1 THESSALONIANS 5:19-22

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

TO PONDER:

Many of you will remember doing multiple choice questions at school. You may have four or five possible answers that you need to choose from. Some were easy to discard but normally you would come down to two - one that was correct and one that was almost right. An undiscerning mind could easily mistake the almost right one for the actual correct answer.

Discernment is really important and seems to be increasingly so. Just this morning, I have already received 3 text messages, one telling me that my order from Amazon couldn't be delivered and to click the link to get it redelivered, another from the ATO, telling me to update my details before the end of the financial year to ensure my account details were right for receiving a refund, and a third telling me that I had unpaid Tolls. Without discernment, I could easily click on a link and give access to my details to unknown persons who would use that information to scam me.

Paul is exhorting the Church to be discerning in how we live. To walk with the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit as we heard this last Sunday from Galatians. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth leads and guides us in our daily living, in walking Jesus' way. But we can douse the flames of the Spirit, we can turn off the light of the Spirit in our lives, when we hear what he says to us through his Word, when we know what he is calling us to, but we don't put into practice what the Spirit is telling us. When we refuse to live at peace with one another, when we are idle or vengeful, when we fail to worship and pray and give thanks (see verses 12-18).

So Paul encourage the Church to be discerning, to test everything against that baseline of God's Word. That our opinions, or those of others, our actions and the actions of others are evaluated against God's Word to us in the Bible. As we spend time with the Word of God and hear what God says to us. As we receive God's Word and listen to the Spirit revealing God's heart, his character and his way to us, we will not quench the Spirit, but fan into flame the Spirit in us and through us. God's Spirit will show us what is right and good and lead us into the fullness of life God desires for each of us.

How discerning are you? Another way of reflecting on that question is to ask yourself, 'How much time am I spending in God's Word and hearing from him?'

PRAYER

Spirit of truth, lead me into all truth today, that in every situation I may discern what it true and good and profitable for the only thing that matters - life with you. Amen.