SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/9/2021 11:19 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: PT-1
“The Attitude”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
10:16b
Message of the
verse: “therefore be shrewd as
serpents, and innocent as doves.”
In older writings such as Egyptian hieroglyphics and
other older writings serpents symbolize wisdom.
They were considered to be shrewd, smart, cunning, and cautious. In that characteristic, at least, Christians
are to emulate serpents. I have to say that
I never thought that I would want to be anything like a serpent.
Paul writes the following in Col. 4:5 “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the
most of the opportunity.” The servants
of the Lord are to be shrewd and cunning in dealing with the unbelieving world
around them.
MacArthur writes: “The basic idea is that of saying the right
thing at the right time and place, of having a sense of propriety and
appropriateness, and of trying to discover the best means to achieve the
highest goal. It is neither wise nor
loving to be needlessly accusatory or inflammatory. When the Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus
into either defending or condemning the Roman government by asking Him about paying
taxes to Caesar, He did not take the occasion to vilify Caesar or the Roman
government—vile, debauched, unjust, and ungodly as they were. Nord did He condone their wickedness. He replied simply, ‘Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s (Matt.
22:21). It is neither brave nor wise,
and neither spiritual nor loving, to needlessly incite anger or court trouble.”
Now we move to talk about doves, the
most harmless and gentle of birds. Doves
represent being pure, or innocent, which is another characteristic of the
faithful disciple of Christ. By being
true to God’s Word and uncompromising in proclaiming the gospel, it does not
require, and should never include, being abrasive, course, inconsiderate,
belligerent, blatant, or blunt.
In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 we see Paul’s
heart in how he spoke to others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and with that
we will conclude this SD.
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made
myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. 20 And to the Jews I became
as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the
Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are
under the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not
being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win
those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the
weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. 23
And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow
partaker of it.
10/9/2021 11:37 AM
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