Breakfast For Your Soul

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

[Matthew 10:16  ~KJV]

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“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.
[Matthew 10:16  ~New Living Translation]

The Bible is timeless and eternal.  Now, Jesus was talking to His disciples, but I believe, as His disciples today, it wasn’t only for Peter, James and John and the crew, it was for us to.  That Word had no expiration date.  I found the animal choices interesting.  Wise as serpents.  That sounds like a reference to the Garden of Eden.  Remember, the bible declares the serpent as “more cunning than any beast God had made” (Genesis 3:1).  That disproves the misconception that God’s people somehow check their intelligence at the moment of their conversion, and are somehow not as wise as some in pop culture.  On the contrary, many of us are a double threat, full of the wisdom of God and the knowledge of this worlds affairs.  We should never be afraid to dialog with people whose belief system opposes ours.  Who knows… God may have them in our life for such a time as this.  Gods Word encourages us not to be afraid of what we should say in desperate times… It was actually telling them what to do after they were beaten and arrested.  Now that’s a desperate time!  We were told that in those times the Holy Spirit would give us what to say.  Doves among wolves… Doves are gentle and smart.  They are beautiful and sensitive… an odd match for a wolf.  The wolf is an interesting animal.  They have different personalities like people, are family oriented, very smart and are fiercely protective of their young.  They are hunters and warriors.  They do whatever is necessary to survive.  If you are perceived a threat they will probably try to take you out.  This is the culture Jesus was sending His disciples into, and it is the same with us today.  He wants us to approach those within our circle of influence with the right mindset … with the ability to assess our situation and use the correct tool.  We need to know how to use the wisdom we’ve been given, and when to be gentle and harmless.  Our job is not to bite and devour each other, but we are Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven pointing folks to Jesus.  Our goal is to live the life we preach, and when we fall short not to try and hide it, but to confess our sins to each other, and do whatever is necessary to fix it.  The goal is to have a testimony of “used tos”… what we used to do.  There should be a change in our life that is so evident people notice.  Getting rid of that ‘old man’, so that we can live in victory with the ‘new man’.  For all of their cynicism, I believe there are people who do want to see somebody living a ‘good’ life.  Not just financially good, but a life of peace, with good friends, good family relationships, good working relationships, good community relationships, and a good relationship with a Good God …

Bread of Life -2 Corinthians 2:14 2 of 127   Jesus said in John 6:36 “I am the bread of life”. It is up to the believers to take the Bread of Life (Jesus) out of the Bakery (the church building), to where the hungry people are. After eating “Satan’s Garbage”, the aroma of the Bread of Life will certainly smell good. January 1, 2007

Desert Oasis -Isaiah 55:2 9 of 127   The Kingdom of God, the Church, is an oasis in the middle of the dry desert of the world. God invites those who are thirsty to come and partake of His bounteous table.. January 1

Don’t Open That Door -Genesis 4:7 14 of 127   Temptation may seem harmless, but it will lead to sin, which is not harmless at all. If we confess our sin, we will be forgiven (I John 1:9), but that doesn’t mean that we will escape all of the consequences for our sin. January 20, 2007

Porcupines -1 Peter 4:8 16 of 127   Like these porcupines, we humans can be prickly creatures at times, and we can hurt those who are close to us without meaning to. We must learn to forgive and allow those hurts to be healed. February 10, 2007

King James Version view cartoons in Biblical order Copyright 2009 Michael D. Waters

Lifeboat -John 3:17 19 of 127   The world around us is sinking further down into sin and decay everyday, but thank God we don’t have to sink with it. March 3, 2007