What Are You Portraying?

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 2:5-6)

Yesterday, we talked about the importance of devoting ourselves to praying for other people. Now, I want to make it clear how we must also focus on our own self as followers of Christ. We need to be deliberate about what we portray to others and how we are emulating Christ to those around us.

Paul gives us encouragement on this topic in today’s key verses. If you read the first several verses of Colossians chapter 2, you’ll see that Paul’s focus in this passage is not just about other people who are believers like us but also about people who do not know Christ. There are always people who are on the outside looking in, people who are in the dark and need light, people who are dead and need life, people who are drowning in guilt and need to be rescued by grace.

It breaks my heart to see so someone become a Christian, then believe the lie that once you become a Christian, you shouldn’t associate with people who are not Christian. That is the exact opposite of what we should be doing as believers. Once you are an outsider who becomes an insider, you should start deliberately walking toward outsiders.

Let me put it this way. Those of us who are on the inside of the kingdom looking to those who are outside the kingdom, we are to walk to those who are outside the kingdom so that we might bring them inside the kingdom.

So with that in mind, let me ask you two questions. Do you have people in your life who aren’t believers that you can share your faith with? If so, what kind of example are you setting for them? My hope is that you will be intentional, not only in spending time with non-believers so that they might see Jesus in you, but also in living your life in a way that reflects the hope that is found in Christ so that others are drawn to Him.

Dear Father, I want nothing more than to become more like Christ so that I can point others to Him that they might become part of your family. I pray that you would give me the opportunity to do share Jesus, and I desire to never take that responsibility lightly. In Jesus’ name, amen.