How to deal with the world

I hear all the time that we are called to turn the other cheek. We should not fight or quarrel or even stand up to others. In chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians it tells us not to drag each other into court that it would be better to just be wronged. Well, JEsus addressed this issue directly in a business setting. Every day we come in contact with people, some of us many people and we need to deal with them in a certain way. Jesus in Matthew 10 is dealing with just this sort of thing, and he tells us to be shrewd and innocent at the same time. He says he is sending His followers out like sheep among wolves.

"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." - Matthew 10:16
First he tells us we are sheep and we are going to be around wolves every day of our lives. People that are waiting to devour us if we let them, we need to stand strong and true to our faith. In business dealings, in our home lives, in church settings and all around we are surrounded by non-believers who want a chance to attack us and bring us down.
Then he uses the word shrews which means: good at judging people or situations: showing or possessing intelligence, insight, and sound judgment, especially in business or politics
So in otherwords don't be a pushover, don't let others walk all over you, don't be naive and gullible. Use good judgment, use God's guidance to allow you to make insightful decisions. Shrewd like a snake, not soft a fluffy like a sheep.
Then, He tells us to be innocent as a dove. So we need to be thick skinned and shrewd like a snake, but handle ourselves in a christlike manner so that we are innocent as a dove. We need to be there, take care of the things we need to, use good judgment and keep our noses clean. This is tough, but it is what God's needs from us for our testimony to truly be effective.
So use good godly judgment today, but don't lose your innocence in the matters at hand because there are wolves all around you waiting to rip you and your testimony to shreds.
Thanks for reading and happy hump day!