The Art of Discretion
Scripture Reading - Proverbs 3:19-23 KJV
19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
In today’s lesson we will speak on “The Art of Discretion”. We use the wording “Art” because applying “discretion” has a certain amount of craftsmenship to it. “Discretion” in general terms means the ability to apply sound judgment. Some would say the ability to be prudent which means it is not just about making a judgment call but rather the right judgment call for all parties involved. We (ihlcc) liked the term “The Art of Discretion” because anyone can make a picture but a beautiful picture by God is the best picture to create. Likewise, “discretion” can be used by people in the world system but it will never be as good as the “discretion of God”. Yes, the “discretion of God” is rooted in wisdom, understanding and knowledge as mentioned in today’s scripture. Therefore, “God’s Discretion” is unique in the sense of being uncommon. This “Art of Discretion” is the proper application of God’s Knowledge to gain a better godly understanding of Him which will ultimately make you wise. Having all three working together at the appropriate time will lead the Child of God into “good discretion”. “Discretion” is a noun which means it is something tangible. Many people who are known for wisdom are also typically known for “discretion” too. The reason why is because the two work together. For the Child of God, the Born-Again Believer, we come to first know God through acquiring the knowledge of God, then the more we know about God the better (sharper, keener, clearer, etc…) our understanding of Him is. We must spend enough time with God’s Word (The Holy Bible) to know who God is and what God is not. This picture is painted in living color with many refinements because the longer you know God through spending sufficient time with Him the more you will revise that painting of God to reflect more deeper truths and even certain basic truths will be easily understood when given more time and experience. We are always learning and it is very easy for us to admit some things we thought we understood well years ago are better understood today when you have more fruit (experience) operating in it. The “it” we are talking about is the actual scripture (the promise of God) you are using when you live your daily life. Yes, certain verses are fundament to all Christians but none of God’s Promises are automatic to anyone. We, as Children of God, must be willing to accept God’s Word of truth and establish our hearts in faith and peace because we know God is good for confirming His Word in our life. “Discretion” in a nutshell is knowing what actions today (at that moment, perhaps right now) will cause certain reactions in the near and distant future. This can also be called foresight because “true godly discretion” contains a portion of foresight in it. Yes, the “Discretion of God” always knows, “if I say this they will think that and their reaction to my action will cause a negative or positive result”. Yes, this is exactly why we said “The Art of Discretion” because we sometimes might want a negative reaction depending upon the subject under discussion. We have had times in our life when the Lord was leading us into a very specific direction but some people who were in our lives around us were not going into that direction at all. Did we know exposing our heart would lead to separating friends? In some cases yes but if it means following God at all cost, we (ihlcc) are happy to pay that cost. In another case, “The Art of Discretion” clearly told us exactly what would transpire in the next week before it was announced at the company we worked for and holding our tongue would be prudent because releasing that information before company confirmation would stir up strife, speculation and division. In that particular case it was better to let the company bear the burden of hurting certain people than to take that weight unto yourself when you really didn’t have to. Yes, companies, typically have either a person or a whole department setup to handle personal issues of disappointment or emotional trauma. Whereas employee’s working for that same company are generally responsible for producing work more than counseling fellow workers. Amen! Yes, although many people think “discretion” is nothing more than keeping your tongue we (ihlcc) would beg to differ because “discretion” is much broader than that. Keeping your tongue is good as one part of “discretion” but “The Art of Discretion” is also knowing what to say at the right time and releasing the right amount of words to keep from overfeeding the listener or underfeeding the hungry heart. Know your audience comes to mind. Yes, through “The Art of Discretion” we have steered a negative situation into a more favorable resolution simply because the Lord told us exactly what to say and to whom we should say it to. Our words were His (God’s) words in precise measurement to get the job done without extra confusion from too many words or misunderstanding through a lack of words. This is “The Art of Discretion” also because we knew (from God’s Insight) that the words spoken by us would change the mind of a certain person to have them change their thoughts about their future. Oh how good it is to literally see the manifestation of God wisdom when applied with understanding to produce the “The Art of Discretion”. Therefore, dear Child of God, look first for the knowledge of God’s Word, then seek diligently to understand whatever you are reading (seeing, thinking upon, meditating on) in God’s Holy Word and then God’s Wisdom will start rising up in your heart. This wisdom which is God’s Wisdom is pure, peaceable, gently released, easy to be understood, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy such that you will definitely know it (know Him) when it is there (present) to produce “Discretion”. So be encouraged today your godly prudence is forth coming because all who do (live) God’s Words shall be acquainted with God’s Ways and one of those ways is displaying “The Art of Discretion” on a regular basis because In Him we do all these things well unto the Glory of God The Father in the Name of The Son, Jesus Christ. Amen!