"...Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone."- Colossians 4:5-6 NLT
In place of "attractive", NIV uses "seasoned with salt". The great commission of Christ is to "go and make disciples of all nations...to teach them to obey all the commands God gave us..." For the less brazen ones (like most of us) who don't have the courage to walk around literally hitting a gong and preaching the good news, we say our lifestyles will do the work. But can they? Or rather, do they? Are you seasoned with salt or are you salty? And you know what I mean by salty. Are you a different person in church, and a completely different person out of church? Do you speak in all manner of tongues in the privacy of your room, but then step out of your room and rain curses on the next person who overtakes you on the highway, or the person who borrowed your money and has refused to pay? I remember Heather Lindsey gave an example recently of her conversation with a customer service representative. She explained how she kept calm even when she was very disappointed with the services being offered. Only for the representative to ask if she was THE Heather and then went ahead to say how much Heather has blessed her. That could have been a completely different story. Take this from someone who has lashed out on a representative before.
I understand. I have been there. I am impatient by nature and can get antsy pretty fast, so I know that if a person is that calm, they deserve to be commended. The truth is that many people no longer read the bible, and the closest they can get to the bible is through you. By seeing how you live your life, the things you say (on social media too), how you act and react in situations. The bible says to make the most of every opportunity to represent Christ, to be his ambassador. An ambassador acts as a representative of his country, or a promoter of an activity. That's exactly what we should be for Christ.
Let every conversation be gracious and attractive. Conversations bring one thing to mind for me, social media, particularly Twitter. There is a new fad to be aggressive towards Christians on Twitter. I think it sounds cool to say Christians can't reason and that's why they serve a God they can't see or whatever else Madam Sugabelly and co have said about Christians. That's not fine. Of course not. But that's no reason to get agitated. It's worrisome to see Christians so bothered by what she or anybody else says that they begin to say awful things to her in the process of defending Christianity. There is no reason to be defensive or to even fight for God. That's not your battle. God does not need you fighting for God. Instead tell a person about the good works God has done in your life, and how you could not imagine not knowing him. You see, for me, it's way more than a religion. It's a loving relationship, it's a way of life. Explain that to people. There are some however, who care less about what you have to say, and more about being pugnacious. They are only about getting into an embittered argument. You need to know how to see through that BS and walk AWAY. Whatever you do, be gracious, be magnanimous towards everybody. If you go to a great restaurant for instance, and are eager to have others taste that deliciousness. Do you go about fighting people into accepting that the restaurant is THE restaurant? Do you become aggressively defensive? Of course not. You persuade them to try it out, and if they still refuse, you keep it cool and keep moving. Life is too short abeg.
Remember again, it is not your battle, but the Lord's.
Keep calm, and be attractive.
Love,
I
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