Reflect Love and Truth of Christ

– Ponderings:

The dogs got me up early this morning which is saying something since I’m an early riser. That doesn’t mean I always get going quickly; sometimes that takes no small amount of caffeine but that’s a different matter. It was a beautiful morning to spend some time sitting outside, even though it was too dark yet to read my Bible and “ponder” this meditation.

Last week we spent time meditating on the first three chapters of Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, so we might look at the final chapter today. Much of Chapter 4 contains Paul’s concluding words of greeting – a list of “so and so” says hello and here’s a message from “so and so” to someone. Some of the names are familiar to us from other books of the Bible and some aren’t. But these words emphasize that these early Christians knew one another personally and cared for one another even though they were hundreds of miles apart. The Christian connection was important to them.

Before his final words, however, Paul opens with these words:

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 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. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 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 4:2-6; NIV).

Paul’s challenge is to live a life of prayer and gracious speech, not just to be nice but so that a door may be opened to share the good news of Jesus. How we interact with others impacts how they will view the Christian message. Isn’t that the truth? I can’t count how many times I’ve seen so-called Christians on the news or social media saying hateful, angry, judgmental words … and I cringe because people outside the faith will judge all of us by the words of a few.

What can we do? Paul recommends we begin by devoting ourselves to prayer. Prayer should be our heartbeat. It connects us to God, keeps us watchful, and fosters a spirit of gratitude. Prayer will keep me humble and thankful. It will keep from contributing to words of anger and hate. Next, Paul recommends our words be “always full of grace” and “seasoned with salt.” What does salt have to do with it?

Just the right amount of salt in food enhances the flavor and transforms a meal. Our words can be seasoned with salt by speaking the truth in love and being gracious in every circumstance. Salt also has healing properties and our words should bring healing and point others to Jesus, the One who offers life. Paul isn’t telling us to never take a stand or to never speak out when something isn’t right, but he is telling us to think about our words and how we say them. We are called to represent Christ which is no small thing and we are called to share Christ’s message which is no easy thing.

Paul’s main point as he ends this letter is that our words should be both kind and impactful, with the right blend of truth and love. That kind of balance takes a lot of prayer, practice, and patience. Are your interactions with others full of grace? If you’re like me, the truthful answer is sometimes yes and other times not so much. How can you be more intentional about your words, ensuring that they reflect the love and truth of Christ?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to be more devoted to prayer. Open doors for me to share the good news of Jesus, give me the courage to do so, and give me the right words to speak. May my words be full of grace and seasoned with salt, so that they bring glory to you and point others to Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.