WEEK 44 – DAY 1

FULL OF GRACE

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians: 4:5-6

How can conversation be full of grace? We need to allow Christ to shine through every aspect of our lives, especially our conversations. That doesn’t mean we need to preach a sermon to everyone we meet on the street. But we should make the most of every opportunity to show the grace of God with those in our paths. In normal conversation, there are many opportunities to be a gracious listener and express genuine concern for others. Many “outsiders” are surprised by graciousness and may ask why you would be so kind to a stranger. You can give an answer that the Lord works within you to respond to people as Jesus would, with compassion.

Sometimes the Lord puts us in special situations in order to have an opportunity to share His love with others. When my father was in ICU due to a severe heart attack, my family members had many opportunities to share with others in the waiting room. God had their attention and allowed us the joy of being there to pray with them and minister to them even as he was taking care of our concerns and needs. When Susan was in the hospital for the amputation of both legs above the knee, she and I had many opportunities to share God’s grace with the staff and others we met.

Allow God’s divine influence upon your heart to spill over into your daily life, and others will see Jesus in you.  Trust the Holy Spirit to enable you to answer their questions about the Lord. Then add those people to your prayer list. You will have great joy when some of them come to know the Lord, and it is a blessing to know that you’ve planted a seed even if you aren’t around to reap the harvest.

Father, thank you for your saving grace that completely transformed our lives. Allow us to share that faith in conduct as well as words with those You bring into our sphere of influence. Help our words to be encouraging to others. Thank You for those whose words have comforted, challenged, and changed us over the years.