This is a 30-day devotional on the Book of Proverbs originally written in 2006. It is filled with exhortation and encouragement to live Godly lives while waiting for the Lord’s return! I pray that you will be blessed by it.
Tag: Discretion
Day 14 – Discrete or Indiscrete
Prov. 19:11 “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.”
Discretion does not seem to be practiced much today. The opposite of discretion is uncontrolled restraint/lack of self restraint. Oh how true of modern-day society. Even today’s Christian does not practice self restraint. They over indulge in food, etc. but most importantly, they do not over indulge in the Word of God. If they did, there would be revival in our land, but sadly there is no revival.
Every believer should be saying, “Let revival start with me!” One cannot be forgiving or merciful if that person does not have discretion. We can be self indulgent in our own feelings – we won’t let go of a sin committed against us, for example. We toy with it and harbor resentment to the point of becoming bitter toward a person. Proverb 19:11 says that the discrete person postpones his anger and passes over a transgression. An indiscrete person will be quick to get angry and will point out another’s sin without so much as praying about it or reading God’s Word before acting.
The discrete Christian is a wise Christian. The discrete Christian is a forgiving Christian. The discrete Christian is a Christian who is controlled by the Holy Spirit. How can we be spiritually revived if we cling on to the works of the flesh? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (Joh 6:63) We must yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit. We must allow ourselves to be taught by Him. That is His job. He leads us to be more Christ-like so that Christ may be glorified through us.
Dear God…
Let me be yielded to Your will
As You teach me in Your Word
Guide and direct me in the way
So I can be pleasing to You Lord
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Day 9 – Wise and Discrete
Prov. 3:21-23 “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.”
The Lord warns us not to allow the Word (and Its wisdom) to depart from our eyes. Our eyes rest on millions of images throughout the course of just one day. In those millions of images, how many of them make up the Word of God? The “theme” of the ruling images will be the “theme” in which the path of your life will go, my friend.
I love Noah Webster’s definition of discretion:
1. Prudence, or knowledge and prudence; that discernment which enables a person to judge critically of what is correct and proper, united with caution; nice discernment and judgment, directed by circumspection, and primarily regarding ones own conduct. “A good man–will guide his affairs with discretion. Psa 112.”
Proverbs 3:21-23 encourages us to keep sound wisdom and discretion. Wow! When we are in the Word of God and keeping it before our eyes, we have the capability of keeping sound wisdom and discretion. If every believer exercised discretion in their own lives, they would be very quick to monitor their own conduct. How many times have we seen a Christian with no discretion? They do not monitor their own conduct. In fact, they are busy monitoring the conduct of others instead. That is not what discretion is.
The Christian who exercises sound wisdom and discretion lives by Matthew 7:3, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? The Word of God provides abundance in teaching to the one who desires growth in the Spirit. A Christian who wants to be yielding to the Spirit is one who is wise. I also think of this as the meek and quiet spirit spoken of in 1 Peter 3:4 “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” According to Noah Webster, meekness means:
1. Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.
It is the wise Christian who practices meekness. It is the wise Christian who practices discretion. The Lord tells us that if we practice these things, we will receive grace, we will walk safely and we will not stumble. What does this mean that we will have grace to our necks? Noah says grace means?
1. Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another; as a grant made as an act of grace.
The neck turns the head in the direction the head should go. Oh my! What a beautiful picture of the saint who practices sound wisdom and discretion! Here’s what the Christian looks like:
- Wise
- Discrete
- Gracious
- Sure footed
- Mild tempered
- Soft
- Gentle
- Not easily provoked or irritated
- Doesn’t judge others before judging himself
This definitely portrays the beautiful fruit of the Spirit doesn’t it? Remember that fruit? It is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance! Won’t we strive to be alive in the Lord instead of dead? Being alive in the Lord is growing and continuing to grow in Him. If we are dead, we are not doing any growing at all… in fact, we are decomposing. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: (2Co 2:15)
Are we a sweet savour of Christ to other believers and the unsaved? Oh that we would guard our hearts, tongue and spirit against ole slewfoot and be diligent in the Word so we may be wise and discrete.
Dear God…
Let my eyes be fixed on You
Never losing focus or sight
May I keep Your Word in view
For in You I find my delight
