The sales manager of a large company was hard at work, poring over his computer screens, checking sales figures and considering how to motivate his sales force. Just then a young insurance salesman appeared at his door and said, “You wouldn’t want to buy any insurance, would you?” “My friend,” said the sales manager, “who taught you how to sell? Don’t ever ask that kind of question. Your problem is a lack of confidence. Give me an application form. I’ll buy some insurance just to give you some confidence in yourself.” After filling out the application, he advised the young man, “Now remember, each customer is different. You have to figure out the approach that fits each person best. Find out what will motivate them to buy.” “That is exactly what I do,” said the salesman. “I just gave you my approach for sales managers. It works every time.” A shrewd and clever young salesman.
Today we read a parable from Luke chapter 16. It’s considered one of Jesus’ most difficult parables. But the key is found in verse 8, which has two parts. The first part is Jesus telling the end of the parable. “And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” Then in the second part of the verse Jesus gives the application of the story. He says, “for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” Now who are the children of light – well, that’s us, God’s own people, redeemed through his Son’s sacrifice. Jesus is calling us, the children of light, to be shrewd believers.
So to the story. A wealthy landowner had manager working for him. He heard that this manager was squandering his property. He called the manager on the carpet. “Get your books in order. You’re fired!” But rather than showing him the door right away he apparently gave him two weeks’ notice. The manager used the time well. He knew he couldn’t dig ditches or beg, so he decided to approach the wealthy man’s customers. He thought, “If I do a favor for them then they might support me or give me a job.”” He called them in one by one. He asked them, “How much do you owe my master?” The first answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” “Fine,” said the clever manager, “Take your bill and quickly make it fifty.” Another came in. “How much do you owe my master?” “A hundred containers of wheat,” the man replied. “Take your bill and make it eighty.” So he reduced all their bills, which were very large. The clients must have been very happy. No doubt they would look after the manager after his dismissal.
What happens next, though? Well, just think about it. No doubt those farmers went to the landowner’s house to thank him for being so generous. Suddenly the landowner realized that he had been outsmarted by his manager. He was in an awkward situation. He had two options. He could have his manager thrown in jail and tell the farmers that they still owed the full amount. Or he could say nothing and gain a reputation for being kindly and generous. He chose option 2. Then the owner commended the clever manager because “he had acted shrewdly.” Maybe shrewdness was a quality that the landowner recognized and valued in himself. Perhaps he even rehired the shrewd manager and gave him a second chance.
Now let’s be clear here. Jesus is not praising the manager for dishonesty. Rather Jesus is praising the man’s resourcefulness in the time of crisis. He is lifting up the fact that he acted shrewdly. And while we think of being shrewd as a rather negative quality, it isn’t always. The dictionary defines being shrewd as “having or showing sharp powers of judgment; being astute.” “The children of this age,” says Jesus, “are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” Jesus is saying to his followers. “Don’t be naïve as you let your light shine in this world. Be aware of realities. Don’t be dishonest, but be awake and astute.” Jesus is calling us to be shrewd believers. What are the characteristics of shrewd believers?
First, shrewd believers are aware of the world’s crookedness.
Shrewd believers don’t look at the world with rose-coloured glasses. While we are eager to discover and lift up what is good, we know that it’s not all like that. There is a crookedness in this world which infects people and relationships. And we must stay aware.
Jesus’ parable exposes the world’s crookedness. The wealthy landowner may have been crushing his tenant farmers with nearly unpayable debts. According to the law the Jewish people were not to charge fellow Jews interest on loans. But they found a way around that. They demanded a lump sum as re-payment which was the original loan with a hefty premium tacked on. They just didn’t call that premium interest. And the manager was crooked in his dealings, too.
The world is not much different today. I think of the company stores which existed in parts of Canada less than a century ago. The store provided housing and food and clothing for the workers and their families at high prices, and charged it all against their earnings. Some weeks, workers’ pay cheques would be less than zero. The workers were in perpetual debt.
Many people are crushed by a burden of debt today. Now you say, “It’s their own fault.” Well yes, but it’s easy for people, to get taken in by outlandish promises and claims. It’s hard to buy something today, especially a big ticket item, or to get something fixed, without a sneaking suspicion that you’re paying too much. There is so much crookedness and deceit around us. There are people who use fraudulent computer and telephone schemes to take our money. Some are obviously fake, but some are very sophisticated and can snare people, especially honest people. We can’t assume that all people are good and well-intentioned. Some are, and certainly the children of light should be, but really everyone needs to be checked out. There are crooked people out there, people who will quickly take advantage of us.
Jesus was well aware of the world’s crookedness. He tipped over tables and set animals free in protesting crooked practices in the temple. He knew that people were being taken advantage of. Jesus was open and loving and kind and generous, but he also knew what was in people. Jesus knew that certain people were out to get him. He knew they would resort to crookedness and outright lies to get rid of him. And they did. Jesus was not naive when it came to the world. The sinless one, the one in whom there was no crookedness at all, suffered greatly at the hands of crooked men. Jesus once told his disciples, “Be innocent as doves and wise as serpents.” Be shrewd about the world. Don’t let yourself be taken in. Test carefully and frequently. And most of all, don’t cooperate with the world’s crookedness. Let your integrity shine brightly in the darkness, for you are a child of light
Secondly, shrewd believers are wise in using the resources God supplies.
The crisis was at hand and the manager made use of the resources he had. He used the time he had left in the master’s employ. He made good use of his financial resources, actually, the master’s financial resources that had been entrusted to him. So Jesus calls believers to be shrewd in the use of our God-given resources.
A man came to his pastor’s office one day, very troubled. With a quivering voice the man said “Pastor, I’m scared. I’ve just come from the doctor’s office, and he told me that I have only six months to live. After I left the office, I realized that I have no spiritual resources, no inner strength to cope with this. I have nothing to fall back on, to lean against. Many people would be surprised to hear me say that, for people think I’m a success not only at making money, and also at making myself a strong and powerful person. But really I’m not.”
Now I don’t know what the Pastor said to him, but what he could have said was, “So far, you have not called upon God’s resources as you could have. You have not built up spiritual resilience. But God has given you six months and all his resources are available to you right now. Call upon him and he will fill your lack. It’s not too late to make wise use of what God provides.”
God has given us marvelous resources to help us not just through crises, but everyday living. There is the open door of prayer, the church’s worship, God’s word in Scripture, the fellowship of believers, the promises of the Gospel. As we attend to these resources on a regular basis, we discover that God is faithful and true to his word. We really do grow in faith and hope and love.
Time is a resource God gives to us. Time passes quickly, and it’s to be used wisely. Eternity is on the horizon and may be here before we know it. Shrewd believers use God’s gift for their spiritual strengthening and for Kingdom purposes. So we make room in our schedule for personal spiritual growth and renewal, through prayer and worship and Scripture reading, and also for serving God through the church.
Money is another resource God has given us. A layperson stood up at a meeting called to discuss his church’s financial issues. He said to his fellow church members, “We have plenty of money in this church. That’s not the problem. It’s just that it’s still in our pockets.” Now as Jesus says, we cannot serve both God and wealth. But we can use our wealth to serve God. And serving God with our money helps keeps money in perspective. It keeps money from becoming an idol. We discover that money is a poor master but a great tool. You see, God allows us to have money not just for our own needs and pleasures, but also for the work of God’s Kingdom. Shrewd believers ask themselves, “Is my offering pleasing not just to myself, but more importantly, to God?” Your faithful use of money can accomplish much for God’s Kingdom and his people. And in heaven, you will be welcomed by people who experienced Kingdom blessings on earth through your faithful use of what God has entrusted to you.
We are not resource poor. In fact, quite the opposite. Look around. Look at what God has given to you, to us. Let us be shrewd and wise in using those abundant resources.
The greatest resource God has given us to trust and to share is Jesus Christ, His only Son. Jesus is our balm in Gilead. He is our great physician. He is the One who restores and heals our souls. He is our Saviour. Let’s face it. Not one of us, not even the best among us, has always been wise or faithful in using what God has given us. None of us has always let our light brightly shine in this dark world. Sometimes we have even joined with the crookedness of this world. Only Jesus was without sin. Shrewd believers know themselves; they know that they have sinned and fallen short; shrewd believers know that they need Christ; that he alone is our hope for this life and the life to come. That is why we cling to him, our crucified and risen Saviour. How about you? Are you a shrewd believer, knowing your need, trusting in Christ and his word? May it be so, for it is through him that you and I have become children of light, in this age and forevermore.
The sales manager of a large company was hard at work, poring over his computer screens, checking sales figures and considering how to motivate his sales force. Just then a young insurance salesman appeared at his door and said, “You wouldn’t want to buy any insurance, would you?” “My friend,” said the sales manager, “who taught you how to sell? Don’t ever ask that kind of question. Your problem is a lack of confidence. Give me an application form. I’ll buy some insurance just to give you some confidence in yourself.” After filling out the application, he advised the young man, “Now remember, each customer is different. You have to figure out the approach that fits each person best. Find out what will motivate them to buy.” “That is exactly what I do,” said the salesman. “I just gave you my approach for sales managers. It works every time.” A shrewd and clever young salesman.
Today we read a parable from Luke chapter 16. It’s considered one of Jesus’ most difficult parables. But the key is found in verse 8, which has two parts. The first part is Jesus telling the end of the parable. “And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” Then in the second part of the verse Jesus gives the application of the story. He says, “for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” Now who are the children of light – well, that’s us, God’s own people, redeemed through his Son’s sacrifice. Jesus is calling us, the children of light, to be shrewd believers.
So to the story. A wealthy landowner had manager working for him. He heard that this manager was squandering his property. He called the manager on the carpet. “Get your books in order. You’re fired!” But rather than showing him the door right away he apparently gave him two weeks’ notice. The manager used the time well. He knew he couldn’t dig ditches or beg, so he decided to approach the wealthy man’s customers. He thought, “If I do a favor for them then they might support me or give me a job.”” He called them in one by one. He asked them, “How much do you owe my master?” The first answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” “Fine,” said the clever manager, “Take your bill and quickly make it fifty.” Another came in. “How much do you owe my master?” “A hundred containers of wheat,” the man replied. “Take your bill and make it eighty.” So he reduced all their bills, which were very large. The clients must have been very happy. No doubt they would look after the manager after his dismissal.
What happens next, though? Well, just think about it. No doubt those farmers went to the landowner’s house to thank him for being so generous. Suddenly the landowner realized that he had been outsmarted by his manager. He was in an awkward situation. He had two options. He could have his manager thrown in jail and tell the farmers that they still owed the full amount. Or he could say nothing and gain a reputation for being kindly and generous. He chose option 2. Then the owner commended the clever manager because “he had acted shrewdly.” Maybe shrewdness was a quality that the landowner recognized and valued in himself. Perhaps he even rehired the shrewd manager and gave him a second chance.
Now let’s be clear here. Jesus is not praising the manager for dishonesty. Rather Jesus is praising the man’s resourcefulness in the time of crisis. He is lifting up the fact that he acted shrewdly. And while we think of being shrewd as a rather negative quality, it isn’t always. The dictionary defines being shrewd as “having or showing sharp powers of judgment; being astute.” “The children of this age,” says Jesus, “are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” Jesus is saying to his followers. “Don’t be naïve as you let your light shine in this world. Be aware of realities. Don’t be dishonest, but be awake and astute.” Jesus is calling us to be shrewd believers. What are the characteristics of shrewd believers?
First, shrewd believers are aware of the world’s crookedness.
Shrewd believers don’t look at the world with rose-coloured glasses. While we are eager to discover and lift up what is good, we know that it’s not all like that. There is a crookedness in this world which infects people and relationships. And we must stay aware.
Jesus’ parable exposes the world’s crookedness. The wealthy landowner may have been crushing his tenant farmers with nearly unpayable debts. According to the law the Jewish people were not to charge fellow Jews interest on loans. But they found a way around that. They demanded a lump sum as re-payment which was the original loan with a hefty premium tacked on. They just didn’t call that premium interest. And the manager was crooked in his dealings, too.
The world is not much different today. I think of the company stores which existed in parts of Canada less than a century ago. The store provided housing and food and clothing for the workers and their families at high prices, and charged it all against their earnings. Some weeks, workers’ pay cheques would be less than zero. The workers were in perpetual debt.
Many people are crushed by a burden of debt today. Now you say, “It’s their own fault.” Well yes, but it’s easy for people, to get taken in by outlandish promises and claims. It’s hard to buy something today, especially a big ticket item, or to get something fixed, without a sneaking suspicion that you’re paying too much. There is so much crookedness and deceit around us. There are people who use fraudulent computer and telephone schemes to take our money. Some are obviously fake, but some are very sophisticated and can snare people, especially honest people. We can’t assume that all people are good and well-intentioned. Some are, and certainly the children of light should be, but really everyone needs to be checked out. There are crooked people out there, people who will quickly take advantage of us.
Jesus was well aware of the world’s crookedness. He tipped over tables and set animals free in protesting crooked practices in the temple. He knew that people were being taken advantage of. Jesus was open and loving and kind and generous, but he also knew what was in people. Jesus knew that certain people were out to get him. He knew they would resort to crookedness and outright lies to get rid of him. And they did. Jesus was not naive when it came to the world. The sinless one, the one in whom there was no crookedness at all, suffered greatly at the hands of crooked men. Jesus once told his disciples, “Be innocent as doves and wise as serpents.” Be shrewd about the world. Don’t let yourself be taken in. Test carefully and frequently. And most of all, don’t cooperate with the world’s crookedness. Let your integrity shine brightly in the darkness, for you are a child of light
Secondly, shrewd believers are wise in using the resources God supplies.
The crisis was at hand and the manager made use of the resources he had. He used the time he had left in the master’s employ. He made good use of his financial resources, actually, the master’s financial resources that had been entrusted to him. So Jesus calls believers to be shrewd in the use of our God-given resources.
A man came to his pastor’s office one day, very troubled. With a quivering voice the man said “Pastor, I’m scared. I’ve just come from the doctor’s office, and he told me that I have only six months to live. After I left the office, I realized that I have no spiritual resources, no inner strength to cope with this. I have nothing to fall back on, to lean against. Many people would be surprised to hear me say that, for people think I’m a success not only at making money, and also at making myself a strong and powerful person. But really I’m not.”
Now I don’t know what the Pastor said to him, but what he could have said was, “So far, you have not called upon God’s resources as you could have. You have not built up spiritual resilience. But God has given you six months and all his resources are available to you right now. Call upon him and he will fill your lack. It’s not too late to make wise use of what God provides.”
God has given us marvelous resources to help us not just through crises, but everyday living. There is the open door of prayer, the church’s worship, God’s word in Scripture, the fellowship of believers, the promises of the Gospel. As we attend to these resources on a regular basis, we discover that God is faithful and true to his word. We really do grow in faith and hope and love.
Time is a resource God gives to us. Time passes quickly, and it’s to be used wisely. Eternity is on the horizon and may be here before we know it. Shrewd believers use God’s gift for their spiritual strengthening and for Kingdom purposes. So we make room in our schedule for personal spiritual growth and renewal, through prayer and worship and Scripture reading, and also for serving God through the church.
Money is another resource God has given us. A layperson stood up at a meeting called to discuss his church’s financial issues. He said to his fellow church members, “We have plenty of money in this church. That’s not the problem. It’s just that it’s still in our pockets.” Now as Jesus says, we cannot serve both God and wealth. But we can use our wealth to serve God. And serving God with our money helps keeps money in perspective. It keeps money from becoming an idol. We discover that money is a poor master but a great tool. You see, God allows us to have money not just for our own needs and pleasures, but also for the work of God’s Kingdom. Shrewd believers ask themselves, “Is my offering pleasing not just to myself, but more importantly, to God?” Your faithful use of money can accomplish much for God’s Kingdom and his people. And in heaven, you will be welcomed by people who experienced Kingdom blessings on earth through your faithful use of what God has entrusted to you.
We are not resource poor. In fact, quite the opposite. Look around. Look at what God has given to you, to us. Let us be shrewd and wise in using those abundant resources.
The greatest resource God has given us to trust and to share is Jesus Christ, His only Son. Jesus is our balm in Gilead. He is our great physician. He is the One who restores and heals our souls. He is our Saviour. Let’s face it. Not one of us, not even the best among us, has always been wise or faithful in using what God has given us. None of us has always let our light brightly shine in this dark world. Sometimes we have even joined with the crookedness of this world. Only Jesus was without sin. Shrewd believers know themselves; they know that they have sinned and fallen short; shrewd believers know that they need Christ; that he alone is our hope for this life and the life to come. That is why we cling to him, our crucified and risen Saviour. How about you? Are you a shrewd believer, knowing your need, trusting in Christ and his word? May it be so, for it is through him that you and I have become children of light, in this age and forevermore.
The sales manager of a large company was hard at work, poring over his computer screens, checking sales figures and considering how to motivate his sales force. Just then a young insurance salesman appeared at his door and said, “You wouldn’t want to buy any insurance, would you?” “My friend,” said the sales manager, “who taught you how to sell? Don’t ever ask that kind of question. Your problem is a lack of confidence. Give me an application form. I’ll buy some insurance just to give you some confidence in yourself.” After filling out the application, he advised the young man, “Now remember, each customer is different. You have to figure out the approach that fits each person best. Find out what will motivate them to buy.” “That is exactly what I do,” said the salesman. “I just gave you my approach for sales managers. It works every time.” A shrewd and clever young salesman.
Today we read a parable from Luke chapter 16. It’s considered one of Jesus’ most difficult parables. But the key is found in verse 8, which has two parts. The first part is Jesus telling the end of the parable. “And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” Then in the second part of the verse Jesus gives the application of the story. He says, “for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” Now who are the children of light – well, that’s us, God’s own people, redeemed through his Son’s sacrifice. Jesus is calling us, the children of light, to be shrewd believers.
So to the story. A wealthy landowner had manager working for him. He heard that this manager was squandering his property. He called the manager on the carpet. “Get your books in order. You’re fired!” But rather than showing him the door right away he apparently gave him two weeks’ notice. The manager used the time well. He knew he couldn’t dig ditches or beg, so he decided to approach the wealthy man’s customers. He thought, “If I do a favor for them then they might support me or give me a job.”” He called them in one by one. He asked them, “How much do you owe my master?” The first answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” “Fine,” said the clever manager, “Take your bill and quickly make it fifty.” Another came in. “How much do you owe my master?” “A hundred containers of wheat,” the man replied. “Take your bill and make it eighty.” So he reduced all their bills, which were very large. The clients must have been very happy. No doubt they would look after the manager after his dismissal.
What happens next, though? Well, just think about it. No doubt those farmers went to the landowner’s house to thank him for being so generous. Suddenly the landowner realized that he had been outsmarted by his manager. He was in an awkward situation. He had two options. He could have his manager thrown in jail and tell the farmers that they still owed the full amount. Or he could say nothing and gain a reputation for being kindly and generous. He chose option 2. Then the owner commended the clever manager because “he had acted shrewdly.” Maybe shrewdness was a quality that the landowner recognized and valued in himself. Perhaps he even rehired the shrewd manager and gave him a second chance.
Now let’s be clear here. Jesus is not praising the manager for dishonesty. Rather Jesus is praising the man’s resourcefulness in the time of crisis. He is lifting up the fact that he acted shrewdly. And while we think of being shrewd as a rather negative quality, it isn’t always. The dictionary defines being shrewd as “having or showing sharp powers of judgment; being astute.” “The children of this age,” says Jesus, “are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” Jesus is saying to his followers. “Don’t be naïve as you let your light shine in this world. Be aware of realities. Don’t be dishonest, but be awake and astute.” Jesus is calling us to be shrewd believers. What are the characteristics of shrewd believers?
First, shrewd believers are aware of the world’s crookedness.
Shrewd believers don’t look at the world with rose-coloured glasses. While we are eager to discover and lift up what is good, we know that it’s not all like that. There is a crookedness in this world which infects people and relationships. And we must stay aware.
Jesus’ parable exposes the world’s crookedness. The wealthy landowner may have been crushing his tenant farmers with nearly unpayable debts. According to the law the Jewish people were not to charge fellow Jews interest on loans. But they found a way around that. They demanded a lump sum as re-payment which was the original loan with a hefty premium tacked on. They just didn’t call that premium interest. And the manager was crooked in his dealings, too.
The world is not much different today. I think of the company stores which existed in parts of Canada less than a century ago. The store provided housing and food and clothing for the workers and their families at high prices, and charged it all against their earnings. Some weeks, workers’ pay cheques would be less than zero. The workers were in perpetual debt.
Many people are crushed by a burden of debt today. Now you say, “It’s their own fault.” Well yes, but it’s easy for people, to get taken in by outlandish promises and claims. It’s hard to buy something today, especially a big ticket item, or to get something fixed, without a sneaking suspicion that you’re paying too much. There is so much crookedness and deceit around us. There are people who use fraudulent computer and telephone schemes to take our money. Some are obviously fake, but some are very sophisticated and can snare people, especially honest people. We can’t assume that all people are good and well-intentioned. Some are, and certainly the children of light should be, but really everyone needs to be checked out. There are crooked people out there, people who will quickly take advantage of us.
Jesus was well aware of the world’s crookedness. He tipped over tables and set animals free in protesting crooked practices in the temple. He knew that people were being taken advantage of. Jesus was open and loving and kind and generous, but he also knew what was in people. Jesus knew that certain people were out to get him. He knew they would resort to crookedness and outright lies to get rid of him. And they did. Jesus was not naive when it came to the world. The sinless one, the one in whom there was no crookedness at all, suffered greatly at the hands of crooked men. Jesus once told his disciples, “Be innocent as doves and wise as serpents.” Be shrewd about the world. Don’t let yourself be taken in. Test carefully and frequently. And most of all, don’t cooperate with the world’s crookedness. Let your integrity shine brightly in the darkness, for you are a child of light
Secondly, shrewd believers are wise in using the resources God supplies.
The crisis was at hand and the manager made use of the resources he had. He used the time he had left in the master’s employ. He made good use of his financial resources, actually, the master’s financial resources that had been entrusted to him. So Jesus calls believers to be shrewd in the use of our God-given resources.
A man came to his pastor’s office one day, very troubled. With a quivering voice the man said “Pastor, I’m scared. I’ve just come from the doctor’s office, and he told me that I have only six months to live. After I left the office, I realized that I have no spiritual resources, no inner strength to cope with this. I have nothing to fall back on, to lean against. Many people would be surprised to hear me say that, for people think I’m a success not only at making money, and also at making myself a strong and powerful person. But really I’m not.”
Now I don’t know what the Pastor said to him, but what he could have said was, “So far, you have not called upon God’s resources as you could have. You have not built up spiritual resilience. But God has given you six months and all his resources are available to you right now. Call upon him and he will fill your lack. It’s not too late to make wise use of what God provides.”
God has given us marvelous resources to help us not just through crises, but everyday living. There is the open door of prayer, the church’s worship, God’s word in Scripture, the fellowship of believers, the promises of the Gospel. As we attend to these resources on a regular basis, we discover that God is faithful and true to his word. We really do grow in faith and hope and love.
Time is a resource God gives to us. Time passes quickly, and it’s to be used wisely. Eternity is on the horizon and may be here before we know it. Shrewd believers use God’s gift for their spiritual strengthening and for Kingdom purposes. So we make room in our schedule for personal spiritual growth and renewal, through prayer and worship and Scripture reading, and also for serving God through the church.
Money is another resource God has given us. A layperson stood up at a meeting called to discuss his church’s financial issues. He said to his fellow church members, “We have plenty of money in this church. That’s not the problem. It’s just that it’s still in our pockets.” Now as Jesus says, we cannot serve both God and wealth. But we can use our wealth to serve God. And serving God with our money helps keeps money in perspective. It keeps money from becoming an idol. We discover that money is a poor master but a great tool. You see, God allows us to have money not just for our own needs and pleasures, but also for the work of God’s Kingdom. Shrewd believers ask themselves, “Is my offering pleasing not just to myself, but more importantly, to God?” Your faithful use of money can accomplish much for God’s Kingdom and his people. And in heaven, you will be welcomed by people who experienced Kingdom blessings on earth through your faithful use of what God has entrusted to you.
We are not resource poor. In fact, quite the opposite. Look around. Look at what God has given to you, to us. Let us be shrewd and wise in using those abundant resources.
The greatest resource God has given us to trust and to share is Jesus Christ, His only Son. Jesus is our balm in Gilead. He is our great physician. He is the One who restores and heals our souls. He is our Saviour. Let’s face it. Not one of us, not even the best among us, has always been wise or faithful in using what God has given us. None of us has always let our light brightly shine in this dark world. Sometimes we have even joined with the crookedness of this world. Only Jesus was without sin. Shrewd believers know themselves; they know that they have sinned and fallen short; shrewd believers know that they need Christ; that he alone is our hope for this life and the life to come. That is why we cling to him, our crucified and risen Saviour. How about you? Are you a shrewd believer, knowing your need, trusting in Christ and his word? May it be so, for it is through him that you and I have become children of light, in this age and forevermore.