[Christianity] Stratagems of Honest People
Jesus told his disciples that they are lambs sent into the midst of wolves. Therefore, they have to be shrewd like snakes and as innocent as doves.(Matthew 10:16 NIV). How could you put two clashing concepts together?
Is this a passage to have a reason for Christians having white lies? Are Christians eligible to lie?
We often associate shrewd with a derogatory meaning. We often deliberately think of it as taking treacherous acts, manipulative and poisonous. But, that's not what Jesus meant.
As a clue also on Matthew, Jesus said this before, "All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37 NIV)
A white lie is a lie and it belongs to the evil, not God's! God not need a strategy of his arch-nemesis. He don't need our help. He loves our devotions as an offering and lie isn't one of it.
What Jesus meant was what New King James Version (NKJV) used as a term to serve the meaning better: wise. It was never meant for Jesus' follower to take lies as a strategy. It was meant for us to have better wits against our enemies. Jesus wanted his disciple have the arsenals to defend our honesty wittingly.
We are sheep sent into the mids of wolves. We have to have a mechanism to defend ourselves without losing our identity. How could sheep living together among the wolves?
A General from our country said this to his fellow Christians, "if a Moslem and a Christian both have 70 points, our country would first pick up the Moslem. To beat that other candidate, a Christian have to have 90 points."
We can't reject the reality that people would most comfortable with persons with the same mind. That plus is what actually makes the difference. And with current brainwashing by people from the Middle East, that gap of a difference widens.
Does that mean we as a Christian must crush them? Using genocide to defeat them? Using foul play to downplay them? Like Saddam Husein, a Sunni that oppress the Shi'ite majority?
Absolutely NO! What a terrible idea! That would makes us non-follower of Christ. This was what Jesus warned of his disciple: there would be people that would be rejected on the judgement day even if they thought that they were doing things for Christ.
Besides, not all of our Moslem brethren are narrow minded people. How could we disservice them? How could God's people betray good people?
Instead, what we do is we outwitted others by honing our skills. Make it that our skill is so good that we outclass them. Now, they have a reason to defend us from being dumped.
Jesus put a distinction between honest people and naive people! Naive people is a type in the dumb spectrum of honest people. Jesus emphasize the other side of the spectrum of honest people that outwitted the world.
There would be people that want to test out our honesty. Be wise to such people! Don't let them see your weakness to overthrow you. Be witty like the snake!
Do maneuver against sharp rocks when we are going places. Hide under the rocks when predators nearby. Some snakes playing dead. Some snakes rattling their tail to bark.
All of them learn about the danger. All of them listen to the surrounding. All of them hone an abilty to read the situation when a predator comes.
Defend your honesty with better strategy and trust in the Lord's providence that grace His people with wise actions. Amen.
Reference:
Is this a passage to have a reason for Christians having white lies? Are Christians eligible to lie?
We often associate shrewd with a derogatory meaning. We often deliberately think of it as taking treacherous acts, manipulative and poisonous. But, that's not what Jesus meant.
As a clue also on Matthew, Jesus said this before, "All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37 NIV)
A white lie is a lie and it belongs to the evil, not God's! God not need a strategy of his arch-nemesis. He don't need our help. He loves our devotions as an offering and lie isn't one of it.
What Jesus meant was what New King James Version (NKJV) used as a term to serve the meaning better: wise. It was never meant for Jesus' follower to take lies as a strategy. It was meant for us to have better wits against our enemies. Jesus wanted his disciple have the arsenals to defend our honesty wittingly.
We are sheep sent into the mids of wolves. We have to have a mechanism to defend ourselves without losing our identity. How could sheep living together among the wolves?
A General from our country said this to his fellow Christians, "if a Moslem and a Christian both have 70 points, our country would first pick up the Moslem. To beat that other candidate, a Christian have to have 90 points."
We can't reject the reality that people would most comfortable with persons with the same mind. That plus is what actually makes the difference. And with current brainwashing by people from the Middle East, that gap of a difference widens.
Does that mean we as a Christian must crush them? Using genocide to defeat them? Using foul play to downplay them? Like Saddam Husein, a Sunni that oppress the Shi'ite majority?
Absolutely NO! What a terrible idea! That would makes us non-follower of Christ. This was what Jesus warned of his disciple: there would be people that would be rejected on the judgement day even if they thought that they were doing things for Christ.
Besides, not all of our Moslem brethren are narrow minded people. How could we disservice them? How could God's people betray good people?
Instead, what we do is we outwitted others by honing our skills. Make it that our skill is so good that we outclass them. Now, they have a reason to defend us from being dumped.
Jesus put a distinction between honest people and naive people! Naive people is a type in the dumb spectrum of honest people. Jesus emphasize the other side of the spectrum of honest people that outwitted the world.
There would be people that want to test out our honesty. Be wise to such people! Don't let them see your weakness to overthrow you. Be witty like the snake!
Do maneuver against sharp rocks when we are going places. Hide under the rocks when predators nearby. Some snakes playing dead. Some snakes rattling their tail to bark.
All of them learn about the danger. All of them listen to the surrounding. All of them hone an abilty to read the situation when a predator comes.
Defend your honesty with better strategy and trust in the Lord's providence that grace His people with wise actions. Amen.
Reference:
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