LIVING LESSONS · Serpents & Doves

Today’s Menu 🎒

1. A Saying Unpacked – the call to be both shrewd and pure

2. What It Reveals About Us – where we lean wrong

3. The Fruit God Desires – wisdom with integrity

4. 24-Hour Challenge – take one balanced step today

Read Time: 3 Minutes

1 · A Saying Unpacked 🐍🕊️

Jesus sent His disciples into a hostile world and said:

“Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
— Matthew 10:16

This wasn’t poetic fluff. He knew they’d face deceit, manipulation, even outright opposition. The serpent’s wisdom—shrewdness, discernment, awareness of danger—would keep them safe. The dove’s innocence—purity, humility, freedom from malice—would guard their hearts. Together, they form a life strategy: navigate complexity without losing compassion.

2 · What It Reveals About Us 🤔

Too often we choose one extreme:

• All serpent, no dove: We become cynical, defensive, suspicious—losing our witness in harshness.

• All dove, no serpent: We become naïve, easily exploited, and our kindness is taken for granted.

Jesus calls us to both. He wants us alert to danger and free from bitterness. He wants us shrewd and wholehearted.

3. The Fruit God Desires 🍎

Kingdom life shows itself in balanced character:

• Discernment with compassion: Spot hidden motives but still love the person.

• Humility with courage: Admit you don’t have all the answers, yet speak truth boldly.

• Wisdom with vulnerability: Protect your heart while remaining open to connection.

True fruit is never one-sided. It bears both insight and purity, intelligence and grace.

4. 24-Hour Challenge ⏳

Live both today.

1. Notice a situation where you’d normally go all-in on cynicism or blind trust.

2. Apply serpent’s wisdom. Ask yourself: “What might I be missing? What warning signs?”

3. Practice dove’s innocence. Respond with one act of kindness—an encouraging word, a silent prayer, a simple gesture.

Balance builds character.
Wisdom without innocence hardens; innocence without wisdom naives.

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