefit of making good choices.

Refuge In the Shadow of God’s Wings

Sometimes the stresses and troubles of the world become too much for us. We want to find some escape and leave it all behind. Some of us take vacations and expect to find relief, at least for a while. Some of us delve into our work or our hobbies to find escape. But once we return to “real” life, the stresses and troubles are still there. Where can we find a reliable and lasting refuge?

Psalm 36:7-8 says, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.” Out of His great love for us, God provides the only lasting and true refuge from the world’s stresses and troubles. He chooses to set a table for us to feast and drink the abundance of His delights. However, we still must choose to accept His refuge and taste of His delights on a moment by moment basis.

Redeem

When I was little I used to love to collect soft drink bottles and take them to the liquor store. At the store, they would give me money in return for the bottles. Then I would promptly spend my earnings buying candy. This process is called redemption. All of us were lost without hope, living apart from and far from God. God created the redemption process for our souls. He sacrificed His own Son, who paid the redemption price through His sacrificed life and blood. Now we can receive this redemption through trusting God with our lives and living as God’s redeemed children.

Psalm 77:13-15 says, “You way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made know your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people.” Our God is unique and cannot be matched in holiness, wonder working power, or might. He has redeemed us by paying the price for our souls and making us into His people.

Every Good Gift

At Christmas, we sit around the tree with a sense of expectation. Our hope is that we receive the gifts that we truly want and that someone else gets the socks, underwear, and ties that we don’t really care about. We are blessed when someone gives us something that meets a specific desire, especially if that desire has not been expressed. Good gifts have the power to bring us closer to each other and bring encouragement that lasts a long time.

II Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” God, through His grace, is able to give us every good gift that we have ever needed, we need now, and that we will ever need in the future. Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward us and through grace God author’s every perfect gift for us.

Quarreling

The first presidential debate will occur tonight. I don’t know what will happen, but I am sure of one thing; that is that quarreling will happen. Each candidate will levy accusations meant to demean the other candidate. Both candidates will say that they are running for the office to serve the country and bring unity. However, their words will destroy the unity that they profess to desire. Words matter. And we bear the fruit of our words.

Proverbs 18:19-20 says, “A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.” We should be careful in what we say because we bear the fruit of our words. Angry words bring forth more anger. Loving words produce loving responses.