"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."

We've come a long way this week. We discovered that we ARE called to discern, not to avoid judgment. We learned to clear our vision by dealing with unconfessed sin, admitting our ignorance, and replacing indifference with compassion. But here's what I need you to know today. Even after you've removed every log from your own eye, you still need wisdom to know when to speak and when to stay silent.

Jesus puts it bluntly in Matthew 7:6. "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." That sounds harsh, right? But Jesus is speaking in the context of brothers and sisters in the faith. He's warning us that even among believers, not everyone is ready to receive truth.

Think about it just like a farmer with seed. You can have the best seed in the world, perfectly preserved and ready to grow. But if you throw that seed on concrete, it's wasted. The problem isn't the seed. The problem is the ground isn't ready to receive it. In the same way, you can have truth, wisdom, and discernment worth more than gold. But if you share it with someone whose heart is hardened against it, they won't just reject it. They'll trample it and turn on you.

So who are the dogs and pigs Jesus talks about? They're people who pretend to love truth but will attack you the moment that truth makes them uncomfortable. They're the ones who say they want to grow but reject any correction. They're believers who've become so comfortable in their sin that they view anyone who challenges them as the enemy.

I used to have a pastor who would say, "Offend the flesh and reveal the heart." That's a true saying because it's in that moment of offense that you discover whether someone truly wants to grow or just wants to stay comfortable. Can I just say this? Not everyone is up for growth. Not every believer understands that comfort is an enemy to spiritual maturity. Not all who say they know the truth actually practice it.

So practicing the way of discernment means identifying whether a person will receive what you have or retaliate against it. This requires incredible wisdom because sometimes the people who need truth the most are the least ready to hear it.

Here's how you know. Watch their response to truth in other areas. Do they receive correction from Scripture? Do they submit to God's Word when it makes them uncomfortable? Do they show fruit of genuine repentance or just talk about change? If someone consistently tramples truth and attacks those who speak it, they're telling you they're not ready.

But here's the tension. Just because someone isn't ready today doesn't mean they won't be ready tomorrow. Your job isn't to force feed them truth. Your job is to be wise enough to recognize when the soil of their heart is ready to receive the seed you have to plant.

Right now, think about the people God has been bringing to your mind this week. You've dealt with your own logs. You've cultivated compassion. You've replaced ignorance with understanding. Now ask God for wisdom to know who's ready to receive and who will only retaliate.

This week has been about learning to practice the way of discernment. We've discovered it's not about IF we judge but HOW we judge. We've learned that the clearest vision for helping others comes from those who've first allowed God to remove what blinded them.
And we've seen that mercy triumphs over judgment. So go forward with clear eyes, clean hearts, and the wisdom to know when your pearls will be treasured and when they need to wait for better soil.

Review the insights God has given you this week. Pray specifically for wisdom about who God is calling you to speak truth to and who needs more time. Ask Him to show you the difference between someone who will treasure your words and someone who will trample them.