Test everything
Sift, then keep the good
Paul gives the Thessalonians a compact discipline of discernment: test all things, and hold firmly to that which is good. Not reject everything cynically, not accept everything credulously — test, sift, and keep what proves good. Discernment is active examination, not passive reception.
John applies it to the most confident claims: do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God. Even spiritual-sounding ideas, persuasive voices, and exciting opportunities are to be tested before they are adopted. The wise leader runs everything through the sieve and keeps only what holds up.
“Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.”
— Paul, to the Thessalonians — 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (WEB)
Test everything before you adopt it — ideas, advice, opportunities, even spirits — and keep only what proves good. Discernment is active sifting.
“Don't believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.”
Paul and John both call for testing rather than wholesale acceptance or rejection. A leader formed here sifts ideas and claims, keeping only what holds up. He neither swallows nor dismisses things whole. The inner work is the discipline of active examination.
Run ideas, advice, and opportunities through careful testing before adopting them. Resist both credulous acceptance and cynical rejection. Test even persuasive, spiritual-sounding claims. Build a culture that sifts and keeps the good rather than chasing every new thing or dismissing all of it.
Leaders either swallow ideas credulously or reject them cynically, skipping the discipline of testing. The blind spot is accepting or dismissing wholesale instead of sifting.
Identify one idea or opportunity you've accepted or rejected without really testing. This week, test it carefully on its merits, and keep only what proves good.
Leaders are presented with a constant stream of ideas, advice, opportunities, and confident claims, and the temptation is to either swallow them or dismiss them wholesale. Scripture calls for a third way: test everything, and keep only what proves good.
What are you currently accepting (or rejecting) wholesale that you should instead be testing — sifting carefully and keeping only what proves good?