June 2010
Men’s Ministry Best Practices:
More than Good Intentions: Discernment
Avoiding Common Failures by Steve Johnson
The judge looked down from his bench and declared, “Mr. Wilson, this is your day of reckoning.” He sentenced the man to 7 ½ years in federal prison. Wilson was one of four California men convicted of financial fraud. Five were investigated, but the fifth, Mark Jacobs, wasn’t charged. Jacobs had been invited to join the financial scheme with four friends in a weekly Bible study. They assured him it was legal, but something inside said it wasn’t right.
Defense lawyers argued that their clients had simply used poor judgment in a ‘gray area,’ crossing a line that wasn’t clear. The judge disagreed. “The guy who drew the line was Mark Jacobs. He knew what was right and what was wrong, and he didn’t hesitate.” Many godly men have yielded to the world’s values because they failed to discern the subtle changes occurring around them. Here are 7 steps that can help us move beyond good intentions:
- Make a decision: Daniel, in spite of the allure of Babylon’s culture, stood for what was right.
- Choose to put first things first: We can only reap a harvest of purity and integrity by planting the good seed of God’s word into our lives-daily.
- Determine where the line is, then stay a safe distance behind it: Moral failure is rarely the result of a blow-out...it’s usually a slow leak. Don’t see how close you can get to the line without going over.
- Guard your heart: A growing affection for our Lord is the only antidote for the kind of apathy that leads us astray.
- Guard your mind: Just a small deviation from God’s standard can put us at risk.
- Guard your eyes: Think about king David and Bathsheba.
Guard the little things: If you can’t be trusted with the little things, how can you be trusted with more?
Read the other articles in this issue:
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