Meeting 6/6/20
Col. 4:5-6.
"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."
During the pandemic, we were issued Stay at Home orders to quarantine away from others, so there has been limited physical contact with outsiders. I propose that doesn't necessarily mean a cessation of personal contact though, especially in our digital age. The Church needs to be proactive to connect with and encourage each other. This is not the time to be silent. It's not the time to be complacent. It's a time to take initiative and advantage of a unique situation. It can be looked upon as a "Reset" from our normal lifestyle. Maybe that busy lifestyle wasn't exactly conducive to enhancing our relationships? Instead of just attending church services as a passive recipient, we need to be the Church to others. There is no reason for the Church to be depressed. It's time to really live it out. So, reach out to others and speak the words of God. Do those things He would want us to do.
"Making the most of every opportunity" includes the family unit drawing closer together and improving those relationships. This is a time to slow down from the chaotic busyness of the Rat Race we were accustomed to and reap the benefits of improved unity in relationships. We don't have very long with our kids before they move out independently. Life moves along too quickly. Let's make the most of this.
There have been many uplifting and positive stories of people making the most of this quarantine. They are returning to their spiritual gifts and using them to edify the Church. "Fan into flame the gift of God that is within you." (2Tim. 1:6).
Ah, the tongue is such a powerful instrument. With it, we speak both praise and curses. Who can tame it? (James). Here in Colossians, we see another imploring to make sure our conversations are noble and honorable to the Lord. We are called to speak His grace into circumstances. That saltiness is the essence of the Holy Spirit, spicing up truths that speak to the souls of the receivers, that they may know God is real and active. It is a good idea to pause before speaking and seek the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Many situations in life are beyond our own understanding. We need spiritual understanding to address various issues that arise. Keep in mind, we aren't called upon to solve everyone's issues. God, in His sovereignty, has allowed each situation to impact people for His specific reason. We need to respond with patience and empathy, not judgment or insensitivity. Walk a mile in their shoes. People react differently to different stimulus. We need to give them room to work through it with the Lord and pray they are conformed into the image of His Son through the process and He gets the glory. We need to pray for wisdom and expect God to send it (James 1). Each of these personal contacts we have are divine encounters that we need to make sure God is in the very center of. He has orchestrated these intersections and we need to make the most of each and every one of them. Let's have the courage to take the conversations deeper than surface talk and into the truths of God, for we only have one shot at this and time is short.
