Godly Discernment

Psalm 119:125 - "I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes."

When I was in high school, Bob Whitney, who was the senior pastor at Fox Valley Bible Church (my home church), preached a sermon that forever changed my life. It was entiled, Making Those Tough Decisions. I remember listening as he preached and thinking that God was speaking directly through Bob to me. After the service was over I ordered a cassette tape of that message.

I was looking through some old boxes the other day and saw that cassette. It brought back some good memories. Why? Because in the span of a few years I would choose the college that I would attend, what I would major in, and who I would marry.

I'd love to tell you that I remember all of the points of Bob's message. I don't. I remember that he talked about prayer, reading the Bible, and the importance of Christian friends.

In today's verse, David talkes about discernment. How do you make life's toughest decisions? How do you discern between right and wrong? If God isn't a part of it, your decisions will not be the best. God wants to be a part of the process. We have the ability to choose the opposite of what God wants us to do, and to be fair, every one of us would have to admit that we have done that way too many times. Let Christ be a part of your decision making process.

In James 5:5-8 we read, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

Dear God,

Thank You for the discernment that You offer us. You are the source of truth. Help us to remember to heed Your words and wisdom, and to follow Your path.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.