Shrewd Dealing

Transcript:

In a world filled with bad news, today remember that the presence of God is with you. He will protect you and take care of every detail of your life. If you can trust in God’s plan for your life, no weapon against you can ever prosper. No infectious disease will come near your dwelling; and even if it does come and attack you, you will come out victorious in the mighty name of Jesus. A child of God will not be defeated as he/she carries the Spirit of victory inside him/her.

According to the scripture, God wants His people to exercise their wisdom, shrewdness, knowledge, etc. for the purpose that God has placed them on the earth. They should not be swayed by emotions and the words of other people without using the wisdom that God has given. Luke 16:8 says, “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. – NLT

The lesson that can be learnt from this verse is to use worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. God protects and provides for His people. On the earth, a child of God will have worldly resources like information, connections and contacts, wealth, etc. One should learn to use these worldly resources in a shrewd manner.

Sometimes people of the world do a better job at managing their resources.

One should ask themselves the questions, ‘what am I here on earth for?’ and ‘how can I use my physical resources?’ People of God generally know to use their spiritual resources; they should also know to use the physical resources, not for their own benefit but for the glory of God and to expand the Kingdom of God.

1 Peter 2:9 says, But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

This is the goal and purpose of God’s people; to use all their spiritual and physical resources to benefit others, show the goodness of God, and expand His Kingdom.

For example, one can use their resources to talk about Jesus, have real conversations with people that will help them open up their lives, bless them and help them experience newness. Sometimes people of God are very naive and don’t use the wisdom that God has given to make friends and spread the word. One should be an ambassador for the gospel message.

One can research and understand the best possible way to talk with the person he/she wants to share the gospel with; learn the language they understand, be thoughtful and shrewd about presenting the love of God; and ask God to show the right place, time and words to use.