Speak and behave wisely

Colossians 4:5-6 AMPC

5 Behave yourselves wisely [living prudently and with discretion] in your relations with those of the outside world (the non-Christians), making the very most of the time and seizing (buying up) the opportunity.  6 Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you].

James 1:5 AMPC

5 If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

 In Colossians 5:5-6 Paul encourages us to behave wisely - especially in our relationships with unbelievers, so that we can make good use of every opportunity to be a testimony of God's grace and wisdom to a world that does not know Him.  He specifically mentions our words and the answers we give when someone asks us about our faith.  However, when I read these few verses, I thought but I do not always know what the right answer is to give.  Sometimes we are faced with situations that are beyond our understanding and we simply do not have the best wise answers.  And then Holy Spirit reminded me that the Word of God says - if we do not know, are deficient in wisdom - then simply ASK.  When we ask for God's Wisdom for a situation, the Word says He is a giving God Who will liberally give us Wisdom.  

1 Corinthians 12:8

8 To one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] a message of wisdom...

In 1 Cor 12:8 Wisdom is introduced to us as a gift of the Holy Spirit, thus we never need to feel out of our depth facing life, questions and unfamiliar situations without Wisdom, we simply need to ask for the Holy Spirit to come and give us His Wisdom for every situation.  

Point to ponder:  Ask the Holy Spirit - who is the Spirit of Wisdom (Is 11:2) to come and give us His wisdom for every situation that we find challenging.  

I Speak Jesus - Charity Gale

An intentional prayer life

Colossians 4:2-3 AMPC

2 Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.  3 And at the same time pray for us also, that God may open a door to us for the Word (the Gospel), to proclaim the mystery concerning Christ (the Messiah) on account of which I am in prison;

Paul admonishes us to pray and keep on praying.  To develop the discipline of a continuous prayer life.  

Point to ponder:  So this week's point to ponder is simply - what does your and my prayer life look like?  Are we intentional with our prayers?  Take this week to focus on this question and maybe to make some changes to become more intentional with our prayer life?  

Our Father

Serve well

 Colossians 4:1

Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

This is such a sobering verse. In modern-day everyday life, Paul's admonishment would probably be something along these lines: Most of us work for an employer, we are bound by an employment contract. Some of us are employers, who have employees working for us. We should serve well if we are employed, and employers should treat their employees justly and fairly. However, in God's Kingdom there is a great equalizing principle. Whether employers or employees on earth, reality is that in heaven we all have a Master that we are going to serve for an eternity. Our Master in heaven is a just and fair King who is perfect in character and cannot treat anyone serving Him in an unjust or unfair manner - so the crux of this verse is that ultimately, we are all servants.

Point to ponder:  The kind of servant we are willing to be in the natural probably gives an indication of what kind of servant we are to God in the spirit.  Are we serving well, or do we need to make some changes as to how we serve Jesus, and those at work, in church or in our families, or our friends?  What kind of servant are we choosing to be in His Kingdom?  

Here be Lions:  For me and my house we will serve the Lord