Sermon On A Discerning Attitude

Oprah Winfrey, an American female host and television producer once remarked: “Often focus on self-belief, overcoming challenges, gratitude, and living authentically, emphasizing that your attitude shapes your reality, your past doesn't define you, and true success comes from aligning your actions with your purpose, urging people to "turn your wounds into wisdom" and "live the life of your dreams" by changing your story and focusing on what truly matters.” 1 Kings 3:9 reminds us: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

Discernment is the ability to judge well, perceive subtle differences, and make wise decisions by understanding what is not immediately obvious, involving insight, perception, and sharp judgment between virtue and malevolence, truth or fallacy, or right and wrong. It frequently requires careful reflection and spiritual or moral understanding. It's more than just seeing; it's understanding the true nature, value, or worth of something, distinguishing the significant from the superficial, and aligning choices with deeper wisdom or a greater purpose, often in religious contexts to understand God's will.

A discerning attitude is a cognitive and emotional approach to life characterized by the ability to see and understand situations clearly, distinguishing between veracity and falsehood, good and evil, and the essential from the superficial. It is a thoughtful, proactive mindset - often described as "keen perception" or "acumen" - that goes beyond surface-level appearances to grasp the true nature of a situation. This form of attitude helps in one's relationship with God by enabling a person to distinguish divine truth from deception, align their will with God's, and recognize God's active presence in daily life. It is a spiritual discipline that fosters maturity, allowing believers to move beyond superficial understanding to deeply experience God's guidance and love.

Focusing on the truth of life embraces reality, it involves living authentically and practicing honesty to bring profound benefits to both mental health and daily functioning. Key advantages include reduced stress, increased self-awareness, stronger, more trusting relationships, and greater personal freedom. Freedom is considered essential for true, authentic discernment. It is described as a "prerequisite" or "fundamental element" because it allows for a genuine, unforced choice that is not influenced by external pressure, fear, or hidden, selfish agendas.

A discerning attitude includes and requires wisdom. Discernment is often described as the practical application of wisdom, acting as a "filter" that enables one to distinguish truth from error, good from evil, and reality from illusion. 1 Kings 3:16-28 tells the famous story of two prostitutes who present a dispute over a baby to King Solomon, revealing his God-given wisdom through his ingenious solution: ordering the living child to be cut in half to expose the true mother, whose genuine love for the child led her to sacrifice her claim to save its life, while the false mother agreed to the division, showing her lack of maternal love. The passage highlights themes of divine wisdom, true love versus selfishness, justice, and discernment, showing how Solomon's judgment protected the vulnerable and revealed truth.

The passage reminds us: “Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.

Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.”