Abound With Spiritual Discernment

To please Jehovah, we need "discernment in all things." (2 Timothy 2:7) Avid study of the Bible and compliance with the direction of God's spirit and organization  will help us to discern what to do when we face situations that could lead us into a wrong course. For example, suppose something in the congregation is not handled as we think it should be. Spiritual discernment will help us to see that this is no reason to stop associating with Jehovah's people and to quit serving God. Think of our privilege to serve Jehovah, of the spiritual freedom  we enjoy, of the joy we can derive from our service as Kingdom proclaimers .  Spiritual discernment enables us to get the right perspective and to realize that we are  dedicated to God and should cherish  our relationship, regardless of what others do.  If there is nothing that we can do theoretically to handle a problem, we need  to wait patiently for Jehovah to remedy the situation. Instead of quitting or yielding to despair, let us "wait for God." -Psalm 42:5, 11.

Spiritual discernment helps us to remain loyal to God and his people. Paul told Christians in Philippi: "This is what I continue praying, that your love may abound yet more and more with accurate knowledge and full discernment, that you may make sure of the more important things, so that you may be flawless and not be stumbling others up to the day of Christ." (Philippians 1:9, 10) To reason properly, we  need  "accurate knowledge and full discernment."  The Greek word here rendered "discernment" denotes  "sensitive moral perception."  When we learn something, we want to perceive its relationship to God and Christ and to meditate on how it magnifies Jehovah's personality and provisions.  This enhances our discernment and our appreciation  for what Jehovah God and Jesus Christ have done for us. If we do not fully understand something, discernment will help us to realize that we  must not cast aside our faith in all the important things we have learned about God, Christ, and the divine purpose.

We will abound  with spiritual discernment if we always harmonize our thoughts and actions with God's Word.  (2 Corinthians 13:5)  Doing this is a constructive way helps us to be humble, not opinionated  and critical of others.  Discernment will help us to benefit from correction and make sure of the most important things. (Proverbs 3:7)  With a desire to please Jehovah, then, let us seek to be filled with accurate knowledge of his Word. This will enable us to discern right from wrong, determine what is truly important, and loyally cling to our precious relationship with Jehovah. All of this is possible if we incline our heart to discernment.  Yet, something else is needed. We must let discernment safeguard us. 

Next time: LET DISCERNMENT SAFEGUARD YOU

From the Watchtower magazine, 1997