Discernment

One week ago I started (this is my third journey) reading again my favorite non-scripture book, Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth I have a pretty set routine for this endeavor. I read a chapter a week, several times, to ingrain the ideas that Foster finds important.

Chapter one really doesn't deal with any of the disciplines per se, but with the concept of embracing the disciplines. One of the cautions here is that spiritual disciplines are "a wonderful handmaiden, and a terrible taskmaster." The disciplines are intended to open us up to God's inspection, to develop an attitude of humble pursuit, to shine the light of God's right-ness into the dark crevasses of our souls and lives. But when the disciplines become too legal, too hard-edged, when we begin to impose them on others, then it becomes a burden too heavy to bear. I wrote in an earlier blog that I tend to drift in 3 year increments. Perhaps it is because I begin to use the disciplines as a crutch and a hammer, rather than a opportunity to reconnect, to grow.

The first paragraph sums up what I feel is the greatest need in the Kingdom today:

"Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."

We need people of discernment, not knowledge, not skill, not gifts..discernment, or wisdom as a word from another time. If the Kingdom work lacks anything, it is men and women who are wise in the ways of the heart and the heart of God. The Kingdom needs men and women who see things for what they are, not what they hoped it would be.

The problem lies within the hearts of those who do not give credence to the importance of discernment. They would rather find a quick fix, a magic bullet that will cure all that is wrong with the church and the church people. How can you tell when a community of faith is opting for the easy way out? The teaching is shallow, dispersed, broad. There is a tendency to be paper-thin and a mile wide. The leadership runs from one popular event/model/process to another. The teaching is not about the core truths, but the doctrinal distinctives (or bashing of distinctives) or popular/secular topics. We will never gain depth by studying the thoughts of men, only the thoughts of God.

So how do we identify men and women who are discerning? They can see through the popular notions and apply spiritual truth to the conversation. They are settled and, at times, slow to speak, almost ponderous in their evaluations. There is little in their nature that calls attention to their wisdom, they have learned that when the time is right, God will open a venue for them to speak his truths. Patience in the face of hurry is their MO. But when they speak, it is deep and true and honest and significant.

Do you know men and women like that? Then you have found a spiritual discipline adherent because that nature is not man's nature, it is of God.

Join me in the next 12 weeks, we will go where few venture.

Godspeed.
Don