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 4:5-6)
Sometimes it can seem really complicated to share our faith. “Evangelism” can be a scary word. We imagine knocking on random people’s doors or shouting out God’s Word from a street corner or bursting into conversations with just the right words from the Bible to suddenly change people’s lives. That sounds daunting. Pressure-packed. Hard. Is that what it really means to share our faith?
Actually, the Bible presents a different picture of evangelism. Instead of us finding ways to force the message of Jesus on other people, God places evangelism opportunities into our lives each day. He leads your child to ask a question about Jesus. He leads a co-worker to open up about a painful struggle. He allows a tragedy to bring someone you know to their knees. He places you next to just the right person as you wait in line or sit on an airplane or get your seat assignments at school.
God places little evangelism opportunities into our lives and says, “Make the most of every opportunity.”
Do you? I don’t. I haven’t. This is a sin I constantly need to confess. It happens regularly that I walk away from a conversation and realize, “Wow, God set that up perfectly for me to talk about Jesus, and I didn’t.” Does that happen to you too? We need God’s grace and forgiveness every single day.
But we can count on something: God will give us more opportunities to share our faith—sometimes with the very same people! Don’t give up. Pray for strength to “make the most of every opportunity.”
How? “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.” What a combination! May Jesus’ grace which fills your heart be on your mouth. May Jesus’ grace lead you to speak kindly, compassionately, and caringly to the people around you. They will notice! But don’t be afraid to throw in salt. Speak up about God’s truth. Push back against foolish worldly ideas. Be honest about sin. “Full of grace, seasoned with salt.”
Evangelism isn’t complicated. Often the best evangelism moments materialize when you’re not even trying to do evangelism. Keep your eyes open. Make the most of every opportunity. God is with you!
Dear Jesus, it can sound scary to tell others about you. Give me courage to make the most of each opportunity you give me. Fill my conversations with grace and salt all to your glory. Amen.
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