When his buddy told him he could get two candy bars for the price of one if he put the second one in his pocket, it seemed like a good idea. But when the owner of the store asked if he was planning to pay for the candy bar in his pocket, the reality of trying to steal from the store shed new light on his decision.
The store owner proceeded to call the boy’s dad. What seemed to be a good idea at the time indeed was a bad idea with painful consequences. The lesson learned helped the boy mature with an understanding of the need to discern well between right and wrong.
And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.”’ – Acts 28:25-27. In this second week of the Pentecost challenge, we have wrapped up Acts and moved into Romans. Paul has been on quite a circuit of preaching to Gentiles and discussing the reality of Jesus with Jews in the synagogues. He has been beaten, flogged and arrested. This passage has him in Rome presenting hard truths to provide clarity for the discerning mind. Many saw clearly as Paul discussed all the prophesies Jesus fulfilled and embraced Him as the risen Lord. But many Jews’ hearts had become dull and their eyes were closed to the truth of Jesus being the Messiah. To discern well is to keep your eyes open, hear clearly and understand at the heart level. Paul addresses those that fail to discern well in Romans 1 – Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, … And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, (vs 24-25, 28). Stay grounded under the word of God and rebuke the distractions and deceptions from the evil one that can open the door to a depraved mind. Discern well and honor your Father.
There are no free candy bars in life. Discerning through the noise and distractions in this world requires grounding in His word and His love. There are 149 chapters from Acts through Jude. Accept the Pentecost challenge to read 3 chapters a day and learn to Discern Well:
- Create a consistent 30-minute window of time each day;
- Pray briefly for the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s word;
- Read three chapters of Scripture a day, starting with Acts 1, 2 & 3;
- Write down a verse or two that resonates with you;
- Close in prayer incorporating the passage written down.
Prayer guide: Father, thank You for Your word and Your love. I confess that I have failed to discern well, succumbing to temptations. Forgive me. I accept the Pentecost challenge to help me discern well through the distractions and deception the devil stirs up in this world. Grant me strength to lead by example in family by discerning well with my eyes, ears and heart tuned-in to You. That is the dad You call me to be, and that is the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father discerns well keeping his eyes, ears and heart tuned-in to the Lord.
