Friday 14 Jul 2023

July 14: Matthew 10:16-23

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 I read this passage this morning, I sat and reflected on it for a while. Yes my head was going all over the place thinking of many things but I kept coming back to the first verse here talking about going out into a dangerous world and being different! That is what it comes down to!

It is very easy to go into the world and to behave like those around you because that seems OK and get into stuff everyone seems to be doing, after all they are all doing it… But that may not be what God is asking you to do. Jesus warned the disciples it is like you are a sheep and you are going into a den of wolves! But if you are as shrewd as a snake and innocent as a dove, you may just make it without being eaten! So how does that work?

Snakes are very adept at hiding in the most amazing places where people will not see them and where they can wait until the time is right. Doves are innocent – or at least that is how we see them. So for us to live in this world we should try to be as adept as snakes at finding the right place to be at the right time. It does not mean we should act like the stereotypical snake and bite people for the fun of it!

God wants us to be different from the world. He wants us to stand out, not because we are mean or calculating but because others will see us as adept and innocent. We will have to face all the same things everyone else has to face, and then some, but we should try to maintain our righteous stance in amongst the sins of the world. God wants us to share why we are different and encourage others to be different too – always listening to and obeying God!

Points to Ponder:
Do you join in with the crowd?

Will you stand up for righteousness?