Be Open to the Spirit and Discern Wisely, Part 5

Scripture — 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

Devotion

In this week’s Life for Leaders devotions, I have been focusing on the imperative found in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test everything.” As you may recall, the Greek verb translated here as “test” is dokimazō, which means “test, examine, discern, demonstrate, prove.” Though we are to be open to all that the Holy Spirit would do in and through us, we also need to “test” everything so that we can embrace what is good and reject that which is evil.

In recent devotions I have noted that such testing is usually a function of a Christian community. As Christians, we don’t have to discern things on our own, nor should we. In this activity we receive invaluable help from our sisters and brothers in Christ.

How does our Christian community participate in testing all things? One way is through stewarding gifts of discernment that come from the Holy Spirit. If we are going to test everything wisely, then we need God’s help. That help comes from the Spirit who dwells in each of us and among us as the body of Christ. That help comes in various ways, including gifts of discernment that enable us to hold fast to what is true.

In today’s devotion I’d like to examine another passage in one of Paul’s letters. This passage teaches us something profound about spiritual discernment. In Romans 12:2 we read, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The Greek verb translated here as “discern” is dokimazō, the same verb that appears in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 as “test” in the phrase “test everything.” Thus Romans helps us understand more about the testing commended in 1 Thessalonians.

Romans 12:2 gives us additional insights into how we can test everything. The verse begins, “Do not be conformed to this world.” The broken-by-sin world in which we live will presume to teach us how to test things. Sometimes what we learn from the world can be helpful. We’re all better off because of the sciences of engineering and medicine, for example. But there is much in our world that is fundamentally opposed to God and God’s ways. Thus, while we might learn some things of value from the world, we mustn’t be conformed to the world and its values. We must not let our fundamental ways of thinking and feeling be shaped by a world that refuses to recognize God and God’s kingdom.

Instead of being conformed to this world, Romans 12:2 calls us to “be transformed by the renewing of [our] minds.” As we live in relationship with God and God’s people, we will experience inner renewal. We will learn to think and feel differently. We will adopt new values and priorities. We will experience new loves and passions. This work of inner renewal is first and foremost an activity of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit renews us in various ways as we study the Scriptures, engage in Christian community, participate in God’s mission in the world, and devote time to regular spiritual practices such as prayer, silence, biblical meditation, and worship.

As the Spirit of God renews us inside, we will be able to “discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Or, to use the language of 1 Thessalonians, when we are open to the transforming work of the Spirit within us, we will be able to “test everything.” We will “hold fast to what is good” and “abstain from every form of evil.”

The transformation described in Romans 12:2, which leads to wise spiritual discernment, is often referred to these days as spiritual formation. When we live as active disciples of Jesus, when we are open to the power of the Spirit, when we allow our minds and hearts to be shaped by Scripture, when we engage in classical disciplines for spiritual growth, then our spirits will be formed, both reformed and transformed, by the power of God’s Spirit. As this happens, we become more and more like Jesus in our thinking, feeling, acting, and discernment.

Thus, the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to test everything is something we can endeavor to do no matter our spiritual maturity. But if we want to be able to test everything wisely, if we want to know what is good and what is evil, then we need to enter into a process of spiritual formation that will, in time, enable us to test everything rightly. Or, to use the language of Romans, we will be able to “discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Minds (Romans 12:1–3).

Subscribe to Life for Leaders

Sign up to receive a Life for Leaders devotional each day in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe and you can unsubscribe at any time.