WISE AS SERPENTS; GENTLE AS DOVES - Matthew 10:16

WISE AS SERPENTS; GENTLE AS DOVES - Matthew 10:16
What Does it Say?  Jesus tells his disciples that He is sending them out as sheep among wolves.  They are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
What Does it Mean?  Jesus is sending His disciples out into the world.  He knows they will have opposition and need to be ready for it.  We are blessed to live in Canada where we don't face the kind of persecution the disciples or Christians in many parts of the world today face.  The advice Jesus gave to the disciples is still good advice for us in Canada today.  Jesus tells His disciples to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  What are we supposed to be wise about?  Romans 16:19 says that we should be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.  When I was a teenager rejecting the faith of my parents, I thought it was cool to know a lot about things that I knew God didn't want me to have anything to do with. That was totally wrong; no wonder it was such a disaster.  I left myself wide open and I got creamed. It took me 20 years to recover.  Now after many years of following Jesus, I am doing much better, but I am still tempted to watch my favorite soap when I know I should be doing something more constructive.  It is easier to be entertained than it is to actively seek God.  We protect ourselves from unnecessary misfortune by being wise about good and innocent about evil.  What temptations do you face in learning more about good than evil?  What can you do about it?