Discern the excellent
Love that discerns the best
Paul prays that the Philippians' love would abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that they may approve the things that are excellent. Notice the goal: not merely choosing good over bad, but discerning the excellent over the merely acceptable.
Most of a leader's hardest choices are not between good and evil — those are easy — but between good, better, and best. Hebrews says this kind of discernment comes through practice: maturity belongs to those who, by constant use, have trained their senses to distinguish. Wisdom, at its sharpest, sorts the excellent from the merely fine.
“...that your love may abound in knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent.”
— Paul, to the Philippians — Philippians 1:9-10 (WEB)
Discernment chooses between good and best, not just good and bad. Mature wisdom approves what is excellent, not merely acceptable.
“But solid food is for those who are full grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.”
Paul prays for a love that discerns the excellent, and Hebrews says such discernment is trained by use. A leader formed here develops the sharper discernment that distinguishes good from best. He refuses to settle for merely acceptable. The inner work is training your senses, over time, to recognize the excellent.
Push past good-enough decisions to discern the genuinely excellent option. Train discernment through practice rather than expecting it automatically. Help your team distinguish best from merely acceptable. Treat the hardest choices — among good options — as where real discernment is needed.
Leaders feel discerning because they choose good over bad, missing that the real work is choosing best over merely acceptable. The blind spot is settling for good-enough and calling it discernment.
Take one decision where you've settled for an acceptable option. This week, push to discern the excellent one, and choose it.
Leaders rarely struggle to tell good from evil; the hard discernment is between many good options, sorting the merely acceptable from the truly excellent. That sharper discernment is not automatic — it is trained by practice over time.
Are your decisions settling for the merely acceptable, or have you trained the discernment to recognize and choose the excellent?