Watch What You Say

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Colossians Chapter 4:2-6


Speaking to God and Others
2  Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. 3  At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah, for which I am in prison, 4  so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak. 5  Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6  Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.


​ No​tice the words I put in bold print.  Let us take a look at each one and I pray that we get a take away from this to help us get through the day.
Devote yourselves to prayer.  I have been trying to pray more.  Paul urged us to stay in a state of prayer.  I feel at times that my prayer life is ineffective, that I fall short of what God expects.  I battle ADHD and I often have my mind wonder on me, so to help me fight that, I have been typing out my prayers in evernote.  I have also tried to say short quick little prayers throughout the day, like God help me not to kill my 7th hour.   Seriously though, an effective prayer life is a must for a Christian.  I also believe that God honors sincere attempts at prayer, even when we feel like this is not working.  Then of course, it is important to have faith when you pray.  I will steal the phrase from the campaign the local Buffalo churches is running, I believe Jesus can!  It really is that simple at times, pray and believe that Jesus can. 
Open a door.  Paul instructs us here to pray that God would open a door for us to share the Gospel.  A friend of mine John Cagle who is on this devotional list is awesome at this.  I know he prays sincerely each day that God would open a door for him to share the Gospel and over and over again he has stories of people who come to him hurting and seeking God.  But here is the deal, John is not ashamed of who he is in God and what his God can do.  He is bold and has a gift for one on one ministry.  Many of us may feel uncomfortable sharing our faith with others.  First, pray for God to open the door so it will happen naturally and then let the Holy Spirit lead and guide you in what you say.   But notice as Paul continues that sharing your faith is not optional, it is what as Christians we are required to speak.  
Act wisely toward outsiders.  In good ole Southern Missouri plain talk, act like you got some sense around folks.  We need to live wisely so that we will be respected by non Christians.  When they are in need they are very unlikely to seek help from someone they do not respect.  We should use our time wisely, building a reputation of honesty, character, and trustworthiness.
Then Paul starts preaching at me.  Mark you need to watch what you say.  There is a time and a place for humor and sarcasm, but our speech patterns need to be "seasoned with salt".  We should not talk like the world.  What we say should be "peculiar" to the world.  We need to speak hope, faith, truth, and love to everyone we come into contact with.  I do a good job of this sometimes, but when I get frustrated or angry, well not so much.  Our speech should also be guided by the Holy Spirit so that we will know how to give an answer to other people.
My guess is each of us could pray a little more, slow down a little more being on the lookout for the open door to be able to share the Gospel, that we could act a little wiser, and that what we say at times could be presented much better.  None of us will ever arrive but all of us should battle to stay on the journey.
My prayer today is that each day our goal is to get better in Christ.  My athletes in the weight room get tired of me saying "GET BETTER TODAY".  Maybe God is in heaven with His whistle around His neck in his best coach voice saying "GET BETTER TODAY".  Little by little from glory to glory becoming the person God has destined us to become!
In Christ Love,
Humbly His,  Coach Jackson
Attitude, Effort, Discipline, and Growth

Coach Mark Jackson
Head Football Coach
Buffalo High School
Buffalo, MO

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