--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first task of discernment, then, is…" description: "\"“The first task of discernment, then, is not a closing off but an opening up, what we might call responsive discernment. If God’s Spirit is present and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/steven-r-guthrie-132357_listening-ear_the-first-task-of-discernment-then-is-no_421858.jpg" --- # The first task of discernment, then, is not a closing off… ![“The first task of discernment, then, is not a closing off but an opening up, what we might call responsive discernment. If God’s Spirit is present and working in the world, we should live expectantly, looking attentively for the Spirit’s activity, listening carefully for the Spirit’s voice. Jürgen…” quote by Steven R. Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/steven-r-guthrie-132357_listening-ear_the-first-task-of-discernment-then-is-no_421858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/steven-r-guthrie-132357_listening-ear_the-first-task-of-discernment-then-is-no_421858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33d/steven-r-guthrie-132357_listening-ear_the-first-task-of-discernment-then-is-no_421858.jpg) > ““The first task of discernment, then, is not a closing off but an opening up, what we might call responsive discernment. If God’s Spirit is present and working in the world, we should live expectantly, looking attentively for the Spirit’s activity, listening carefully for the Spirit’s voice. Jürgen Moltmann observes that because God’s Spirit fills creation “it is . . . possible to experience God in, with and beneath each everyday experience of the world.”\[389\] If this is the true shape of the world, then discernment is not a matter of divining those rare instances when God shows up. Instead, it means learning to recognize, as Moltmann writes, “that in everything God is waiting for us.”\[390\] “Spirituality” on this account will not mean turning away from the world (as if this world were “God-forsaken”) but turning toward it, with Spirit-renewed vision.\[391\] Where a narrow scientism sees only “an insignificant planet lost in the great cosmic immensity,”\[392\] the presence and activity of God’s Spirit authorizes us to see the same body as “my Father’s world”— And to my listening ears All nature sings and round me rings The music of the spheres. . . . This is my Father’s world. He shines in all that’s fair. In the rustling grass, I hear him pass He speaks to me everywhere.\[393\]”” Steven R. Guthrie ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that discernment is an open, responsive listening to God's Spirit in everyday life, not a rare revelation. **In simple terms:** Discernment is ongoing, attentive listening to the divine in all things. Key Takeaway Cultivate attentive, expectant awareness of spiritual presence. Themes discernment spirituality openness Mood contemplative inspired Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - daily meditation - community worship - personal prayer - environmental awareness Key Concepts theology mindful listening presence of Spirit Questions to Reflect On - What everyday moments reveal spiritual insight? - How can you balance openness with discernment? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on spiritual may neglect practical action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discernment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discernment/) [Listening ear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening-ear/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/discernment-is-not-a-matter-of-telling-the-difference-between-right/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [A process for discernment: God is my ultimate source of truth and wisdom, and dwells forever at the center of my being. 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He never name-called, never judged, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-king/christ-as-always-the-model-never-sat-back-crossed-his-arms-and/) [Heather King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-king/) > [Don't be surprise when the friend with the listening ear becomes the enemy with the hateful mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitkat-parker/don-t-be-surprise-when-the-friend-with-the-listening-ear-becomes-the/) Kitkat Parker > [“I always knew I'd be a sailor. In my cradle, playing with my toes, I knew it. What else could there have been? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-birch/i-always-knew-i-d-be-a-sailor-in-my-cradle-playing-with-my-toes-i/) [Carol Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-birch/) > [“She bleeds poetry. She is an old soul. She has already existed since the day the Earth gave birth to nature. 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