Well....I got a job working in a restaurant lately, and, boy, am I out of cooking shape! Anyway, writing has been slow because Im building strength to work and still do the important stuff. FROM THE MISSION Discernment, Discretion, Integrity In life we go through each day, from one moment to the next, from one task to the next, day after day. There are things we do, say, and think which can be successful or not; perhaps we call these unsuccessful occurrences mistakes. The wise admonition for a long time now has been to “learn from our mistakes.” From whatever point of view we use, we like to think that we are mostly more successful than we are blundering from mistake to mistake. Sometimes we may feel like it has been just one long string of mistakes and the ratio of success to failure is not in our favor. Learning from mistakes is actually a good thing, and is also, actually, the only way to learn for most practical living applications. We can learn the right way without having gone through a mistake to succeed, but the learning process is so much more “full” when we see through the eyes of the opportunities that mistakes afford us. The result of this learning can be perceived as the “discernment” we need for the future. Discernment leads to more successful living, which includes the ability to see potential mistakes and be wiser in general about practical things, but more important, wiser in matters of judgment and moral decisions. Success in these higher elements of living has been called by many the quality of a person having mature “discretion.” With discernment and discretion going hand-in-hand in a practiced, reflexive lifestyle, the person living as such can be said to have “integrity.” Integrity is a quality which is honorable, amongst other desirable things, and the epitome of integrity was the Lord Jesus. Everyone has experienced these three things in good or bad ways. It is possible to be a person who can discern bad things in a life in which that ability is profitable in a bad way. Discretion can mean that a person can be trustworthy and street smart in a bad way. Integrity can also be attributed to regular reliable behavior in a life of sin amongst sinners in a sinful way. These last descriptions of discernment, discretion, and integrity may have been the type we have learned and practiced to maintain an addicted criminal life. Some people have practiced these three things in ways which are not criminal or addictive, but are at least questionable, and get under the radar of truthful upright living. The purpose of Jesus’ work here on earth is save sinners, and this is first done by being “born from above”; re-born. The dramatic way Christ describes this work, which only He does, is so dramatic because it means dying to yourself and your previous life, and then re-learning how to live the way we were created by Jesus to live. This is no minor deviation in the direction of our lives and it is my hope that we all really want a complete rebirth from the mess we have become so sick and dead in. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1Cor. 2:14 “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9:25 It has been said that; “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom 10:17 It has also occurred to some that the faith which saves humans comes with an mental understanding which does not originate in the mind first. This supernatural gift of spiritual discernment revealing that the words of Jesus are really from God, enter into the consciousness of men through a portal which they have never had before. This entry way is referred to in the Bible by God as “a heart of flesh”, as opposed to the impenetrable “heart of stone” which all people are essentially born with. Alas, many have tried, as I did in the distant past, to think their way to faith, or attempt to self-lobotomize through mental spiritual practices so that the thoughts of the spirit could take root when the mind is “cleared out.” For many of us here at the Mission these are the first breaths of true life we have ever taken. This refers to the birth into everlasting life, which is the only real life. This refers to those of us who have been contacted by the Holy Spirit and have felt God’s kindness, even in the face of our unkindness to Him, and this has led to repentance, a request for forgiveness, rebirth, regeneration, and Jesus now being our Lord and constant Savior. This can sound like so much religion to the individual who has not heard Christ’s voice and subsequently gone through the above process. Process is not a good description. Jesus’ words about it are only the adequate ones; “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24 “And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness for ones life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’ ” Luke 12:15 Once we have been given the Holy Spirit, He enables us to know this truth in the deep places which have come to life from spiritual death, from spiritual blindness, and from lack of spiritual discernment. This is a mystery, and it can only be called miraculous. How amazing it is that the Creator of the universe, in all His purity, His generous love, and His bare truth, has opened and joined together, both Himself and us, to form one new eternal human being. This is not words or a cosmic idea, but a profound spiritual and physical REALITY. To be able to know this in our spirit by faith is proof to us and to the world that this union has substance, beyond the material and the temporary. We who are born of the Spirit have discernment from God now; the mind of Christ. How perfect it would be if the Holy Spirits awakening of our life by faith in the Son of God would just immediately and completely remove all the old man, and we then leave behind our imperfections from a life of sin and unbelief like they never happened! Instant discernment! Instant discretion! Immediate integrity! Imagine that. We would change from thinking, acting and living like we do now to real pure and right “everything” about us! No more lying, stealing, lusting, anger, violence, judgment, prejudice, envy, jealousy, greed, urges, cravings, succumbing to temptation, relapsing, guilt, regret, bondage, fearfulness, unbelief; free now to live and do what is right and not even a trace of any of the past to even bother us at all. Imagine that. Sounds great. I hope it sounds great to us all! Alas, this is not the case and this wish for instant transformation is indiscreet in its laziness. As Ken graves said, “Anything which is really worth attaining to is worth hurting for (working and suffering for in endurance).” To be sure, God does so much of the work of everything in our existence that we seem spoiled and inactive compared to the work we “share” with Him in our transformation to the image of His son. It is the sharing of the work, the fellowship of the Spirit in a mutual labor of love that teaches us what God is like, and what we are supposed to be like. When we are in heaven we will not be sitting around on clouds playing harps while the Lord rubs our shoulders and brings us non-fat Bon Bons endlessly. Similarly, in this life we are not going to be idle in our hearts and minds while He unscrambles us as we wait with our I-pods on. Jesus worked, and He worked hard, for us. His discernment, integrity, and discretion were a result of a life of devotion to obedient work as a Son who knew His Father loved Him, and He loved His Father in return; loved Him by doing the will of Him who will give all the resources of the whole universe as help to the work and suffering of the surrendered Servants children. Yes, we must willfully give ourselves to the work of receiving discernment, discretion, and integrity. Work has its spiritual rewards from God. “I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. The LORD rewarded me for doing right, because of my innocence in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.” 2 Sam. 22:24-26 King David of Israel is not saying that he is perfect and deserves to be seen that way by God, and rewarded for his own personal holiness. David knows that he is “conceived in sin”, but the reward of David having a heart that loves the Lord with all he has, reaped for him the reward of faithfulness and integrity from God (not to mention so very much more). Better than that, David knows that the Lord his God sees David as innocent, blameless, holy, and totally lovable because he truly loves the Lord completely, and God’s love toward David is infinitely more important and valuable to David than absolutely anything. Do you want that kind of relationship? Are you looking for it down here? Who has that kind of love for you, down here? Think about it; divine, constant love, without change. Know anybody like that? Really? “And the Angel of the LORD said to him, ‘Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.’ ” Num. 22:32, 33 The above scripture is from the story of the prophet Balaam in the Old Testament. God used him, and it would seem not too weird to assume that, as an instrument, the Lord gave him a measure of spiritual discernment and, hopefully, the discretion to act with integrity on that discernment. Balaam’s is my story, and probably the story of practically every sinner who has ever lived. Since we are being sanctified (separated) through our cooperative work with the Holy Spirit, bit by bit, over a period of time, there is still a lot of chaff left in with the wheat; a lot of leavening we haven’t swept out of our houses; the old man still has conversations with us. This situation makes for a “mixing” of our self-desires with the discernment of what God has called us to, and that mixture is mostly less than totally surrendered, holy, and discreet obedience, which yields less than the holiest results. Integrity takes time and tons of help from the Lord, if we give it up to Him. If we love Him because He has loved us first, we want to be men of godly integrity; not proud, but happily His, and not our own. The good news is that He is so patient and always focuses on even the slightest true selfless good we determine to do for Him, no matter whether we think we succeed as we want to or not. He loves our hearts when we desire to purely love Him, and endeavor to live like it. Don’t let a self-imposed standard of perfection in learning to love God keep us from willing ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit to learn divine love. We can’t make up divine love between Jesus and ourselves. He loves to show us how; “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matt. 11:29 God is the One who calls, we may choose to respond. God chooses us first, and then we may choose Him. We accept, and then He saves us and pours and pours and pours into us. We give it up, and He does the inner changes; spiritual discernment, self-control (discretion), and eventually integrity (Christ-likeness). This continues with our regular open commitment, and we watch our freedom in this life, and the life to come, open up into wide open places; “He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” Ps. 18:19 “I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.” Ps. 118:5 It is most certainly a continuing, regular, open commitment to the Lords gift of discernment, discretion, and integrity; “Dont be fooled by those who say such things, for ‘bad company corrupts good character.’ ” 1Cor. 15:33 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Matt. 12:35 Let’s ask God to help with the strength and courage to guard our relationship with Him by keeping good company, and still not shutting off Jesus’ love for the “bad company”, whoever they may be. All men are to be afforded our agape love, our prayers, and God’s truth without our sinful condemnation. We are just men. It’s about our heart, heart, heart toward God and others. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matt. 22:37-40 “Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’ ” Job 2:3 For as much as Job is famous for going through hell on earth, we would do well to desire to be like his life of discernment, discretion, and God-approved integrity. Are we willing to let anything corrupt our relationship with Christ?
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 20:04:06 +0000
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