COLOSSIANS 4:5-6 - FULL OF GRACE (ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2007)

Divinely influence my heart, Lord.

Let your grace be reflected in me.

When I’m engaged in conversation,

may my answers always be

seasoned with your salt, Lord,

to draw others closer to Thee.

“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.”

Colossians: 4:5-6 (NIV)

charis⁵⁴⁸⁵– graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstr.or concr.: lit., fig., or spiritual: espec. The divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude): - acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace- (ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s,worthy).

            How can conversation be full of grace? I believe we need to allow Christ to shine through every aspect of our lives, especially our conversations. That doesn’t mean I need to preach a sermon to everyone I meet on the street. But I should make the most of every opportunity to show the grace of God with those in my path.

            In normal conversation, there are many opportunities to be a gracious listener and express genuine concern for others. Many “outsiders” are surprised by graciousness, and may ask why you would be so kind to a stranger. You can give an answer that the Lord works within you to respond to people as Jesus would, with compassion.

            I can’t count the times I’ve answered the question, “How can you handle the stress of your son being deployed to Iraq?” The answer is the grace of God, and trusting in his complete control. It also helps that I know Thomas trusts the Lord and reads his word for comfort.

            Sometimes the Lord puts us in special situations in order to have an opportunity to share his love with others. When my father was in ICU due to a severe heart attack, my family members had many opportunities to share with others in the waiting room. God had their attention and allowed us the joy of being there to pray with them and minister to them even as he was taking care of our concerns and needs.

            Allow God’s divine influence upon your heart to spill over into your daily life, and others will see Jesus in you.  Trust the Holy Spirit to enable you to answer their questions about the Lord. Then add those people to your prayer list. You will have great joy when some of them come to know the Lord, and it is a blessing to know that you’ve planted a seed even if you aren’t around to reap the harvest.

            Father, thank you for your saving grace that completely transformed my life. Allow me share that faith in conduct as well as words with those you bring into my sphere of influence. Help my words to be encouraging to others. Thank you for those whose words have comforted, challenged, and changed me over the years.