S -
Matthew 10:16-20 (NAS): ""Behold, I send you out as sheep in the
midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. "But
beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in
their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for
My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. "But when they hand
you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given
you in that hour what you are to say. "For it is not you who speak, but it
is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.""
O -
These verses contain one of the five realities which Jesus warns his followers
to be on guard against: beware of humans.
It's the reason he sends us out to be both shrewd and innocent. People can be wolves. It is also the reason to not worry about what
one will say when surrounded like a sheep by wolves. Jesus is informing us of the specific
realities which are at work; and certainly ravenous and wicked humans is one of
them but it is not the most important one.
The Father, God Almighty, is with us and will himself speak through us
if we won't let worry or fear become a chokepoint for the flow of his
irrepressible Spirit. In fact, it is that same spirit which enables us to be
BOTH shrewd (not the same as skeptical) and innocent (not the same as naïve).
This is how Jesus lived on our earth.
How he navigated each day and each circumstance with people from the
least influential to the most; when he was with those who held no earthly
powers and with those who held the power of bodily life and death. The Father sent Jesus out and we too have
been sent out … the same way. "So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be
with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (John 20:21).
A -
Today Jesus is not only sending me/us out … he's expecting us to go. Regardless of the known and unknown territory
we face in any given day, some things will not change. There will always be wolves and we should
always be his sheep. As Psalm 23 points
out, no matter where he leads we should/must follow. The
good news is that he is closer than we think; ready to help, encourage and
lead. Childlike is not
childish. Today, I am confident and
ready to follow because he is with me, near me, for me and won't change his
mind. Today, no matter who or what I face I will follow and the irrepressible
life, love, truth and beauty that is Jesus will be flowing to me and through
me. Come what may, today is going to be
a great day.
P - Lord
who sends us out,
Thank for not sending us out
on our own but for leading us out so that as you lived in the Father and worked
with him we too may live in you and work with you. Thanks for NOT wanting us to work for you,
only with you. Today I want to follow
you and work with you in that which you've already decided to do. I will be aware that wolves are always near
and that you are nearer still. Let me
live in you so that perhaps I might be a reason another would believe.
I love you back,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment