The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Shrewdness (03/07/05)
Shrewdness.
Is this a vice or a virtue? I have asked this question to explore the basics of this word.
It is my bent that anytime I come across the usage of this word, what comes to mind is some non-conscientious act of cunning and fraudulence. This is not always a right reaction as I have come to know.the word shrewdness sure has some more positive meanings. It means being perspicacious and having a clear perception of things, and lots more. It is on the basis of these two uses of the word that I shall attempt to discuss this topic using the bible as a reference.
AS a virtue, shrewdness is a very commendable thing. It is loveable and admirable. An intelligent person has an edge over any other person in such a way that can only be felt. His knowledge makes him responsible. (This however is not always true but it sure is a standard of measure). Having a clear perception on issues might well also be seen as a great advantage in the understanding of issues of faith. This is not always correct, but it is worthy of note. In matters relating to faith God does whatever he please with a person as long as he yields to his will, the disciples are a good example, at a point in Israel people marvelled where they got “so much knowledge from”.
On the other hand being fraudulent for gain and duplicitous in dealings with other men is a despicable thing and verily God winks at it. It is clearly discouraged in the bible. Wealth gained by fraudulence does not last. What happened to all the things that Jacob got in the house of laban by trickery? They got perished on his way to shechem! Why would a man want to defraud another? Why should a man defraud another man? Has he not realised that a man does not consist in the abundance of what he has? Nor the amount of profit he makes? That a man cannot receive anything except it is given him by God?He should learn.
In conclusion I should like to advise those who belong to the latter category to desist from every of that unscrupulous act and learn to attach value to themselves the way God does.likewise to those whose main virtue is shrewdness in the former sense discussed above, it is worthy of note to realise that there is nothing a man has that he ahs not received!.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 955 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Sally Hanan
03/14/05
I liked the way you looked at the word from both angles rather than the negative one alone.
donna robinson
03/16/05
Some excellent points made here and you wrote it in a way I could understand.
L.M. Lee
03/17/05
taking time to explore the meaning of the word will certainly give us more clarity.