Friday 8 Jul 2022

July 8: Matthew 10:16-20

Key Verse: Matthew 10:16
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Devotion:
When Jesus sent the disciples out to be disciples, He did not tell them they were going to have a wonderful time telling people about Him and thousands would flock to find out the truth – He told them they were about to start on a very difficult journey which could end up with them being arrested or worse! They would be taking off in the deep end, or jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire (to quote a couple of English sayings which indicate the going is about to get tough!)

The disciples would have to be on their guard as the people around them would be the ones who trip them up and get them in prison. These are the very people they were being told to go and tell the gospel to! But all through this they were told not to worry about what they should be saying to the people!

Have you ever gone off into the unknown without being prepared? It is quite nerve-wracking knowing you are going to face issues never mind having to face being arrested or even flogged in the synagogues! Let that sink in for a moment… they were going to face flogging in the synagogues – the ‘safe places’ they were used to going into to find what people were saying about God!

Jesus was turning their worlds upside down and telling them nothing was going to be easy from this point on. The same warning should be said to us when we volunteer to go out and be the disciples Christ says we need to be. The world around us is a very scary place where there are a lot of people working against God and doing strange and terrible things. We may well have to face up to them because Christ may want us to talk to them!

Points to Ponder:
Do you get tongue tied when you try to talk about Jesus?

Will you try trusting the Holy Spirit to tell you what to say?