Be Wise - II

Colossians 4:5-6 Paul is writing to the church in Colosse from prison; possibly from Rome. At this point in his letter he is requesting prayer so that he might adequately preach the Gospel from prison to both his captors and his visitors. Paul’s life was about sharing the Gospel of Christ with anyone anywhere at any time. It is this same kind of motivation that he is trying to instill in the readers of this letter in Colosse. "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.” He is speaking of those outside the faith. Be careful that your behavior, attitude and character is not inconsistent with our message about Jesus. We shouldn’t have to give disclaimers about our actions - people should be able to see Jesus in our character. Paul tells us to “make the most of every opportunity.” The more we look like Jesus the more opportunities we will have. Our lives need to illustrate that a life lived in relationship with Jesus will really work in our day. When he speaks of our “conversation”, he’s talking of our whole lifestyle as well as the way we talk. We need to be “grace” people. It’s an attitude, a way of looking at things and people. It’s a way of looking beyond the exterior of a person and seeing the value inside someone who Jesus loves and died for. “Seasoned with salt” means to present Christ in a way that will offer hope, and life with meaning in way that is able to be received. There may be a time to present the “turn or burn” message, but only as a last resort. The reason for all this is that we will “know how to answer everyone.” You see, if Jesus is our reason for being, if He is the motivating factor in our lives, we will have an answer for everyone. Spend time in meditating and considering how Jesus fits into every area of our lives. Not only spiritually, but also socially, recreationally, occupationally and in every other way