Colossians Bible Study Day 13 of 14

Read Colossians 4:2-6

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

“…know how to answer everyone.” What a huge call! How can we do this? How can we know enough to be able to answer everyone?

The answer is actually pretty simple. If our conversations are full of grace we can answer everyone (v6).

I often like to tell myself that I need to learn more before I talk to others about Jesus. However, it is grace, not knowledge, that allows us the ability to answer everyone. 

So what does grace look like? Let me tell you a story about my sister, Hope.

Shortly after Hope acquired a used car she allowed me to drive it from the front of the house to the back driveway. I was still learning to drive, but this was a really simple trip and one that I had done before. Our street was in the shape of an L and I easily maneuvered through the road in front of the houses into the alleyway. As I was beginning to turn right at the elbow of the alley I accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake… and instead of turning I ended up putting the car through a neighbors’ fence…

I forgot to mention there was construction going on in the alley.

Bordering the alley (in seemingly random spots) were large 5’-7’ feet deep holes. AND yes, I did manage to drive into the fence directly over one of those holes, suspending the front two tires in the air. Hope’s car was front wheel drive meaning that not only did I wreck my sister’s brand new car, but I also stranded it in the air as well.

I remember waiting for Hope to yell, to cry, to be angry, but instead Hope looked at me and with genuine concern asked, “Are you okay?”

Hope’s love for me far exceeded the love of her new car. It far exceeded the unfortunate situation. Hope immediately cast out my offense against her and granted me undeserved love.

This is grace and it is wonderful.

God’s grace outmatches that. It exceeds the deepest of offenses and it is far more accessible. God offers undeserved love to anyone who is willing to receive it.

“Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning.” ~ Frederick William Faber

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Now go and may your conversations be full of grace.

Diving Deeper

Paul tells his readers three different times to pray in this passage of scripture alone, and even asks for prayers for him and his mission. Have you been praying for missionaries? They need it. Make a commitment to pray for them everyday for the next 10 days. If you know any missionaries let them know they were prayed for. They may really need some encouragement from back home.