OH, AND A COUPLE MORE THINGS
Colossians 4:1- 6 NKJV
1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Paul is wrapping up his letter to the church at Colossae and he adds some instructions as if he is a guy remembering what he wanted to say to the church. Of course, Paul is being led by the Holy Spirit, so this list of unrelated items may not necessarily be connected, but they are still important.
Paul reminds those who were masters over slaves that they were to treat them right. Paul says treating the bond servants justly and fairly. Just and fair appears to mean the same thing so I looked up what those words were in the Greek. The word just means what is right. In other words, masters were to do the right thing with their slaves. Fair means equal. So, evidently, the Lord wanted masters to do what was the right thing and provide equality for the slaves. Keep in mind that these masters were believers, so their actions would speak to their slaves. These masters were to remember that they had a master in heaven, Jesus. And Jesus is totally right and equal in His dealings. We know the Lord is not a respecter of people, and He wants that for those who are in authority. Thankfully, we are not in a slavery environment, but those in authority must remember that they are also under the authority of heaven.
Oh, and pray consistently and give thanks. And pray for those who proclaim the gospel that God would open a door for the Word. That the Word would be made clear. This is a good way to pray for church leaders and those who teach in the church.
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside. Outside is not referring to those living out of doors but rather those who are outside the family of faith. The instructions are to walk in wisdom, not isolate yourself from them. Just be wise. Walk in wisdom, not condemn them. Just use wisdom. Walk in wisdom. Do not follow them. This is what redeeming time implies. To make the most of the time, we can’t constantly surround ourselves with those outside of the faith. We have to reach them. We must interact with them, but we need to use wisdom as to what level of involvement is required. Too much hanging out with those outside of faith will impact you. The warnings in Scripture are to not learn the ways of those away from God.
Oh, and when it comes to your talking. There needs to be grace in your mouth. Not condemnation, not judgment. Grace with a dose of salt. Salt would indicate truth. All salt is hard to swallow. All grace does not point people in the right direction. As believers, we should be known for our gracious ways and our willingness to share truth that blesses the believers and shines the light onto unbelievers. This is a learning process. It’s not all grace or all salt; it’s a mix. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to give us insight as to how we are to answer people.
Paul threw a lot their way in a few short verses. How to act in and under authority. Consistent prayer and how to pray for preachers. Wisdom toward those outside faith particularly as it pertains to time spent. And how words are to be used. Aren’t you glad we have the ability to incorporate all of these thing into our lives?