“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.”
The Apostle Paul also had something to say about salt. He gives great advice about how those who are Christ followers should treat and relate to those who are not Christ followers. Our conversation, our words, our interactions are to be “full of grace” with a just a touch of salt thrown in.
Too often, we have gotten it backwards. We have offered a cup full of salt with just a touch of grace thrown in. Then we are surprised when the non-Christian does not like it. If you have ever been swimming in the ocean and gotten a mouth full of salty seawater, you know how unpleasant that can be.
Most of Paul’s ministry was around people who had little or no understanding of the Jewish Law or the teachings of Jesus. Rather than filling his sermons with a lot of “Thou shall nots,” Paul focused on a message that emphasized God’s grace and love. He told the Corinthian Christians, “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders.”
Maybe, just maybe, if we who are Christ followers could work on letting our words and interactions with non-Christians be full of grace, we might get more opportunities to share our faith. Maybe, if they knew they were not going to be judged, they might be more willing to ask us for our advice:
“I am thinking about moving in with my boyfriend. All my other friends think it is a great idea. What do you think?”
“I am really having trouble with my teenage daughter. Your kids seemed to have turned out okay. What can I do?”
“I am thinking about filing for divorce. Do you think that there is anything I can do to save my marriage?”
Because our conversation has been full of grace, when these questions come we have an opportunity to sprinkle a little salt in and share some life changing truths with them. If we build credibility with people by extending grace, they will be much more open to hearing the truth that has the power to set them free.
If you would like to help Annie and I to be salt here in Brazil, here is the link. Obrigado! (Thank you!)
