July 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Matthew 10:1-16:

¹And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
²Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
³Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
⁴Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
⁵These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
⁶But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
⁷And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
⁸Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
⁹Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
¹⁰Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
¹¹And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
¹²And when ye come into an house, salute it.
¹³And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
¹⁴And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
¹⁵Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
¹⁶Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Devotional

The dove is a clean bird. It has a timid nature and a gentle disposition. It was used for sacrifice. If a person could not afford a lamb, he might offer a pigeon or a dove. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost descended upon Jesus in the shape of a dove. When Jesus sent out his disciples to preach, He told them "to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves:" harmless, that is, unmixed or pure, harboring no evil in their hearts, free from guile, simple. Jesus said of Nathanael, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Of Christ it is said that He "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." John says, "We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."

This likeness is brought about through the Spirit that dwells in him and in us. We, beholding his glory, "are changed into the same image from glory to glory." When the anointing of the Spirit is upon us, we shall hate all sin, and "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit." Thus we shall be "sanctified through the truth, " and therefore harmless as doves.

Prayer

God of wisdom and truth, righteousness and peace, be pleased to guide and direct us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Grant that we may be blameless and harmless (sincere), the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom may we shine as lights in the world, holding forth the Word of Life. May we be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Lev. 12:8; Luke 3:22; John 1:47; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:2, 3; 2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Cor. 7:1; John 17:19.

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