“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15″Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.” (Matthew 10:11-15)
God’s sending of His Messiah was the greatest blessing that God had given the world since it turned against Him. Through Jesus we can have Life! He offers us true peace as we discussed yesterday. But this comes with a catch. God is restoring the world back to Him through us as His servants and as much is given to us, much is expected.
Sodom and Gomorrah existed in a time far removed from Adam. God did not allow their wretchedness to continue, but Jesus points out that those who did not accept His message had a worse fate in store. Because we live in a time when access to God’s full and complete grace is so easy to grab hold of, God expects us to choose Him. God has bestowed on us the greater blessing, and with it comes greater judgment for those who choose to ignore Him.
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Mt 10:16)
Jesus sent His disciples out to be sheep among wolves. He intended them, and each succeeding generation until He returns, to carry His Light into the areas of darkness that surround us. The first question is…Do you do it? Sometimes, I know I fall short by being too much like the world and therefore His Light is indistinguishable from the darkness around me. What about you?
Are you a serpent or a dove? We’re called to both.
The serpent symbolizes discernment. We were pulled out of the world and still live in the middle of it, so we must be able to fully understand what the people we are communicating with are going through. How are they understanding the life they are living?
The dove symbolizes innocence or purity. The dove is not worried, it is like a child blissfully going through life without a care. It does not think evil of others. This should be our life in the Spirit. It is a matter of faith. Do you have faith that God will take care of your every need as you follow Him? He wants to if you will have this faith in Him, and as you do, your closeness with Him grows. Then we can truly understand what God is doing in any given situation.
What can you add to this? Have you seen this play out? Thanks for inviting others to this blog, we really appreciate it.