So we're talking about discretion this morning, okay?
Discretion.
Now if I were to define what discretion is,
I would break it up into three categories, okay?
Category number one.
What is discretion?
Discretion is using your freedom to speak
and not abusing it.
Using your freedom and liberty to speak
but not abusing it.
How many times have you ever heard this?
Well, I was right though.
You know, someone says something that's offensive,
someone says something that is a little crass
or a little rude and it's the truth
and it's just like, well, it's true though.
Yeah, but here's the thing.
Discretion is using your freedom to speak,
using your freedom to tell the truth,
but not abusing it, okay?
Using your words sparingly as the Bible would say.
He that hath knowledge, spareth his words.
Wouldn't you agree that it's always right
to give knowledge, right?
But here we see that the person who has knowledge
actually spares his words, okay?
So definition number one would be this.
Discretion is using your freedom to speak
and not abusing it.
Number two, discretion could be defined as this,
identifying a problem and having the wisdom
to provide a solution, okay?
Identifying a problem and having the wisdom
to provide a solution.
Here's the thing.
Most people are excellent at identifying a problem.
I know that for a fact.
I've been in ministry for 14 years
and everyone has this ability, this gift
to point out problems to me all the time.
But you know what?
Not everyone has the gift to provide a solution.
People like bringing the problem
and saying here's the problem.
You're the pastor, fix it.
But they don't necessarily exercise the discretion
to bring also the solution.
You see, an individual who has true discretion
not only has good judgment, but they also have
the discretion to say here's the problem
but let me provide a solution to that problem, okay?
Don't be a church member that only brings problems, right?
Now look folks, we live in a real world
where we have issues, we have problems.
You have problems, you have issues.
There's issues in the church.
There's issues, you know, there's problems in a church.
Not right now, but I'm just saying like just in general
sometimes people have problems and the solution is not
well I'm just gonna bring it to the pastor.
Well I'm just gonna tell everyone about the problem.
See that's what they think the solution is.
But the solution is not that.
The solution is that's called judgment.
Judgment is bringing the problem to the person
and say hey, here's a problem.
We have an issue.
Discretion is here's a solution that I wanna provide, okay?
Now go to Genesis chapter 41 if you will.
Genesis chapter 41.
So discretion, judgment are closely tied, closely related
because you have to judge a situation, right?
As a pastor I constantly have to judge a situation,
you know, say this is wrong, this is right,
this is what we're gonna do, this is what we're not gonna do
but discretion is not only identifying the issue
or the problem, it's creating a solution, okay?