“Discernment”

“And this is my prayer: that your Love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. So that you may be able to discern what is best…”

Philippians 1:9-10

Meditation:

It is far better to be upset from the correction of a friend who cares for you, rather than being led on the wrong path by people who try to deceive you with false approval. If you choose to base your life on positive feedback only and you block out any form of correction, you will end up with the wrong people advising you. Positive feedback is great. It can boost you, it can get you motivated, and it can make you feel good. But if that feedback is blinding you from the areas in your life that you need to correct, you will find yourself on that fast track to making a series of mistakes.

Correction is necessary for our growth as Christians. We need correction in our spiritual lives in order to ensure that we are reflecting God and His love and righteousness. We also need correction in other aspects of our life. We can never know everything or get everything right. When we are corrected, we are alerted to the areas in our lives that we need to work on. When we work on those areas, we become better people. If we don't receive that correction, how will we grow?

Correction may be hard to receive, especially from the people we love, but it is worthwhile. The people who love you will always desire to see you become the best person you can be. In order for that to happen, they have to correct you when they see that you are headed in the wrong direction.

Discernment is required when it comes to who you listen to when you are in need of counsel. If you surround yourself with people who will tell you what you want to hear, you will not get very far in life. But if you choose to have honest people around you, who are guided by the love they have for you and not their selfish interests, you will be able to grow. You should also aim to be the person who corrects, in love. Lying to someone or overlooking their errors in order to make them happy is not love.

Friendship should be about bringing the best out of each other. While you enjoy good times and create wonderful memories, you should also focus on building each other up. There are things that you can learn from your friends and there are also things that your friends can learn from you. Godly friendships should be about helping each other grow in your knowledge of God and His Word. The way iron can sharpen iron, is the same way in which you and your friends should sharpen one another. When you leave one another's presence, you should have learned something that will help you grow.

You don't have to arrange specific meetings for teaching or building one another - though that is something you could try every now and then. Building one another should come naturally, in your normal conversations. This is why you need to make sure that your friends are as focused as you are on developing your relationship in God and making something great out of your life. If you choose to associate with people who do not take their lives seriously, you will struggle to grow. If you choose to associate with focused people who have great ambitions and are passionate about the things of God, you will grow in leaps and bounds.

Your friends should inspire you to do better and to be a better person. When your friendships are rooted in God, you will grow in the right things because you both have the right priorities. You will push one another to maximize on your full potential. The best friendships are the friendships where you communicate well, you pray together, and you celebrate one another's victories. Great friendships are also characterized by supporting and encouraging one another when challenging times come.

When your friendships are rooted in the love of God, great things will bloom. You will look out for one another and you will see the fruits of your support and encouragement for one another.

Godly friendships glorify God and also serve as testimonies to the people around you. Check your friendships and ask yourself whether they glorify God.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven, we ask for Wisdom and Discernment to choose our close friends or advisors, and most of all to spend more time with you praying and meditating the Bible. Thank you, for sending us Jesus, our Savior and Best Friend! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!