Secret Agent

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."- Matthew 10:16

Jesus is sending out the disciples in this passage, but because he has called us to the same mission of making disciples, his instructions are relevant to us. So I feel like a secret agent being sent out on a mission when I read this.
I had to study Bible this verse (yes, "to study Bible" is indeed a verb) and it said that serpents are a symbol of shrewdness, which is defined as having a keen awareness, sharp intelligence, and a sense of practicality. As ambassadors for Jesus, we have to be smart, maybe a little sneaky (in truth of course, not deceitful), and intentional about when we share the gospel and who we spend our time with along with a bunch of other things. In all of this we must be held blameless. That's a fine line to walk.
This scripture is also a warning. Following Jesus will be dangerous, and that sounds exciting to me. I'm not sure how people can say that biblical Christianity is boring in any way.