I spoke on Matthew 10:16 tonight:

Be innocent as doves and shrewd as snakes.

I think truth is found in the tension of opposites. Where there is no tension you tyically have one-dimensional truth. Job 11:6 says, “True wisdom has two sides.” Truth tends to be two-dimensional. For example, work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God. It’s both/and.

One of my favorite juxtapositions is doves and snakes in Matthew 10:16. We have to couple motivational purity with contextual intelligence. One or the other isn’t enough. We have to pass the dove test and snake test.