October 9th Devotion

Full of Grace, Seasoned with Salt
By Emma Danzey

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. – Colossians 4:6

Colossians is a beautiful letter in the Bible written by Paul while he was in prison to the church of Colossae. As he concludes his letter to the people, he makes a point to be devoted to prayer and make the most of every opportunity with outsiders. (unbelievers) His advice is found in verse 6. As we break it down today, may we do so remembering those around us on the outside of the kingdom of God.

“Let Your Conversation Be Always Full of Grace”

First of all, the fact that a conversation is being had with unbelievers should remind us that we are to be in relationship and regularly around those who do not know Jesus. This is part of God’s plan for us to shine in the darkness of the world for Him. We are not just to walk past those who do not love Jesus, we are to converse with them, get to know them, ask them questions, and genuinely care about them.

I confess this can be a challenge in my own life. I do not always want to, “make time” for people who do not know Jesus. It can be awkward, and it can feel like a lot of pouring out compared to other relationships in my life. However, this is the call of a believer to go and share the gospel. Jesus spent a significant amount of time with people who did not know God so He could reveal Himself to them. We are called and commanded to go and make disciples just like He did.

Paul teaches that we are to always be full of grace. This is huge because unbelievers will attack our faith in Christ, the world hates Jesus and His Word. However, as we live out grace in our conversations, it reveals the deep love that the Lord has for us and for them. We know that it is by grace we have been saved, so when we model that grace in our conversations with unbelievers, it gives them a view of the love of Jesus. No matter what they are saying to us, we can respond in ways that they do not deserve, grace is a gift from God that is significant in the witness of a follower of Christ.

“Seasoned with Salt”

This is not the only time in the Bible when salt is mentioned in regard to the life of a Christian. Old Testament believers were to season their offerings to God with salt (Leviticus 2:13), King David had a covenant of salt with the Lord (2 Chronicles 13:5), we are told that we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), and salt is referred to being at peace with others (Mark 9:50).

As we reflect on all of these purposes of salt, we can remember that salt adds flavor, it preserves, and it is part of an offering of worship to God. We can add spiritual conversation that causes unbelievers to crave more of Jesus. We can speak in ways that preserve relationships with those who do not have relationships with Jesus. We can worship the Lord by the ways we speak to the people that He has created in His image.

“So That You May Know How to Answer Everyone”

It is difficult to know how to answer questions from unbelievers sometimes, but God has given us clarity in how we can answer everyone. When we focus on being full of grace and seasoned with salt through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can have confidence in our responses. There is peace in knowing that this is only possible with the help of God. One of the fruits of the Spirit is peace. We can be people who know how to answer in peaceful ways even if the answers are challenging or different from the world’s.