Being Sheep Among Wolves

[Jesus said] I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Matthew 10:16

Sheep among wolves are vulnerable, and they must depend on the protection of the shepherd. The Lord says, “As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep” (Ezekiel 34:12). We live each day trusting that Jesus, our ever-present and almighty God will safely lead us and completely provide for us.

But this dependence on the Shepherd is not the only way God wants us to live as his followers. Jesus urged the disciples to be cunning, resourceful, and use every gift they had at their disposal. Human reason, for example, is a useful tool God has given us, but we must remember that reason is only a tool and does not supplant faith in God’s revealed truth in the Bible.

Jesus also urges his disciples to be “innocent as doves.” “Innocent” is the same word used in Romans 16:19 “be innocent about what is evil,” and Philippians 2:15 “so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God.” We are not to be mixed with sin. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we strive to lead lives that are blameless and pure in the eyes of God.

That’s a lot to live up to: have a pure life, be cunning and shrewd about the world and about spreading the gospel, yet be sheep among wolves. How can we do it? Never perfectly, that’s for certain. Which is why we needed Jesus to rescue us from those times when we have not lived up to God’s perfect standard. Thankfully, Jesus has done just that. And now, with the help of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sends into our hearts, we are enabled to daily put to death the sinful nature with which we were born, and to be “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).

Prayer:

Thank you, Jesus, for protecting me from the spiritual wolves that surround me. Amen.

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