Welcome!
Date: Thursday, July 22, 2010
Today: Being wise and innocent
Passage: Matthew 10:16 NIV
16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
The true believer is a true witness of Christ
They are never upset or sad because of his/her choice to be a follower of Christ
There may be oppositions and trials. There may be threats
But the trust and confidence in Christ supersedes all of that
While Christians in some parts of the world live fearless because there is no apparent opposition, Christians in most parts of the world live in fear
They go to bed, but spend most of the night in prayer
They face threats all the time, for being a believer in Christ
Sometime back, I was watching a video clipping on believers in Turkey
In the middle of so much of threats, they have great confidence in Christ
They are only very few in number, but they are willing to die for Christ
The persecution is spreading like cancer. It is coming to the west
It will be sudden. Things (laws) can change overnight
There is fast work going on beneath the surface
All of a sudden, it will be revealed
So, make use of every opportunity, when there is still light, and when there is still freedom to worship
There is no time to correct that brother and this sister or even the Pastor
It is time to look into our own lives
10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Mat. 24: 10-13, NIV)
We can see how even the believers are getting more self-centered these days, having no concern for others
Many a time, the trouble comes from the “friends”
I mean, people open their hearts to their friends and family
Some people are wise; some are not
Some are honest; some are crooked
Sometimes, people whom you thought as “enemies” will be your only help, and your “friends” will do the worst
In many cases, believers were attacked by those who acted as “friends”
Strengthening our personal spiritual lives is the key thing for a believer
We need discernment about people as well as things
What to say and what not to say, whom to say to and whom, not to say to
We can be sincere and say everything to somebody, but we may be sincerely wrong!
That person may “sincerely” say that to somebody else, who may not be sincere
It is better to put our trust in God and tell everything to Him
We must devote our self to prayer and reading of the scripture
We must have a humble attitude, repentance, a heart of love and compassion
Many a time, the problem is this:
People who “profess” to be Christians have no smell of Christ in them
When a non-believer gets close to a believer, they will get the “real” smell, beyond the fragrance of the perfume spray
Many people were turned away from God, because of the fake Christians
Unfortunately, many of us are greedy for power, possessions and politics
When the son of man comes, many of us will have to say, “wait a minute, Lord”
But we won’t have time for that
It is time to repent
God bless
BG
Prayer: Lord, help me to be of wisdom and discernment, to be wise like a snake and innocent as a dove, in this generation. Amen