DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SALTY CHRISTIANS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – SALTY CHRISTIANS

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." (Colossians 4:5-6)

Interacting with the unbelieving world around us – those who are "outside" – is always a challenge for the Believer. People who live by the world's customs have a different world view which often conflicts with the Christian world view. So how do we handle this difference? We do it with wisdom.

We have to understand where unbelievers are coming from if we are to effectively communicate the Gospel. For beginners, they do not have God as their guiding principle in life. They approach life from only a human perspective. For the Christian, we have God and His revelation, the Bible, to help us understand what life is really about.

It is not always easy to interact with grace when we know that their interpretation of life and the things that go on in this world is so skewed. Paul said that our conversation should be gracious, but seasoned with salt. This brings to mind what Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." Jesus went on to say that if salt loses its flavor, it is good for nothing and is thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Matthew 15:13).

If we lose our Christian distinctive that makes us different than the world system, then we are good for nothing and are ignored and trampled underfoot. Perhaps this is why Christianity in America has lost its influence. We have become so much like the world that we have lost our flavor.

So let us redeem the time. Perhaps I have not been the best witness in the world, but it is not too late to make a difference by the way I walk and the way I talk. I want to be wise, salty, and gracious in the way I deal with those outside the faith.

Love, Dad