Daily Devotions

In Communion with God John Owen states, “Our communion with God consists in his communication of himself to us, with our return to him of that which he requires and accepts, flowing from that union which in Jesus Christ we have with him.” In Colossians 4 we read, “Be wise in your behaviour towards non-Christians, and make the best possible use of your time. Speak pleasantly to them, but never sentimentally, and learn to give a proper answer to every questioner.” (J B Phillips)

I recently saw a cartoon strip that in frame 1 shows a CEO wagging his finger at one of his employees, the next frame pictures the man arriving at home and similarly wagging his finger at his wife. In the third pane, the wife repeats the same behaviour when she admonishes their young son. The last image shows the boy wagging his finger at the family kitten. The inference is obvious  and a distant image from that which Paul advocated we as followers of Christ should exhibit. 

Elsewhere the word used in this verse is let your conversation be…. and in the original text it means more that the words we speak. It’s all to do with the manner and motives behind our words.  Some translations of Colossians 4:6 put it this way, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Remember what Jesus taught, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13 The salt under foot is wasted; the light under the tub puts itself out. May we consider how we might better use my conversations for the good of others and for the glory of God.

O God, our Master in heaven, 

make us fair and just in our dealings with others; 

keep us persistent in prayer for them, 

alert to their needs, 

and constantly thankful; 

open doors for us to proclaim the message about the secret of Christ; 

help us to speak as we should, to make it clear. 

Keep us wise in the way we act towards those who do not believe, 

help us always to make good use of every opportunity we have; 

let our conversation be attractive and inspiring, 

and teach us how to give the right answer to everyone, 

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.