Grow in wisdom and discernment

We all need discernment and wisdom to live a life which is well pleasing to God. Many a times we feel like a little child, uncertain of what to do and how to act. Like the wise man Solomon, we also need to seek the will and ways of God for our life. God granted the desire of King Solomon because God was pleased with his request. God values discernment and honours those who seek after it.

Lack of discernment is proof of spiritual immaturity. In the letter to Hebrews, chapter 5 the author warns the readers against straying away from the faith. “About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:11–14).

The readers of the Letter do not have the childlike faith Jesus so values but a childish, immature faith. We live in an age where too many who profess to be Christians rarely reflect on their spiritual maturity. Many may consider spiritual immaturity a mark of authenticity, where people associate doubt with humility and assurance with pride. Far too many people consider walking on the path of truth the mark of a person who is argumentative and proud.

As followers of Christ, we must learn to differentiate between what is pleasing to God and what is not, between what is consistent with Scripture and what is not. Only as we grow in maturity are we able to differentiate between what pleases God and what does not. Discernment is the key to growth.