I apologize for this message being late, but our power was off all day and evening Friday!
TGIF
This past week Cindy and I were in Washington DC to visit Shelli and her family. When my son-in-law Will came home for dinner the day we arrived, he told me about two books he was currently reading. He thought I might be interested in the topics so he showed me where they were so I could check them out if I had time during my visit.
The next morning Will was already gone to work when I got up. Shelli and Cindy left about 8 AM to take their girls to school, and they also took the family dog, Gus, along as he was scheduled for a grooming day. So I found that I had the entire house to myself, which is very unusual as the house is usually bustling with activity and much sound! I decided this would be a great time to check out the books Will mentioned to me, and I am so glad that I did.
I ended up choosing the shorter book because I realized I could read it more quickly, and determine if it needed more study, or that I should also check out the second book. The title of the book I read is Grounded in God and the authors are Suzanne Farnham, Stephanie A. Hull, and R. Taylor McLean, published in 1996. The book begins God knows our deepest potential, sees the hidden complexities of our circumstances, comprehends our situation in relation to the broader picture, and grasps the broader implications of our plans. Discernment is our effort to tap into the flow of this divine wisdom.
Discernment is defined simply as the ability to judge well. Its Christian definition is more specific as perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding. The book continues In classical spirituality, discernment means distinguishing God’s Spirit from other spirits that are present in a given time and place – such as the spirit of a nation, the spirit of the times, the spirit of competition. To put it another way, discernment is distinguishing the voice of God from other voices that speak to us: the voice of our parents echoing from years past, the voices of friends, voices of urgency or fear. These voices are neither bad nor good in and of themselves. God often speaks to us through them. But, if followed indiscriminately, such voices can dominate us and lead us along a wrong path.
Discernment is a prayerful, informed, and intentional attempt to sort through these voices to get in touch with God’s Spirit at work in a situation and to develop a sense of the direction in which the Spirit is leading. Discernment is more a journey than a direction. We may not find answers for all our concerns, but we can be receptive to God’s presence as we ponder the questions. Discernment is central to doing God’s work. To serve God, we must constantly be alert to the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Without God, we can do nothing.
John 15:5 – Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
Indeed, since Tina and I began sharing our messages with you all in 2020, our country and the entire world has changed a lot, and not necessarily for the better. It began with COVID, and has continued since with additional challenges from social media platforms espousing hate and anger too often and also our economy placing financial strains impacting many families due to inflation that have led many people to have more fear, anxiety, and mental strain in their personal lives. Please see my most recent messages from September 6 and 13 on our need to love others contrasted with the many challenges in our lives today. I do know today that I need continued guidance in my Godly discernment.
Note that this book focuses more on group discernment and is more focused on church leadership, for example, and how to always seek God’s will for the church instead of our personal desires. However, I also believe for a group to reach consensus on living God’s will for their church, each individual in the group must also have their own personal Godly perspective growth.
An essential question for us is whether we are trying to impose our will on God, or are we accepting God’s will for us??????? I will follow up more on this topic next week, and possibly for a few more weeks.
Cindy and I will be out of town again the next 2 weeks in DC, but I will try and send my TGIF messages while I am gone. If I am successful, you will receive them. Otherwise, I will have to hold them to send until I return home in two weeks.