Practicing Discernment
Image by Ronald Sandino from Pixabay I grew up in a very strict, rigid, conservative Christian home. We had lots of rules. Many TV shows we did not watch, no rated "R" movies, no rock or popular music. Even modern Christian music was off limits. We had high standards for dress and behavior, and, of course, no smoking and drinking. Most churches have standards of some form or another, and many churches still hold to these kinds of strict standards. These rules may be useful at times. As young Christians many times we struggle to understand what righteousness and holiness are all about. How do we live a holy life? What does it mean to be righteous? Living a Christ-like life can be kind of vague, ephemeral, or mystical, and we can't quite wrap our minds around it. The Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit, but that seems even more vague and mystical than being like Christ. At least in following Christ's example we have the Gospels to look at. What ends up ha...