Saturday, May 5, 2012
Wolf values versus Sheep values
UV 398/10,000 Sheep values versus Wolf values
Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
The believers in Christ are expected to have sheep values: obedience to the Shepherd, gentleness, faith, peace, grace, simplicity, meekness, kindness, love, mercy, joy, patience, goodness, humility, contentment and self control. But, the Lord warned them before sending them into the world that the people of the world espoused values of the wolf:ruthlessness, aggression, cunning, sharp intelligence, desire for personal gain, greed, complexity, cruelty, deceit, impatience, evil, pride, arrogance, untruthfulness, pleasure and self seeking ways. In order to cope with such opposing value systems, the Lord exhorts us to be wise as serpents even though we are harmless as doves. Or else we will become chicken feed for the wolves. We must not do anything that has even the appearance of evil- meaning, we should not wear the ,masks of deceit.
To be wise as a serpent implies to know the devices and methods adopted by Satan and his agents in this world and to try to stay clear of these traps. To be gentle as a dove, means that even though we are aware of the evil lurking in the world, we will not be a party to it. We must be careful and resourceful. We must be wise in our words and in our decisions. Though we do not harm others, we must try to keep ourselves from being harmed. Our apparent innocence and trust should not make us gullible. We must not fall prey to guile. We must have the innocence of a child in our belief but not the innocence of a child in our understanding. We must have the understanding of an adult. We need to understand the nature of evil, the forms of evil and the extent of evil in the world. We must understand that we are living in a grossly imperfect world with topsy turvy standards. We must not be superficial in our judgement and understanding. Yet,we are to respond to the Lord’s call to try to be perfect. He gives us grace or enablement in every situation. Despite the heavy odds of a sheep against a wolf, we are guaranteed victory.
When we are wise as a serpent,we will know our threats but we should not expose our vulnerabilities to the system. We will take effective counter measures to deal with the threats, like praying ahead of an imminent attack, storming heaven to overcome the powers of darkness manifest on earth. We wear the shield of faith to counter every type of fiery arrow or dart of misfortune that the enemy can throw against us.
Prateep V Philip
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Dear Prateep, thank you for expounding on this profound truth .... your 'teaching' has taken this very short verse and made it applicable and practicable for our daily living. I pray this verse often, and your explanation of this truth is extremely helpful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNalla.
God be praised. I firmly believe that the Spirit of God is prompting you with the appropriate verses and meditations as you have been sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the passage "Sheep Values versus Wolf Values", the Spirit of God has led you with such deep thoughts as most appropriate for anyone to read and understand. This is possible only when the Holy Spirit is dividing the Word rightly to you. We praise God and thank God for you, dear Brother.
Today's reading made rich the knowledge in understanding this particular verse. I have heard many explain this in many ways and the way you have been led to explain this did make a great impact to me. So, thank you, for consistently sharing The Word with us all. This is such an enriching experience.
Thank God for such people such as you, who are led to share The Word very appropriately.
Thank you, dear Brother, for investing your time in sharing your thoughts. They are most useful to all of us. The Word of God has life and has the capacity to speak to each of us. And when this Word is made in a more palatable form with your Spirit filled understanding and your applicability, this is the heavenly manna.
Have a nice day ahead and a great week ahead, Bro. Philip.
Warm Regards
Samuel G Abraham