Snakes and doves

Have you ever been sent out to do a certain task? 

Maybe you had to sell raffle tickets, gather up a group of people to do some volunteer work, visit someone and bring a message, or go to some foreign country to preach Jesus.

Sending out

Whatever the case, such 'sending out' is often accompanied by a wish for good luck, farewells, warnings (be careful, come back as quick as you can), and lots of advice of course.

When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples, He said this:

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

One or the other

Uh, excuse me Lord? You want me to be as a snake and as a dove? I don't think that will go very well together. It's either one or the other, right? One is either clever or stupid, extravert or introvert, loud or quiet, obnoxious or sweet. Oh, how we love to add labels and put people in boxes. We don't even realize how much we limit ourselves when we do so.

Perfect example

God is different. With Him all things are possible and He wouldn't be God if He had not set the perfect example Himself. Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. Yeah, both the lamb and the lion. Jesus displayed tender compassion as well as harsh anger. He is the judge as well as the savior.

We have a tendency to accept the side of God we like the most and ignore the rest. But, let's not forget, God is love but He is also just. Yes, God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Yes, God forgives but He also corrects and disciplines.

Pure in an evil world

When Jesus says we should be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves, He is not asking for the impossible. He wants us to be pure in an evil world. He wants us to be determined and yet dependent on Him. He wants us to be outspoken and diplomatic at the same time. He gives us both courage and meekness, power and love, alertness and rest.

In Him, we will have the perfect balance. In Him, we will speak up when necessary and be silent when required.

A committed life (or, how to live in this evil word)

Committed to the cause!

Politicians, athletes, activists, and businesspeople are committed to their cause, whether that is serving people, winning a medal, reaching a goal, or making millions. They are people willing to give their time, energy, and devotion to something. They are often totally focused, loyal, and dedicated. 

What about Christians?

What about us? Are we committed to the cause, to a life that pleases God? Are we focused, loyal, and dedicated or are we standing with one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom? I pondered those questions the other day, wondering why so many Christians are being influenced (and sometimes end up being paralyzed) by everything that is happening in our world today.

Our instructions are quite clear

The Bible calls us to live a certain way. 👉 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God (Titus 2:12). It doesn't say we should live in this evil world with fear, worry, and anxiety. Quite the contrary.

Maybe you say, 'Marja, that's not easy.' Well, no one said it would be easy. If we continue to read in that same chapter we will find out how it is possible to live that way. We are called to look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

A committed life

So, we can and should live a life devoted to God while looking forward to what is to come. And then comes verse 14: He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Totally committed to doing good deeds. It is the antidote to being sucked into the dramas of this world if you ask me!

In, but not of this world (4)

It is our calling, no matter what the circumstances are, to shine like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people (Philippians 2:14-15) I wrote in my previous post.

Is that possible? Do we have God's promise that it is possible to shine in and so defeat the darkness?

Yes, we do. In 1 John 5:4-5 it is written: For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

We achieve victory over this dark world through our faith. Note that it says 'we achieve'. It is not something we can passively obtain. We must take action in order not to let this evil world influence us and eventually overwhelm us. 

We have to make daily choices in order to shine like stars. Conscious choices in our:

• THINKING - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2)
• TALKING - Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone (Colossians 4:6)
• ACTING - Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God (Psalm 1:1)

Easy? Nope. Possible? Yep. Otherwise it wouldn't be asked of us. We simply cannot think like everyone else is thinking (fear, crisis, defeat, anger etc.). We simply cannot talk like everyone is talking (negative, fearful, repeating the news) etc. And last, but certainly not least, we simply cannot act like everyone else is acting (selfish, greedy, proud, lawless etc.)

The Bible clearly teaches us to live a different life, to be in this world but to not adapt its ways!

In, but not of this world (3)

Jesus said: As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (John 15:18-19).

Jesus has chosen us out of the world, yet at the same time, He requested that God would not take us out of the world (John 17:15). How to interpret this?

As I wrote in my previous blog, this is the rescue plan: He wants to save us from this evil world. It is possible to live in this world but not belong to it, because we belong to the Kingdom of God (Galatians 1:4-5).

This evil world... is it that bad? Yes, and we should stop acting as if that is a big surprise. 1 John 5:19 says: We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 👉The world is under control of the evil one, scary maybe... but let's not forget that the Kingdom is under God's control!

This is the difference between darkness and light. Somehow both are present in the world we live in. We can see the evil around us clearly, daily even. But what about the light? Do we shine in this dark world? Are we visible as children of the light?

In Philippians 2:14-15 it is written: Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 

This is our calling, this is our assignment, no matter what the circumstances are. In my next post, we will look at how and what in order to make this practical!

In, but not of this world (2)

In my previous blog post, I mentioned the prayer request of Jesus: I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one (John 17:15).

It is God's will that his disciples/followers are in this world, but at the same time... not belong to it (John 17:16). I hope you took the time to read John 17:10-20 a few times. It is such an interesting prayer.

Maybe you are thinking 'Well, I never belonged to the world. I was born in a Christian family, and I've always been to church.' Whether we belong (or not belong) to the world has nothing to do with the way we grew up but everything with God's calling.

In John 15:18-19 Jesus told His disciples: If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Jesus called the disciples out of the world into His Kingdom and He is still calling people today. 👉As a matter of fact, Jesus has chosen all of mankind to come out of this wicked world and enter His Kingdom. All we have to do is say yes to Him and to His plan of salvation.

Is it that simple, Marja? Yes, it is. Let's take a look at Galatians 1:4-5 where it is written, Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

This is the rescue plan! It is possible to live in this world (as long as we're breathing) but at the same time belong to the Kingdom of God. Yeah, with our feet on the ground and our head in the clouds, so to speak 😁

In, but not of this world (1)

We live in a strange world, a world full of opposites... beautiful and heart-wrenching, breathtaking and cringing, wonderful and cruel. We love this place, but we hate what is going on. We long for heaven and yet we want to stay here.

In this new blog series, I want to stop and pause and take a closer look at this awesome, crazy, amazing, rotten, wicked, fantastic world Jesus tells us to go into...  in order to share the good news!

It might be opposed to popular Christian thinking, but Jesus actually prayed to God the Father and asked Him not to take us out of this world. We are not supposed to live on a spiritual island, safe within our little Christian circles. It is His will that we are in this world, but not without protection.

I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one (John 17:15).

Don't take 'm out of this world, Jesus prayed, because the world needs to see My disciples. Just make sure You keep them safe, Father. Just think about that, we are supposed to be in this world. However, we do not belong to it. Jesus made that very clear when He prayed: They do not belong to this world any more than I do (John 17:16).

👉Please, read John 17:10-20 a few times (preferably in different Bible translations) and let that precious prayer really speak to you. It is a prayer for all of us, for today.

If we are in this world, but not of this world, how then shall we live? How do we keep ourselves from being polluted by worldly thinking, talking, and habits? A friend of this world is an enemy of God, the Bible says.

I hope you will join me in this new blog series! Feel free to share your thoughts and comments.