Note: Devotion taken from sermon on Ecclesiastes 8:1-11.
Ecclesiastes 8:5b: “a
wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgement.”
The overall theme of Ecclesiastes 8:1-11 is that the wise man
will be a man of discernment.
One online source defines discernment, in part, as follows:
Discernment is the ability
to obtain sharp perceptions or to judge well (or the activity of so doing)…. Within
judgment, discernment involves going past the mere perception of something and
making nuanced judgments about its properties or qualities. Considered as a virtue,
a discerning individual is considered to possess wisdom,
and be of good judgement; especially so with regard to subject matter often
overlooked by others (Wikipedia!).
Biblical discernment usually involves recognizing
that what is important or valuable is not always that which immediately meets
the eye.
Think of when the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint
one of the sons of Jesse as king:
1 Samuel
16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his
countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for
the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Think of the prophesy of the
Messiah:
Isaiah
11:3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove
after the hearing of his ears:
And of John’s warning to
believers:
1 John
4:1a: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test
the spirits to see whether they are from God.
Part of gaining wisdom is gaining
discernment. Part of maturing in Christ is attaining discernment. May the Lord
give to his people the ability to exercise godly discernment.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
No comments:
Post a Comment