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Behold, I send you forth, as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Matthew 10:16
When developing a name for this site, Dove Devotionals simply hit me one day. As an Internet nickname, I have always used something similar to "icydove." My great-grandmother's name was Icee Dove, and it always struck me as unique and special. The symbol of the dove has been used for centuries to represent Christianity, so Dove Devotionals seemed personal and appropriate. I decided to look up scriptures about doves in the Bible, and I stumbled upon Matthew 10:16 (posted above). Strong's Concordance describes the greek work used for harmless in this verse as also meaning unmixed, innocent, harmless and simple. There are only two other scriptures in the New Testament that use this same word, which read similarly.
For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise, unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
Romans 16:19
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Philippians 2:15
These words also reminded me of the phrase associated with doctors: first do no harm. There are times that scripturally call for rebuke, but we should actively seek that neither our words nor actions cause others true harm.
We should also seek to be innocent in the ways of the world, but in balance with the wisdom of the Word. Our innocence should not extend to the point where we will unknowingly put ourselves into dangerous or evil situations, but the details of evil have no place in our minds.
Unmixed also strikes me as how we allow the world to influence our lives. My daughter was playing with modeling compound today, and some of the colors inevitably get mixed together if more than one color is opened at a time. At first, the colors keep their separate identities. But as the compound is continually mixed and molded, the prominent color usually takes over...or else a new unidentifiable color is formed. The more we allow the world's color into our lives, the more we lose our identity as a child of God. We cannot keep ourselves from the world entirely, but we can try to control how much our lives are mixed into it, and then when necessary, that we remain the prominent color.
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