Being sly as wolves and being foolish like doves

[skang5]

This chapter reminds me of 1 John 5:19. "... the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." The true reality is this world is full of ferocious wolves. As Jesus asserts in His priestly prayer in John 17, we are not of this world but we are in this world. That's Jesus exhorts us to be as wise as a serpent but be innocent as a dove. With this evil reality we are living in, it's crucial to be trained to be wise and at the same time innocent. However, I found it very difficult even for myself. Often, we apply Jesus' exhortation in an opposite way. We become very cunning and sly as wolves within church and we become so foolish as doves in the world. No wonder we don't experience many victories. I feel I need to pay close attention and obey Jesus' exhortation for myself first and for others.