As I prayed about the next verse for our "Groupies4God" to learn, the Lord kept drawing me back to Colossians. We now have over 300 members learning God's Word together, and I realize that some of you already have the verse that I've chosen memorized. If that's the case, please search out another verse for the week and commit it to memory. Stay with your commitment and keep memorizing! It doesn't matter what version you choose to learn in, just be sure to follow through and have someone to hold you accountable.
Colossians 4:5-6 "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
Be wise in the way we act toward outsiders...
As I studied this week, this phrase just jumped out at me. What is an outsider? Simply put, someone who does not belong to a particular group. In this case, the Bible refers to an "outsider" as a person who is without Christ. It refers to any person who has never made a commitment to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ...someone who is not a Christian--a Christ-follower.
Unfortunately, today's society has watered down the meaning of what a Christian is. There are a lot of people out there who believe there is a God...so they call themselves a Christian. We have to be careful to discern good people from Godly people, especially in relation to this verse. I know a lot of "good" people. But being "good" doesn't get you to heaven. It's only by having a relationship with Jesus. By telling Him you believe He came to earth, died, was buried, and rose again. When He rose from the dead, He conquered sin and death and made a way for us to get to heaven. And it's only when you ask Him to come into your life and forgive you of your sins and save you...when you ask Him to take control and start a relationship with Him that you actually become a Christian. When you've made that commitment, you're no longer an 'outsider' to God. I have had conversations with people who know what the Bible teaches, and sometimes they just assume that because someone goes to a particular church or is part of a denomination that they are a Christian. It's not about a religion, though. It's about a relationship with Jesus. "Outsiders" surround us on a daily basis. In order to study this verse, I think we have to look first at what an outsider is, ask God to show you at least one in your circle of friends, and then try to understand the application of rest of the verse.
The book of Colossians was written by Paul. The first two chapters deal mostly with what Christ did for us. The second half of the book deals mostly with what Christians should do. It gives instruction for daily living. So when Paul says to 'be wise in the way we act toward outsiders' it makes me pause. If I am not careful in how I represent Christ to those around me, I bring shame to God. Have you ever noticed that Christians today are under the media microscope? How many times have you heard someone say, "And they're supposed to be a Christian!" Of course, my life needs to be consistent when dealing with Christians and non Christians alike, but it seems that non-Christians look at Christians through a magnifying glass. They want to see if we are living out in our lives what they think a Christian should look like. As we make choices in our actions, it's important to filter those choices through what God would want for us. Am I going to choose to lose my temper at the lack of customer service I'm experiencing? Am I going to complain to my boss about another employee because it makes me look better? Am I going to guard the words that come out of my mouth, to be sure they will always bring honor to God? The Bible says we need to be wise in our actions.
...make the most of every opportunity
The opportunity this is talking about is the opportunity to tell others about God. I have 5 people on my prayer list right now that are 'outsiders.' My relationship with each of them is different, and my contact with them varies. But with each of them, I have an opportunity to reflect God working in my life in some degree or fashion. But if I am not looking for an opportunity, then I will probably miss it. My pastor recently preached on "Missed Opportunities" from the story of David and Barzillai in 2 Samuel 19. He had some of the most simple but powerful points.
1. If you're looking for an excuse, you'll always find one.
2. Opportunity is not about what you've done, but what we can or are about to do.
3. An opportunity passed always remains a question mark in this lifetime.
4. God's opportunities never go unfulfilled.
5. God always wants us to go farther with Him.
For me, I'm challenged as I write this that not only do I need to be praying for those 'outsiders' on my list each day, but I need to be praying that God would show me opportunities to invite them in to the family of God. I may never know (in this lifetime) how my actions have positively or negatively affected someone's views of God. My choices very well could influence another person's eternity.
Let your conversation be always full of grace...
How many times have you seen the media interview a Christian about a particular 'hot topic' and the Christian ends up enraged while defending his beliefs. I've seen it happen too often. I have watched in disgust at how they were given the opportunity to be an ambassador for Christ, but instead brought shame to Him. I believe that is what this verse is talking about. When we tell others about Christ, it's important to always be gracious in what we say. No matter how good the Message is that we are trying to get across, if we don't deliver it in a courteous way, it loses its effectiveness.
Part of my job used to be teaching customer service skills to my staff. The people in the office didn't realize it, but I always tried to apply this verse to what I was teaching them. If any employee chooses the wrong words to say to a customer, they could be fired. Yet, how many times do we choose to use inappropriate conversation with others--whether it's gossip, a slip of an occasional bad word, or just blatant loss of temper? The Bible says in Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord." I have to let God do the work in my heart, and if that happens, the words that come out of my mouth will more likely be what He wants me to say. I'm so thankful God doesn't fire us when we mess up! We have a clause in our contract that says "no one can pluck us out of His hand!" When me mess up, we only need to ask Him to forgive us, and He gladly does.
...seasoned with salt...
I love this phrase. Like probably most kids, my son Jacob hates vegetables, yet we make him eat some every day. Sometimes the taste is so overwhelming to him that he cries out, "Can I at least put some salt on this?" What does salt do? It adds flavor. It makes something tasty. I love the verse in Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" How are people going to taste and see that God is good unless we make him attractive? Salt not only adds flavor, but it is a preservative that makes you thirsty. Wouldn't it be awesome if our speech and actions made someone thirst for God?
...so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Why should we have the right kind of conversation and take the opportunities before us? So that we can have the right response to everyone. Now, that's a pretty hard task. But if our conversation is seasoned with salt, it should encourage further dialog about Christ. We may not necessarily have all the answers. But the more we study God's Word and allow Him to penetrate us, the more answers we will be able to provide.
So today, I'm asking God to not only help me memorize these verses this week but to really apply them. I'm praying for wisdom and for seasoned conversation! I'm asking Him to open my eyes to more opportunities to tell others about Him. I'm asking Him to dig deeper into my life. I know He can't do that unless I have soft enough soil for him to dig, and that starts with my willingness to let Him change me from the inside out. Please pass the salt, Lord!
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com