Learn to Discriminate

As a speaker of English it is interesting how the definition and meaning of words can change over time. 
It is not uncommon for the meaning of a word understood for hundreds of years to be easily overturned and narrowly re-defined as offensive.  A word which was once neutral can develop an overwhelmingly negative connotation and be viewed as bad in itself.  As a reader primarily of non-fiction by authors spanning hundreds of years, these shifts are not difficult to find.

One word that did not always have a negative meaning was "discriminate."  To "discriminate" is akin to a cardinal sin these days, yet see how it is defined in the Webster's 1828 dictionary (follow link for the full definition):  "To distinguish; to observe the difference between; as, we may usually discriminate true from false modesty.  2. To separate; to select from others; to make a distinction between; as, in the last judgment, the righteous will be discriminated from the wicked.  3. To mark with notes of difference; to distinguish by some note or mark. We discriminate animals by names, as nature has discriminated them by different shapes and habits."  From infancy we are taught to identify the difference between colours, shapes, sizes and kinds of animals.  For safety a child needs to discriminate between playing ball in the yard or in the street.  Discrimination according to this definition is good and necessary:  the process of distinguishing between two becomes wholly tainted when bias, favouritism, racism, nepotism, sexism, ageism, bigotry or selfishness in the heart guides our discriminating.

The Cambridge dictionary defines "discriminate" in accordance to a more modern interpretation:  "to treat a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their skin colour, sex, sexuality, etc.; 2. to be able to see the difference between two things or people."  Every true or false question on an exam demands a student discriminate correctly and rewards those who do.  People often follow "discriminate" with "against," loading the term with personal offence.  Regardless of your political or personal beliefs, you cannot hold any view unless you first discriminate--to note the difference between points of view and determine which ones you uphold or reject based on facts, personal convictions and experience.  It is of utmost importance a child of God learn to discriminate according to God's will and guidance.  Today people use the word "discern," yet the word discriminate carries in addition to the knowledge of God and His word the rejection of all sin and falsehood.

Interestingly as these thoughts were running through my mind, as I read C.H. Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students he touched on this theme precisely.  This is an excerpt from an address he gave to seminary students at a college for pastors in the 19th century:

"I have said that we must also learn to discriminate, and at this particular time that point needs insisting on.  Many run after novelties, charmed with every invention:  learn to judge between truth and its counterfeits, and you will not be led astray.  Others adhere like limpets to old teachings, and yet these may only be ancient errors:  prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.  The use of the sieve, and the winnowing fan, is much to be commended.  Dear brethren, a man who has asked of the Lord to give him clear eyes by which he shall see the truth and discern it bearings, and who, by reason of the constant exercise of his faculties, has obtained an accurate judgement, is one fit to be a leader of the Lord's host; but all are not such.  It is painful to observe how many embrace anything if it be but earnestly brought before them.  They swallow the medicine of every spiritual quack who has enough of brazen assurance to appear to be sincere.  Be ye not such children in understanding, but test carefully before you accept.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the faculty of discerning, so shall you conduct your flocks far from poisonous meadows, and lead them into safe passage.

When in due time you have gained the power of requiring knowledge, and the faculty of discrimination, seek next for ability to retain and hold firmly what you have learned. In these times certain men glory in being weathercocks; they hold fast nothing, they have, in fact, nothing worth the holding.  They believed yesterday, but not that which they believe to-day, nor that which they will believe to-morrow, and he would be a greater prophet than Isaiah who should be able to tell what they will believe when next the moon doth fill her horns, for they are constantly altering, and seem to be born under that said moon, and to partake of her changing moods.  These men may be as honest as they claim to be, but of what use are they?  Like good trees oftentimes transplanted, they may be of a noble nature, but they bring forth nothing; their strength goes out in rooting and re-rooting, they have no sap to spare for fruit.  Be sure you have the truth, and then be sure you hold it.  Be ready for =fresh truth, if it be truth, but be very chary how you subscribe to the belief that a better light has been found than that of the sun.  Those who hawk new truth about the street, as the boys do a second edition of the evening paper, are usually no better than they should be.  The fair maid of truth does not paint her cheeks and tire her head like Jezebel, following every new philosophic fashion; she is content with her own native beauty, and her aspect is in the main the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever."  (Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to My Students: Complete & Unabridged. Ministry Resources Library, Zondervan Publishing House, 1989. pages 207-208)

Once we are born again through faith in Jesus Christ we are divinely enabled to learn to discriminate as Spurgeon exhorts:  to know the truth and hold fast to it.  The presence of the Holy Spirit within us guides us into truth, convicts us of sin and reveals the wickedness in us which loves some people more than others.  We can renounce our wickedness revealed by our sinful discrimination because God has discriminated between truth and error in His word and in our hearts.  For the glory of God and our good we are wise to learn to thus discriminate, not because we are God but because we fear and seek to honour Him above all.  Society can base beliefs and practices on the sinking sands of political correctness, fear of reprisal or censure by man:  as followers of Jesus Christ we ought to love one another as He loves us, give more grace and walk in compassion towards all.  It does us no benefit to point out tendencies of others to unfairly discriminate until we first learn to discriminate truth from error and walk with Jesus (who is the Truth) faithfully ourselves.

The Perfect Work of Patience

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

James 1:2-4

Yesterday the sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney included this exhortation and encouragement for all followers of Jesus Christ.  God allows trials and adversity of all kinds to accomplish His good purposes.  Instead of being annoyed, frustrated or worried about the outcome we can count it all joy to face trials which test us.  Just like a student sits an exam because he is included in the class, God tests and disciplines us because we are His children He loves.

A precious metal is placed in a crucible and intense heat is applied because it is a precious metal which requires further refinement to be even more valuable.  A child of God can know the various trials He allows are not for our destruction but an opportunity for the fruit of the Spirit of joy (among others) to be manifested in our lives.  In contrast to the works of the flesh Paul wrote in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  The testing of our faith produces patience which can be described as cheerful endurance and continuance.  Our joy is according to the knowledge God intends to perfect and complete us so we can rejoice in the process as well as the result.

We understand a baby needs time to develop in the womb to survive and be a healthy infant.  Slow cooked BBQ needs to be cooked well past being "done" for tough cuts to become tender.  Bread and cakes need to be baked through to have a soft and spongy texture.  The process isn't just something to be endured but can be celebrated because without it there will be no fresh sourdough or delicious chocolate cake in the end.  It is good to recognise God's ends can be different than ours:  we are focused on finishing a task or ending suffering but God uses adversity to refine our faith.

Solomon spoke the uncomfortable truth in Ecclesiastes 7:2-5:  "Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. ⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. ⁵ It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools."  It is God who enables us to endure because He is the God of all comfort and is able to comfort us in all affliction (2 Cor. 1:3-5).  In the trial and affliction is when we realise afresh how much we lack and how we are insufficient in ourselves to endure.  This leads us to learn to rely upon God, seek and enjoy rest in Him--and not merely to seek strength or power from Him.

Freedom Within Boundaries

"This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, 'Let them marry whom they think best, but they may marry only within the family of their father's tribe.'"

Numbers 36:6

The daughters of Zelophehad came to Moses with a concern.  Because their father only had given birth to daughters and the inheritance of land was passed down through sons, in years to come their land would pass to a different family and tribe.  Moses brought their case before the LORD who provided guidance in how the issue was to be rectified.  They were free to marry whomever they thought best but were to marry within their family.  Marrying a first cousin was a very common practice in the ancient world and remains a norm in middle eastern countries to this day.  Their obedience to God's directive would ensure the inheritance of land given them by lot would remain in the family for generations to come.

This concept of complete freedom within the boundaries God set is seen frequently in scripture.  Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden were free to eat from all the trees in the garden except for the tree right in the middle:  the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  If they desired to live, they needed to heed the limits God had set.  The freedom God gives people is to be fully enjoyed within the confines of God's righteousness, goodness and love.  The freedom Christians have in our relationship with God through faith in Jesus is not to be used as an excuse or license to sin, but it is the freedom to do righteously according to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  This freedom is within the boundaries of God's love.  As sheep of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ we can use our freedom to foolishly wander from the flock, but the best use of our freedom is in the pasture God has graciously provided in the presence of our Saviour.

The pattern of freedom within the boundaries God establishes can be seen in many aspects of life:  in a marriage relationship, family, work, ministry and worldly pursuits.  All is lawful but not all edifies, and it is good when we walk wisely and circumspectly in obedience to Jesus.  God has given us a will that is best surrendered to the will of God to do what we know is right according to Christ's example and God's word.  When Paul compared the Christian walk to an athlete competing in a match, he reminded believers of the importance to strive lawfully according to the rules of the event.  Those who transgress the rules will be disqualified by the judge, and the same idea applies to our need to walk in God's love, forgiveness and grace towards all.

The boundaries for the Christian walk are not supplied by the Law of Moses but by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.  2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."  This liberty is freedom from the slavery of sin and freedom to do what pleases and glorifies God.  By faith in Jesus we are all made part of the Body of Christ, and the function of a hand is not to benefit only itself alone but the entire Body.  In the context of having Jesus as our head Ephesians 4:16 says, "...from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."  Praise God for the freedom we have in Jesus and for the infinite boundaries of His love!

The Unexpected Miracle

God is always working, and He works miraculously in unexpected ways.  Like Namaan who imagined the prophet Elisha would wave his hand over him to heal him of leprosy and was disappointed when directed to dip seven times in the Jordan river, we can assume the best course of action for God to take.  Dipping in water wasn't nearly as flashy as invoking the power of God with a wave, but God sovereignly required faith by humility and obedience to a basic task Namaan needed to do.  Namaan's miraculous cleansing shows God is faithful and worthy of our trust.

Yesterday afternoon I was blessed to see the LORD work in an unexpected way through a lost pair of glasses which were swept away in the surf.  Upon hearing the news, I returned to the area where the glasses had been washed away.  I had no idea where the glasses were, and the chances of me finding them washed on the beach were minuscule.  As I walked alone on the beach with eyes scanning the breaking waves, I prayed God would provide the glasses my friend needed to see and participate in the group's activities.  Confident God knew where the glasses were and his need, I prayed they would be deposited miraculously at my feet.  There was not a shred of doubt God was able or willing to answer the prayer of faith.  After awhile I walked away from the shore without the glasses in hand.

I was unable to find the lost glasses, but my prayers were more than answered.  A friend of ours living almost 2 hours away was able to pick up another pair of glasses from the home of my sight-challenged friend and brought them to us by nightfall.  The needed glasses were not thrown at my feet scratched with sand according to my request but carried safely to him personally by a brother in Christ who demonstrated the generous, sacrificial love of Jesus.  What do you think is more amazing:  that God could cause an ax head to float, lost glasses to beach themselves on the shore or for a person to willingly, cheerfully drop everything to drive nearly four hours in total to deliver a pair of glasses because he was asked?  That to me is the most marvelous, for in this deed the love of Jesus is manifested.

The unexpected miracles God does in and through people who trust in Jesus should not passed over for the overtly supernatural manifestations of God's power.  Whether God answers our prayers immediately in the way we think He should or not, let us continue to ask believing, knowing He will accomplish His good purposes even in a mundane thing like a lost pair of glasses.  Praise the LORD who only does wonderful things!