Nurture a discerning heart. The wisdom of discernment teaches us to not take everything that people say with equal weight. Wisdom teaches us to overlook some of the things that people say simply because it would be better for them to ignore some of the things we say. Rash words are waste words, let them pass.
“Do not take to heart all the things that people say,
Let me tell you a great story about someone who was tempted to make a judgmental and critical comment. They didn’t do it, and kept it to themselves.
“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is
Sometimes to follow Christ, is to deliberately choose a path of discomfort, even suffering. More often than not, we choose suffering simply because it places us in a better position to love and serve others.
“Moses chose to suffer oppression with God's people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin.” Heb.11 Conversations Within” ts
I asked AI to read all my reflections, then to write one using my style. I was not only amazed that it matched my style, but that it selected peace as the topic. Just yesterday I realized that personal peace is a major theme in my reflections and was questioning if I think about it too much. Dr. Francis Schaeffer warned us about what he called, “The idol of personal peace.”
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts Oct 25, 2026
A good bit of the time, we just don’t know. This is reason enough to keep quiet. Because of this, it is often wise to stop our thoughts at the door of our mouth, but wiser still to dismiss every “i know more than you” thought.
“God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” Ecc.5 Conversations Within” ts Oct 24, 2026
