Matthew 10:16-20 Gentle as Doves
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: March 8, 2019, Matthew 10:16-20
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
(Understanding the Text) The first sentence in these verses tells of the character that the disciples, and by extension Jesus’ followers, are to maintain in the face of adversity and persecution. Jesus calls His disciples sheep and compares their opponents to wolves ready to devour them. Jesus is telling them that they are entering defenselessly into the middle of a world that would love to chew them up and spit them out. Many times I feel that way. I feel like God has told me to be sweet, gentle, kind, and giving to people who respond with contempt, aggression, and cruel interpersonal games, and who only want to take what they can get and tear up the remainder.
Jesus is not speaking of the mission of the twelve in the previous verses because none of them were persecuted at that time. Instead, He is giving a prophecy of what will happen to the twelve when He leaves them in charge. All of the negative predictions came to pass. The promise that they would speak in the power of the Holy Spirit also came to pass. The Bible does not describe all the times that this happened, but Acts gives a description of this happening to James, Peter, John, and Paul. Since it happened to Paul and it is in the Bible, I think it is safe to extend the advice and promise to all of Jesus’ followers.
(Revelation of God / Prayer) When we follow the way of life that Jesus has pointed us too, and when we reflect God’s character in all aspects of our lives, we will appear powerless and ineffective to worldly eyes. Worldly ways say to use force to defend and push to the front and demand your rights. Jesus’ ways says to yield to others, to humbly put others before self, and to give more than was demanded. The contrast seems to be wimpy, except that Jesus’ ways are backed up with the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s promise of justice. I feel like a defenseless sheep who is going to be mauled by the world. It makes me try to put on sheep armor, but I still get hurt. I need Your power to protect me.
(Application) God tells us to be wise as serpents. Modern-day serpents are not wise, so I guess the meaning is wise as the devil and his allies. We are not to be naïve about the world. We are to know and understand what is happening around us, but we are not to be part of it. We are to be gentle as doves harming none. I like the idea in theory, but in practice, it hurts. I know that part of the hurt is that I am not trusting God enough and trying to face the world in my own power instead of the Spirit’s. I have to remember that I’m a sheep among wolves, and there is no way that I can meet them on their own terms. I have to face them with God at my back, living in His ways and His protections. The victory is not up to me. It is up to God. My job is to simply stand where He places me and speak the words that He gives me and follow His lead as He guides me through the dangers of this world.