Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)

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In regards to Col. 4:5-6, it is important that we first look at verses 2-4. Here, Paul calls on the believers in Colossae to be prayerful that the Lord would open doors to share the gospel; to be intentional in sharing the "good news" to a lost and dying world. As we shift our focus to verses 5-6, three words stand out:

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Wisdom - Paul is calling on us to be wise in how and when we communicate with "outsiders" regarding the gospel.

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Outsiders - When Paul says "outsiders," he is referencing those "outside the faith," those "who are separated or alienated from Christ."

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Time - Paul is calling on us to make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel...to make the best use of time. Time is not unlimited, it is in short supply in this world.

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In verse 6 Paul compares the effectiveness of our conversation/speech to that of salt. That it should be "full of grace" so we will "know how to answer each person." Salt with the right application increases the quality and taste of our food. Just like salt to our food, our speech should be gracious and applied in the right manner to increase the quality of the gospel message. We should always be humble, courteous and respectful of others.

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Just like salt to our food, our speech should be "tasty" and encourage further dialogue around the gospel message.

 

Questions to Ponder: Are you being prayerful and intentional about sharing the gospel message? In addition, are you asking for His guidance that you do so in a wise and graceful manner that creates positive engagement with others. Ask God to lay someone on your heart that needs to hear the gospel message and that you will do so in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord.

 

Prayer: Father please grant me the wisdom and power to share the gospel message, taking advantage of every opportunity. I pray we communicate the Good News with speech that is humble and "tasty" like salt is to food so that the "outsider/unbeliever" will engage and want to know more, ultimately leading to another member into Your eternal family. Amen.