“Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4b KJV)
Sven and Ingrid were going on a trip to Norway to visit relatives. They were scheduled to leave from the airport in Minneapolis. When they got to the city, Sven went to the headquarters of their local bank and asked for a loan. “Well,” the loan officer said, “we will need collateral.”
“Yah, sure, you betcha,” said Sven. “Here are de keys to my car. I vould like $500 for three weeks.”
“This is highly irregular,” said the loan officer, “but you’ve been a good customer in the past. Bring your car around front and my secretary will park it in our underground parking garage for three weeks.”
Sven thanked the man and he and Ingrid caught a city bus to the airport. When they returned to the bank three weeks later, Sven paid back the loan, with interest and fees. The banker said to Sven, “I just don’t understand why you needed the loan. You have plenty of money in your account.”
“Yah, vell can you tell me any other safe place I could keep my car in de big city for three weeks for $15.40?”
Since the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, the world has been a dangerous place. In Matthew 10:16 Jesus told His disciples that He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves. He said that they should be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
While some people live only for themselves, God’s plan for His followers is very different. Our first concern is not supposed to be us. We are called to live our lives for Him. He doesn’t want us to be naive about the evils that surround us. He also doesn’t want us to be overcome with fear. Rather, He wants us to live carefully, even shrewdly, in the midst of a fallen world. He calls us to humbly and graciously trust that He will be our shield and defender as we walk with Him.
Gracious God, wash away the selfishness and fear in our lives. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Teach us how to follow You. Give us wisdom far greater than those who try to deceive. Create in us pure hearts and right spirits, so that we will truly be innocent as doves. When evil threatens to overpower us, remind us that You, living in us, are much more powerful than all that is in the world. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.